Program Update on the Availability of Pennsylvania Creative Industries’ Folk and Traditional Arts Apprenticeship Grants
Please see the following update.
As of Fiscal Year 2026-2027 (July 1, 2026 – June 30, 2027), funding available through Pennsylvania Creative Industries' Folk and Traditional Arts Apprenticeships program will discontinue statewide.
This information is being shared now to help with planning and budgetary activities going forward.
Background
Pennsylvania Creative Industries’ governing Council recently adopted a new strategic plan, alongside an updated agency mission to empower, connect, and amplify creatives and creative industries and their contributions to Pennsylvania’s communities, economy, and workforce. The agency vision is that Pennsylvania becomes the national leader among states for creative communities, talent, and industries.
To maximize progress on its mission and ensure its work aligns with this, Pennsylvania Creative Industries’ Council adopted five key areas around which to focus its resources: asset development, workforce development, community development, visibility, and policy.
Looking Ahead
Over the coming months, Pennsylvania Creative Industries will be publishing new and expanded opportunities for the Commonwealth’s creative sector. You can sign up for news here and access new program guidelines on Pennsylvania Creative Industries’ website.
Questions
- For question regarding current apprenticeship grants, contact your regional Folk and Traditional Arts partner organization (PDF).
- For general questions regarding the Folk and Traditional Arts Apprenticeships program, contact Amanda Lovell, PA Creative Industries’ Director of Access to the Creative Sector.
Program Overview
Apprenticeship grants provide funding for a one-year partnership between a master artist and a qualified apprentice, in order for them to engage in in-depth learning around the acquition of techniques and artistry as well as the context of the culture.
- Apprenticeship grant amounts are a maximum of $4,000.
- Apprenticeships may may receive a maximum of four grant award.
- Apprenticeship grants are offered annually in both performing or craft traditions.
How to Apply
- Read the Apprenticeships in Folk and Traditional Arts application guidelines in full, for detailed application instructions.
- Check the due dates for grants to determine the current year application deadline in your county.
- Apply through the PCA partner organization in your county.
What are Folk and Traditional Arts?
Folk and Traditional Arts are artistic traditions characteristic of specific ethnic, religious, linguistic, occupational, or regional groups. Folk and Traditional Arts are typically shaped and shared within families, neighborhoods, and communities.
These arts and traditions are passed down from one generation to another and learned through ongoing participation in community-based activities, and through observation, practice or apprenticeships with elders and masters rather than through classes, books or other means of institutional instruction.
About the Folk and Traditional Arts Partnership
The goals of the Council on the Arts' (PCA) Folk and Traditional Arts Partnership are to investigate, document, present, sustain, and promote the folk and traditional art of Pennsylvania in order to celebrate our diverse heritage.
The Folk and Traditional Arts Partnership is composed of local and regional organizations that form a mutually supportive network and specializes in, or includes, a focus on folk and traditional arts. The Folk and Tradiitional Arts Partners collectively serve 40 PA counties by:
- Promoting the creation and documentation of folk art;
- Engaging the public in understanding the quality, breadth, and diversity of folk and traditional arts across the state;
- Conducting critical discovery fieldwork in under-represented communities; and
- Providing technical assistance for folk and traditional artists through workshops and gatherings.