The Greater Philadelphia Cultural Alliance has announced a $2 million grant from the Pew Charitable Trusts to support the continuation and expansion of a marketing campaign promoting arts participation in metropolitan Philadelphia.

Launched in 2002, the alliance's Campaign for Culture has become a successful national model for collaborative marketing programs. Since 2003, its FunSavers half-price e-mail program alone has generated more than $1 million in ticket sales for participating organizations and been responsible for the sale of 55,000 tickets that would have otherwise gone unsold. Additional initiatives include an ongoing series of professional development projects for arts marketers, including research roundtables, guest speakers, a peer co-mentorship program that includes attendance at the Arts & Business Council's National Arts Marketing Conference, and other projects yet to be announced.

"Philadelphia's arts scene is the most exciting, creative, and active it has ever been," said Marian Godfrey, director of civic life initiatives at the Trusts. "Of course, the challenge is making sure the region's residents and visitors know what is available, and that is why the Campaign for Culture is so invaluable."