About the Creative Sector Flex Fund
The Pennsylvania Council on the Arts (PCA) funds the Creative Sector Flex Fund (CSFF) to address the changing needs of dynamic Pennsylvania arts organizations with average annual revenue between $10,000 – $200,000.
This grant program incorporates the current needs of the field by offering grantees the flexibility to use $5,000 grants in ways that ensure the most significant impact for their organizations and communities.
Eligible uses of funds are flexible, including the support of applicants’ administrative, programmatic, and project-related expenses.
Creative Sector Flex Fund Eligibility Requirements
Arts organizations and programs in Northampton, Lehigh, Carbon, and Monroe counties with contact info) interested in applying for the Creative Sector Flex Fund must meet the following criteria:
- Be a nonprofit, tax-exempt corporation, or a unit of local government (counties, cities, boroughs, townships, and municipal authorities).
Please Note: Pre-K -12 public, private and parochial schools including all charter schools are NOT eligible for the Creative Sector Flex Fund. K-12 schools should contact our Region’s PA Council on the Arts, Arts in Education Partner, ArtsQuest, to inquire about opportunities.
- Be located in Pennsylvania except for nonprofit, tax-exempt corporations acting as a fiscal sponsor on behalf of an unincorporated group or not-for-profit limited liability company (LLC) that is located in Pennsylvania.
- Be registered with the Pennsylvania Bureau of Corporations except for local governments and fiscal sponsors.
- Have a history of at least TWO years of consistent arts programming in Pennsylvania and have an annual average arts revenue of $10,000 to $200,000.
Please Note: The PCA determines revenue size by a two-year average of Total Revenue of an organization’s Form 990-Department of the Treasury Internal Revenue Service. Non-arts organizations and/or arts organizations whose 990 is postcard, must attach a board/committee approved arts-specific program financial statement for their most recently completed two fiscal years. The program financial statement must include program revenue, including contributed and earned income and income realized from investments, as applicable, and expenses. In-kind is not included.
If your organization is not eligible for the Creative Sector Flex Fund, please visit the PA Council on the Art’s Apply for a Grant page, for additional information on opportunities that may suit the needs of your organization.
How to Apply to the Creative Sector Flex Fund
Creative Sector Flex Fund applications will be accepted online through Lehigh Valley Community Foundation’s grants portal, Foundant. Written applications will NOT be accepted.
• If you do not have an account with Foundant, please register by following the instructions on the Foundant homepage.
• If you are applying through a Fiscal Sponsor, please have your Fiscal Sponsor register for an account on Foundant. The Fiscal Sponsor must complete the application and submit it on behalf of the applicant.
If you need technical assistance with Foundant, please see LVCF’s Foundant Grants Portal page or email Mary Mancino at mary@lvcfoundation.org.
Key 2025 Application Dates
• Application Opens – September 2, 2025
• Application Submission Deadline – October 31, 2025
• Notifications of grant award status – December 15, 2025
Note to 2025-25 Grantees
PA Creative Industries grantees and funding recipients are required to acknowledge the agency’s support by displaying the agency’s logo on their website, published materials, and announcements that acknowledge the grantee’s or funding recipient’s grantors and donors.
Additionally, when citing Pennsylvania Creative Industries’ project and/or program support in writing, grantees must include the following acknowledgement: “[Grantee name] received funding from Pennsylvania Creative Industries, powered by the Pennsylvania Council of the Arts, a state agency funded by the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania and the National Endowment for the Arts.”
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Important Documents for 2025-2026 Grantees
ASK Mary | Learn more about the Community Foundation’s Partners in the Arts (PPA) grant opportunities
Mary S. Mancino
Program Associate (Part-time Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday 9:30am – 2:30pm)
Lehigh Valley Community Foundation
840 W. Hamilton Street, Suite 310, Allentown, PA 18101
mary@lvcfoundation.org | Arts@lvcfoundation.org