Philadelphia budget 2026: Isaiah Thomas, Rue Landau want $6 million allocated for arts

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It’s budget season in Philadelphia, as the mayor and City Council are hammering out the allocation of city funds for 2026-2027.

Amid a push for increased arts funding, Councilmember Isaiah Thomas argued that the arts deliver a net-positive investment.

“There’s always a juggle, there’s always a tug of war,” he said. “What we know about the arts and culture community that’s very different than almost every other sector is every time we invest, the investment returns to us tenfold.”

Thomas appeared at a rally organized by Councilmember Rue Landau on the fifth floor of City Hall on Thursday.

Last year, Mayor Cherelle Parker initially proposed $3.5 million for the arts. Landau and the arts and culture community requested that it be increased to $5 million. In the end, they got $4.2 million.

This year, the mayor’s proposal returned arts funding to $3.5 million. Landau is now lobbying for $6 million.

“Artists are workers. They are small-business owners, educators and cultural bearers. They power our creative economy and they strengthen our neighborhoods,” Landau said. “That’s exactly what we need to showcase this summer when we have visitors looking at Philly with fresh eyes.”

The Trump administration’s rescission of National Endowment for the Arts funds has squeezed federal support for artists. In Pennsylvania, the restructuring of commonwealth funds could further hurt creative workers through new requirements that could eliminate eligibility for many potential artists and arts organizations.

Landau said some of that slack needs to be picked up at the local level.

“When the federal and state government steps back, we step up,” she said. “We cannot say we value creativity while underfunding the people and organizations that make it possible.”

The city’s arts allocation sends money into the Philadelphia Cultural Fund, which in turn distributes it to arts organizations with small to medium budgets, typically about $12,000 each.

When the budget was $3.5 million, the fund supported 262 organizations. With $4 million in fiscal year 2025, Executive Director Gabriela Sanchez said she was able to expand eligibility requirements to support 300 grantees, whose names will be announced in June.

With a potential $6 million in next fiscal year’s budget, she said she can further strategize the funding process.

“There is impact beyond the dollars,” Sanchez said. “It’s the relationship building. It’s the community building. It’s also the potential for professional development and capacity building for organizations.”

CultureWorks is one of the recipients of Philadelphia Cultural Fund, or PCF, money. The organization serves as a fiscal sponsor for 25 small organizations that received funding from the PCF, totaling about $226,000.

Co-Executive Director Ariel Shelton said PCF money can be a lifeline for some of the smaller organizations operating with limited and inconsistent resources.

“We’re talking about deeply interconnected ecosystems of artists, educators, small organizations, small businesses and creative entrepreneurs who are really driving economic opportunities and community connections in every way,” she said.

Editor’s note: This story has been updated to reflect that in 2025, Philadelphia allocated $4.2 million for the arts in the city budget. The money supported 262 arts organizations.