The Wolf Administration announced the 17 recipients of the PA Pride Community Grant Program which supports Pride festivals and events throughout the commonwealth through September 2022.
“The PA Pride Community Grant Program reaffirms our commitment to bringing visibility to the LGBTQ+ community and creating a more inclusive commonwealth,” said Carrie Fischer Lepore, Deputy Secretary for Marketing, Tourism and Film with the Department of Community and Economic Development (DCED). “Uplifting events and festivals that celebrate belonging, accessibility and inclusion sends the message that in Pennsylvania, all are welcome to pursue their happiness.”
This is the first year for the PA Pride Community Grant Program, which was established by the Pennsylvania Tourism Office in partnership with the Lancaster LGBTQ+ Coalition, an organization committed to building a supportive and enriching community abundant in opportunities for LGBTQ+ individuals. The Coalition was chosen because their mission extends the mission of the entire commonwealth, honoring communities’ histories and recognizing the impact the LGBTQ+ community has in Pennsylvania.
“The Lancaster LGBTQ+ Coalition was honored to partner with the Pennsylvania Tourism Office in the administration of these grants. This opportunity directly affirms the Wolf Administration’s commitment to creating a Pennsylvania free from discrimination and bringing visibility and celebration to all communities,” said Todd Snovel, Development Consultant with the Lancaster LGBTQ+ Coalition.
The tradition of Pride dates to 1969, when New York City police raided the Stonewall Inn in Greenwich Village, sparking riots and protests from neighborhood residents. The Stonewall uprising became the catalyst for the LGBTQ+ rights movement in New York and around the United States. In 2021, Governor Tom Wolf signed an executive order to advance protections for LGBTQ+ employees in the commonwealth, adding sexual orientation and gender identity as protected classes under Pennsylvania’s sexual harassment policies.
This year’s Pride festivals and events in Pennsylvania include celebrations of culture and community through education, art, music, food and drink, dance and more.
A total of $90,000 is being awarded through the grant program to events that align with the priorities of celebration, belonging, accessibility and inclusion, music life intersectionality, and increasing local promotion.
The 17 recipients of the 2022 PA Pride Community Grant are:
- Carlisle Pride Festival – $6,000
- Central PA Pride Festival – $10,000
- Centre Support Network (State College Pride Festival) – $7,000
- Common Wheel Queer Ride – $1,300
- Gettysburg Pride Festival – $8,000
- Hedgerow Theatre Space for All Day – $3,000
- Hoyt Arts Center Queer Color Run – $1,000
- Lancaster Changemakers LGBT Film Festival – $2,500
- Lancaster Pride Festival – $2,600
- Lebo Pride Festival – $2,500
- Lehigh Valley Pride Festival – $12,000
- Pocono Chamber of Commerce Pride Celebration – $2,600
- Rainbow Rose Center (York Pride Festival) – $8,000
- Reading Pride Festival – $10,000
- Schuylkill Pride Festival – $2,000
- Souderton Area Pride Festival – $1,500
- Washington PA Pride Festival – $10,000
