Erie Arts & Culture seeks grant review panelists to help create panels to review applications submitted to the organization for funding consideration throughout the year, including grants for individual artists as well as those for arts organizations. Panels are integral to the grantmaking process, providing a critical review, comments, and scores of all applications to a particular grant program.

We work hard to balance the composition of these panels by artistic discipline, race/ethnicity, ability, arts experience, and gender expression. Panels are composed of individuals who represent a broad range of artistic and cultural viewpoints and geographic and ethnic diversity. Panelists may be experienced in a specific art form or be a person that is knowledgeable about the arts but not engaged in the arts as a profession. We welcome you to apply to share your expertise and talent as a grant panelist.

As a volunteer panelist, you will have the opportunity to develop connections with peers who share your passion for art and culture while supporting your community. Panelists are a vital force in the decision making process, get an up-close look at the grantmaking process and learn about the many ways artists and art organizations make a difference across the community.

As volunteers, panelists are not compensated for their service.

Panelist Qualifications

• Be an adult 18 years of age or older.
• Have education, experience, or appreciation of arts and culture. We welcome a variety of experience - this could include work in the sector, an active or past artistic practice, or simply just a passion for arts and culture. Consultants, attorneys, community leaders, educators, philanthropists, non-profit administrators, and arts enthusiasts are all encouraged to be a panelist.
• Some financial or organizational management experience is a plus, but not required.

Panelist Responsibilities

• Read and rate each grant application according to criteria established by the Pennsylvania Council on the Arts (PCA) or by the Erie Arts Endowment. You will be commenting on the grant application quality and artistic merit of each application. Reading the grant applications must be done in advance of the panel meeting on your own time. You should expect to spend several hours reading, reviewing, and scoring the applications.
• Attend the panel session. The panel meeting is typically 2-3 hours and is a one-time commitment where you will discuss the applications and come to a consensus on the scores with your fellow panelists.