PHILADELPHIA (May 6, 2020) -- The Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts (PAFA) is pleased to announce that it is the recipient of a $75,000 urgent needs grant from the Henry Luce Foundation, awarded for the purpose of providing financial support for PAFA as it continues to address the challenges of the COVID-19 pandemic. Specifically, this grant will provide salary support for PAFA's Curator of Historical American Art, a role currently held by Dr. Anna O. Marley.

"Cultural institutions around the world today are being forced to confront significant financial strain, as well as uncertainty at what challenges may be yet to come," said David R. Brigham, Ph.D., President & CEO of PAFA. "We are deeply grateful to the Henry Luce Foundation for its generous support of PAFA, and the field of American art. The Curator of Historical American Art plays an essential role in PAFA's mission, and as we plan for the months ahead, this grant will help to ensure that PAFA and its community will continue to thrive in the face of these difficult circumstances."

The Henry Luce Foundation has provided major support for numerous PAFA programs in the past. PAFA exhibitions supported by the Henry Luce Foundation include From the Schuylkill to the Hudson: Landscapes of the Early American Republic, World War I and American Art, and Henry Ossawa Tanner: Modern Spirit, among others. Additional past support includes funding for PAFA's Henry Luce Sculpture Study Center.

The Henry Luce Foundation seeks to enrich public discourse by promoting innovative scholarship, cultivating new leaders, and fostering international understanding. The Foundation advances its mission through grantmaking and leadership programs in the fields of Asia, higher education, religion and theology, art, and public policy. A leader in arts funding in the United States, the Luce Foundation's American Art Program was established in 1982 to support museums, universities, and arts organizations in their efforts to advance the understanding and experience of American and Native American visual arts through research, exhibitions, publications, and collection projects.