January 2010
Dear Colleagues,
I want to share with you some important changes taking place at PennPAT (Pennsylvania Performing Arts on Tour). For more than 12 years, PennPAT has been supporting Pennsylvania touring artists through a multi-layered approach involving grants for touring and technical assistance, and marketing and career development programs. We are proud of all we have accomplished, increasing opportunities for Pennsylvania roster artists to obtain successful touring engagements.
Due to the current economic situation, PennPAT is facing a 27% decrease in revenue, placing our overall budget at about the same level it was in 2001 when we first expanded our funding to touring engagements throughout the Mid Atlantic region and Ohio. Even with the decrease, the PennPAT budget is more than twice the size it was when we first began in 1997.
PennPAT staff and funding partners have carefully considered how to intelligently respond to the current environment while maintaining our commitment to Pennsylvania artists. We feel strongly that we need to maintain the core structure of the program: specifically - grants supporting touring engagements for Pennsylvania roster artists. Therefore, we are reducing administrative and implementation costs and pulling back on some of the smaller program components.
For 2010 and 2011 we will:
- Reduce administrative and implementation costs;
- Continue to offer Fee Support and New Directions grants at the February and October deadlines although support will be somewhat reduced;
- Eliminate the summer (June) presenter grant application deadlines;
- Continue to provide Artist Technical Assistance Grants;
- Suspend Presenter Travel Grants, Artist Strategic Opportunity Grants, Artist Travel Reimbursement Grants (for showcasing at conferences), the Roster Artists Retreat and PennPAT Professional Development Workshops; and
- Suspend special marketing initiatives with WXPN and MiND-TV.
Our funding partners - The Heinz Endowments, the William Penn Foundation, the Pennsylvania Council on the Arts and The Pew Charitable Trust - are fully aware of the positive impact the program has had on Pennsylvania artists and presenters throughout the region. They remain committed to ensuring that PennPAT supports Pennsylvania's finest performing artists and continues to be a national model for touring support.
We will soon announce that at the recent October grant deadline, we were able to support 46 presenting engagements involving 30 PennPAT roster artists performing in eight states.
I look forward to working with you in 2010 as we continue to ensure that PennPAT remains a robust and vibrant program supporting Pennsylvania's finest performing artists.
Sincerely,
Katie West
PennPAT Director