Trending
Community Partnerships (RC&D) has received a $16,000 grant from PA Humanities as part of its $1.4 million recovery and growth program.
Called PA SHARP (Sustaining the Humanities through the American Rescue Plan), the initiative provides flexible funding to strengthen and grow the humanities across the state. Grantees join the new PA SHARP Learning Network, a special statewide learning group that fosters resource sharing, networking, professional development, and mutual support.
"The humanities are on the ground putting people first by making spaces for new voices, supporting meaningful learning experiences, and fostering healing and resiliency in communities of all sizes," said Laurie Zierer, executive director of PA Humanities. "PA SHARP further strengthens this essential work through network building, financial support, and reimagining the possibilities of the humanities across the state."
The 92 recipients represent museums, historical societies, libraries, and other vital cultural institutions across Pennsylvania. They were carefully selected with an emphasis on equity and geographic diversity.
Funds from PA SHARP aim to help address the ongoing impact of COVID-19 on the cultural sector by supporting creative programming, capacity building, and general operations. In addition to funding, the PA SHARP Learning Network will build a statewide community of people passionate about creating inclusive, engaged communities that are ready to lead the statewide recovery alongside PA Humanities.
A local non-profit headquartered in Lewistown, Community Partnerships' mission is strengthening community through creative partnerships. The organization supports a variety of regional arts activities, traditional arts apprenticeships and creative entrepreneurship through the PA Partners in the Arts with the PA Council on the Arts. In addition, Community Partnerships works on community education and fresh food initiatives with the support of local, regional, state and national partners.
The group's recent projects include the Wild Geese: Flock Together public art project, The Crooked Shelf Bookshop business incubation partnership, the Community Farm at the Havens in coordination with St. Jude Thaddeus of Mifflintown, community education for disadvantaged youth in collaboration with the TIU 11 and United Way of Mifflin-Juniata, the Garden to Table series and a guide for community food projects funded by the National Association of RC&Ds.
"We're happy to bring PA SHARP funding home to serve and strengthen our local community," said Community Partnerships Executive Director Sam Price.
Through PA SHARP funding, Community Partnerships will work with several partners on a humanities-based foodways program that will document food traditions and food-related cultural practices in the Juniata Valley.
Funding for PA SHARP comes from PA Humanities' federal partner, the National Endowment for the Humanities (NEH), as part of the American Rescue Plan Act of 2021. Recognizing the financial realities of the pandemic and the vital importance of the humanities to economic and civic life, this legislation allocated to the NEH funds to "prevent, prepare for, respond to, and recover from the coronavirus."
Additional funding comes from Spring Point Partners to support 16 organizations that serve Philadelphia's BIPOC and new immigrant communities.
The full list of PA SHARP grantees is available at pahumanities.org/pasharp.
Learn more about Community Partnerships at cpartnerships.com.