PHILADELPHIA, July 14, 2014

Art-Reach, a Philadelphia-based arts accessibility non-profit, announced a new city-wide initiative to bring ACCESS cardholders and their families into Philadelphia’s exciting cultural venues. Beginning in September, ACCESS Cardholders (those Pennsylvania residents who monitor their government issued cash and food benefits with an EBT card) are invited to visit participating museums—including the Academy of Natural Sciences of Drexel University—science centers, gardens, and historic sites at the deeply discounted rate of $2.

Similar to the reduced admission offered to students, senior citizens, and military professionals when showing proper identification, ACCESS cardholders will be able to do the same, to enter participating venues for $2. Each ACCESS card will grant entrance to a family of up to four (at $2/person), opening the doors of the city’s rich cultural history at an affordable and accessible price.

Participating ACCESS Admission Venues for the first year include: the Academy of Natural Sciences of Drexel University, The African American Museum in Philadelphia, American Swedish Historical Museum, The Barnes Foundation, Eastern State Penitentiary Historic Site, Historic Christ Church and Christ Church Burial Ground, Independence Seaport Museum, Morris Arboretum of the University of Pennsylvania, Mütter Museum of The College of Physicians of Philadelphia, National Constitution Center, National Museum of American Jewish History, Penn Museum, Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts, Philadelphia History Museum at the Atwater Kent, Philadelphia Museum of Art, Philadelphia’s Magic Gardens, and Please Touch Museum.

Recent data collected by various human service and government-based agencies illustrate the following facts and figures about ACCESS Cardholders:

• 30% of Philadelphians and 16% of residents in the five-county area participate in the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) and utilize EBT ACCESS Cards to manage their food-based funds.
• 479,817 people in Philadelphia and 662,502 people in the five-county area use the EBT ACCESS Card to manage their assistance benefits.

Art-Reach’s mission is to connect underserved audiences to cultural experiences so that they may enjoy and benefit from the transformative power of the arts. By facilitating the new ACCESS Admission level, Art-Reach and its partner venues can help hundreds of thousands of individuals and families experience culture with a new freedom.  ACCESS Admission’s planning process is supported by a grant from the Barra Foundation.

Art-Reach’s ACCESS Admission initiative joins the ranks of Greater Philadelphia Cultural Alliance’s STAMP: the Virginia and Harvey Kimmel Family Teen Program and Campus Philly’s Open Arts, to round out a city-wide effort to provide unique discounts and activities that bring new and nontraditional audiences into local arts venues.

About Art-Reach: Art-Reach is a Philadelphia based non-profit established in 1986 to make the arts of our region more accessible to people that lack access to our cultural organizations because of a disability, economic disadvantage, or other adversity.  Through ticketed live arts events, on-site workshops, and in-depth partnerships, Art-Reach empowers over 17,000 traditionally under-served individuals, of all ages, backgrounds and abilities to creatively participate in their communities, every year. For more information about how to get involved with or support Art-Reach, visit www.art-reach.org.

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