Two actors showcase exuberant, happy faces, with the hands raised, while performing on stage at A Noise Within Theater in Pasadena, CA.

A family walks through a kaleidoscopic tunnel full of mirrors and colors at KidSpace Museum in Pasadena CA.

Arts & Culture

PRIORITIES
Arts & Culture is one of PCF’s six areas of impact for local grantmaking. PCF’s grantmaking in this area of interest supports performing, visual & literary arts; arts education; historic preservation; and cultural programs that celebrate our diversity, enrich our lives, and contribute to a shared sense of community pride and identity. This area of interest is made possible by PCF Endowment Builders who are passionate about Pasadena-area arts and cultural organizations.

GRANT PROGRAMS

Rowe & Gayle Giesen Trust
The Rowe and Gayle Giesen Trust encourages the personal and emotional development of children and youth in the greater Pasadena area through experiences in the visual arts. The Giesen Trust is administered by PCF as one of the Foundation’s Funds for Pasadena, and grants are awarded annually to local arts organizations. Since its establishment in 1972, the Trust has awarded nearly $2 million to local organizations that provide visual arts experiences for children and teens.

PCF’s New Arts & Culture Grant Program
In 2023, PCF expanded its commitment to the arts with a new grant program in the area of Arts and Culture. The competitive grant program assists Pasadena’s arts and cultural organizations as they rebuild following the pandemic and reimagine their programming in line with new technology and audiences.

Impact in the area of Arts & Culture

Since its first arts grant in 1973, PCF, along with its generous donors, has awarded more than 500 grants totaling more than $3.3 million to 65 unduplicated arts & cultural organizations.

In 2024, PCF awarded $302,000 to 16 local arts organizations with its inaugural Arts & Culture Grant Program cycle.

In 2023, PCF awarded more than $475,000 in grant funding in the area of arts & culture. This includes Capital Grants to The Gamble House Conservancy and Mount Wilson Institute; $50,000 in Giesen Trust Grants; and $335,000 awarded for the inaugural Arts & Culture Grant Program.

PCF’s 2022 Capital Grants Program awarded $170,000 to seven arts organizations to assist with stage upgrades and performance enhancements.

Pasadena Heritage was able to acquire and restore the Blinn House, a local landmark, to become its offices and event space thanks in part to a $50,000 Capital Campaign Grant from PCF in 2021.

During the pandemic, PCF supported local arts organizations struggling with protracted closures in three ways:

Contributed $50,000 to support the City of Pasadena’s emergency Art & Culture Relief Grant Program.
Awarded an additional $45,000 in grants through the Giesen Trust, a component fund of PCF.
Disbursed $100,000 in unrestricted funding to arts organizations impacted by the pandemic through the Performing & Visual Arts Recovery Grant Program in June 2021.

Supporting Funds

PCF works with community members to establish endowments that support local grantmaking, including those in the Arts & Culture area of interest. As a community foundation, PCF always honors donor intent. Our grants reflect any donor restrictions regarding their designated causes.

Visit these links to learn more about a few of our donors and the reasons they created a PCF endowment for Arts & Culture.

Become a PCF Endowment Builder for the areas you care about – learn more.

Related News & Features

“Giesen Trust Grant Bolsters John Muir High School Arts Programs.” July 2024. Read article.

“Honoring Queer Ancestry with a PCF Arts Grant.” June 2024. Read article.

“Artists Create Intergenerational Art with PCF Funding.” June 2024. Read article.

“2024 Arts & Culture Grants Announced.” June 2024. Read article.

“Transformative Literary Arts Program Debuts at PUSD This Fall.” July 2023. Read article.

“Pasadena Community Foundation Awards $335,000 to Arts Organizations.” June 2023. Read article.

“Pasadena Community Foundation Launches Arts & Culture Grant Program.” March 2023. Read article.

Recent Grantee Organizations

Each year, Pasadena-area organizations in the Arts & Culture area benefit from PCF grant awards. The photos here showcase some of our recent grantees. Click on thumbnails to enlarge photos.