Four Washington County museums, cultural organizations receive state grants
Courtesy of Scott Becker
A Philadelphia & West Chester trolley is on display at the Pennsylvania Trolley Museum in this file photo from Sept. 4.
Meadowcroft Rockshelter and Historic Village in Avella
Museums and cultural organizations have taken a brutal hit as a result of the coronavirus pandemic, losing out on ticket sales that help finance operations and programming.
However, this week the commonwealth threw a lifeline to both sprawling institutions and small groups, with $20 million in grant funding that will, in the words of Gov. Tom Wolf, “be used to offset the impact the pandemic had on these organizations and will help them move forward in their recovery efforts …”
Four organizations in Washington County each received a $25,000 grant: Little Lake Theatre, located outside Canonsburg; The Pennsylvania Trolley Museum in Arden; The Bradford House Historical Association in Washington; and the Meadowcroft Rockshelter and Historic Village, which is outside Avella and also part of the Senator John Heinz History Center system.
Little Lake Theatre recently called off its fundraising gala and the remainder of its season, making 2020 the first year since 1949 it has not staged a production. Patti Knapp, Little Lake’s managing director, said the grant would help with operational costs, such as utilities and building maintenance.
“The loss of revenue from ticket sales is significant for us,” Knapp said.
The Pennsylvania Trolley Museum reopened in July after being closed through the spring and the early part of summer. According to Scott Becker, the museum’s executive director, “We are very appreciative to receive this grant. It will help to make up for considerable lost revenue we have missed due to the COVID-19 pandemic. In addition to serving our visitors, following COVID-19 guidelines, we are continuing to expand our off-site outreach efforts through distance-learning programs.”
A statement released by the Heinz History Center said the grant money flowing to Meadowcroft “will be used for staff retention, planning for virtual programs, marketing for the final six weeks of the 2020 season, and continued care of Meadowcroft’s collections.”
It said grants like these “enable cultural organizations like Meadowcroft to continue their important work during an unprecedented season of financial hardship.”
The Bradford House Historical Association had to call off its fundraising Whiskey Rebellion Dinner, and the grant will help make up for that loss, according to Tracie Liberatore, the association’s executive director.
“We kept pushing it back and pushing it back, praying that we could do it,” Liberatore said.
The four organizations in Washington County were among 164 that received grant money, which is being financed through the Commonwealth Financing Authority and administered by the Department of Community and Economic Development. Most major cultural organizations in the Pittsburgh region also received grants, including the Pittsburgh Symphony ($500,000), the Pittsburgh Zoo & PPG Aquarium ($500,000), the Carnegie Museum of Art ($359,472), and the Children’s Museum of Pittsburgh ($301,836).
The $20 million for the grants is a slice of the $2.1 billion sent to Pennsylvania through the federal Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security (CARES) Act.