The Creative Entrepreneur Accelerator Program is designed to pair access to existing small business consulting services with financial resources for creative entrepreneurs who aspire to start their own for-profit business or who operate an existing for-profit micro business. Centre Foundation administers Creative Entrepreneur Accelerator Program grants in Centre, Clearfield, Clinton, and Huntingdon counties on behalf of the Pennsylvania Council on the Arts (PCA) as a regional Pennsylvania Partners in the Arts (PPA) partner.

The program’s purpose is to help creative entrepreneurs grow their business, audience, and revenue. The program will advance the PCA’s overarching values of diversity, equity, and inclusion and prioritize investments to creative entrepreneurs who identify as Black, Indigenous, or People of Color (BIPOC) and those who are located in and whose work benefits low-income communities as defined by the Small Business Administration.

Grant Awards: Grant amounts range from $500-$2,000. Funds must support business formation or development. Please review the Program Guidelines for a complete list of eligible and ineligible expenses.

Eligibility Criteria

Applicants must:

• Be at least 18 years of age and a current resident of Pennsylvania for at least one year.

• Creative entrepreneur’s business must have gross revenue less than $200,000.

• Be a creative entrepreneur intending to form a business or operating a business in Pennsylvania within one or more of the following creative industry areas:

  Marketing – Advertising and marketing agencies & professionals
  Architecture – Architecture firms & architects
  Visual Arts & Crafts – Galleries, artists, artisans & makers
  Design – Product, interior, graphic, and fashion design firms and designers
  Film & Media – Film, video, animation, TV & Radio businesses
  Digital Games – Companies, programmers & individuals producing games
  Music & Entertainment – Producers, venues, musicians & performers
  Publishing – Print or electronic businesses & content creators, editors & writers

Creative entrepreneurs are eligible to apply for the Creative Entrepreneurs Accelerator Program once every three years.

How to Apply

The 2021-2022 Creative Entrepreneur Accelerator Program application is now closed. Stay tuned for updates as to when the 2022-2023 application will open.   

If you have questions about the Creative Entrepreneur Accelerator Program, contact Rachael Hartman at (814) 237-6229 or rachael@centre-foundation.org.