The Chestnut Hill Conservancy has been awarded a $12,875 Art & Culture Grant through the Philadelphia Cultural Fund’s (PCF) Fiscal Year 2026 (FY26) grant program. This marks the first time the Conservancy has received funding from The Philadelphia Cultural Fund.

This funding is being awarded through The Philadelphia Cultural Fund’s FY26 grant cycle, which is distributing record support to 322 organizations citywide. This year’s cycle is bolstered by a $5 million allocation from the City of Philadelphia, designated in the 2026 budget, and a landmark partnership with the William Penn Foundation, which enables PCF to pilot a trust-based, community-informed funding model to foster equity across the city’s creative sector.

The grant will support the Conservancy’s mission to conserve, preserve, and celebrate the history, architecture, and landscapes of Chestnut Hill and the lower Wissahickon watershed through inclusive community engagement, advocacy, stewardship, educational programming, exhibitions, and public access to its archives. The funding will help advance priorities outlined in the Conservancy’s 2025–2030 Strategic Plan while supporting day-to-day organizational operations.

Gabriela Sanchez, Executive Director of The Philadelphia Cultural Fund, said, “The expansion of our grantmaking this year is a significant milestone for Philadelphia’s creative sector. We are excited to award record funding to 322 organizations—a reach that extends into every district and

community across the city,” Sanchez continued. “By increasing our eligibility threshold to $3 million this year, we are helping to cultivate a thriving arts community in Philly through our Art & Culture Grant, which provides unrestricted support to a broader range of organizations.

Additionally, our new Community Impact Grant, powered by the William Penn Foundation, offers vital resources and capacity-building for smaller, community-based organizations. This pilot of our trust-based, community-informed funding model ensures that sustainable, equitable support reaches the diverse voices that make our city’s cultural fabric so unique.”

“We are honored to receive this support from The Philadelphia Cultural Fund,” said David Gest, Esq., Executive Director of the Chestnut Hill Conservancy. “This investment recognizes that preserving history, architecture, landscapes, and community stories is an important part of Northwest Philadelphia’s cultural life. It will help us continue connecting people with the places, collections, and educational programs that inspire stewardship and strengthen communities in the lower Wissahickon watershed.”

Submitted earlier this year through a collaborative effort among Conservancy staff, the application highlighted the organization’s broad range of preservation, conservation, archives, advocacy, exhibition, and educational initiatives. These included the Discovering lecture and walking tour series, Ask the Experts free educational programs, Night of Lights, its signature multi-evening streetscape exhibition, which returns for its ninth year on Friday, Oct. 2, and other free and low-cost public programs. The application also emphasized the Conservancy’s expanded geographic focus under its 2025–2030 Strategic Plan and its continued commitment to increasing access to preservation education, community-driven storytelling, and public engagement.

Support provided by The Philadelphia Cultural Fund.

The Chestnut Hill Conservancy thanks the Philadelphia Cultural Fund for its investment in Philadelphia’s cultural community and for recognizing the roles preservation, history, archives, and public programming play in strengthening neighborhoods across the city.

About the Chestnut Hill Conservancy

The Chestnut Hill Conservancy conserves, preserves, and celebrates history, architecture, and landscapes in Chestnut Hill and the lower Wissahickon watershed through inclusive and proactive community engagement, advocacy, and stewardship. Founded over 55 years ago to protect and celebrate the area’s historic architecture, and since 1990 protected more than 105 acres of land through its easement program, making it the nation’s first urban accredited land trust. The Conservancy maintains a professionally curated archive with over 66,000 items accessible to the public and engages the community through educational programs, advocacy, and various events. The organization has also documented thousands of structures, contributing to Chestnut Hill’s designation as a National Register Historic District. Open Monday–Friday, 9:00 AM–5:00 PM, and Saturday, 10:00 AM–4:00 PM. 8708 Germantown Avenue, Philadelphia, PA 19118 | 215-247-9329

| CHConservancy.Org.

About The Philadelphia Cultural Fund

Established in 1991, The Philadelphia Cultural Fund champions equitable grantmaking for Philadelphia’s arts and culture community by providing sustainable, unrestricted funding to community-based arts and culture organizations. PCF receives its funding from the City budget, approved annually by the Mayor and City Council. Follow @PhilaCulturalFund on Facebook and Instagram. https://www.philaculturalfund.org/