Earlier this week, the William Penn Foundation announced a slew of grants, totally $7.6 million, that will support access to museums for low-income families and people with disabilities.
The grants apply to six specific organizations based on the number of ACCESS visitors each received during the 2024-25 fiscal year. (The ACCESS card allows people who receive public assistance or identify as having a disability to receive heavily discounted tickets to participating cultural institutions, of which there are nearly 100 in the Philadelphia area.)
The following organizations will receive funds from the William Penn Foundation: The Academy of Natural Sciences, the Franklin Institute, the Morris Arboretum and Gardens, the Philadelphia Museum of Art, the Philadelphia Zoo, and the Please Touch Museum. Art-Reach, the organization that administers the ACCESS program, also received financial support as part of this series of grants.
John Orr, executive director of Art-Reach, said in a statement that “ACCESS was built 11 years ago by the Philadelphia residents who relied on SNAP and Medicaid benefits. Since then, it has been embraced by the cultural sector and has grown into one of the most effective equity programs in the country.”
The Philadelphia Zoo joined the ACCESS program in February 2025, enabling pass holders to buy tickets for $2 (admission is otherwise $22 for adults and $19 for kids). PMA tickets are $30 for adults (kids are free), while the Please Touch Museum is $24 for kids and adults.
Other local museums that participate in the program include the Barnes Foundation, the Brandywine River Museum, the Delaware Art Museum, Grounds for Sculpture, the Mutter Museum, and the Pennsylvania Academy of Fine Arts.
