New fellowship will convene humanities, creative, and cultural practitioners across Pennsylvania through immersive learning exchanges, peer connection, and community-based project support
PA Humanities announced this week the launch of the PA Cultural Exchange Fellowship, a new statewide program designed to deepen relationships, spark creativity, and strengthen Pennsylvania’s humanities and creative network.
The PA Cultural Exchange Fellowship, also known as PaX, will bring together humanities, creative, cultural, and community-based practitioners from across Pennsylvania for a dynamic learning experience rooted in storytelling, collaboration, and place-based exchange. Through immersive weekend gatherings in communities across the state, fellows will explore local cultural ecosystems, experience innovative humanities-based community engagement in action, and build meaningful relationships across lines of geography, experience, and perspective.
Selected fellows will receive a $10,000 fellowship award and participate in three cultural exchange weekends in Pittsburgh, the PA Wilds, and York over 18 months. Fellows will also take part in virtual skill-building and leadership workshops, regional peer coaching groups, and opportunities to access seed funding for community-based projects inspired by their fellowship experience.
“Across Pennsylvania, cultural workers, artists, storytellers, educators, organizers, scholars, and community leaders are already doing powerful work to bring people together, preserve and share stories, and strengthen civic life,” said Laurie Zierer, Executive Director of PA Humanities. “The PA Cultural Exchange Fellowship is an investment in those people and in the relationships that make lasting community change possible. By creating space for practitioners to learn from one another, experience each other’s work firsthand, and build a statewide network of trust and collaboration, PaX illuminates what’s possible through the humanities in Pennsylvania.”
The fellowship reflects PA Humanities’ mission of championing the humanities. Built on over 50 years of program and grantmaking experience, and informed by its impactful cross-sector research, PaX responds to a growing need for connection, collaboration, and shared learning among cultural practitioners across the Commonwealth.
The program is designed to support cultural practitioners who work within their communities and to strengthen the networks that help their work grow. Fellows will explore how culture, creativity, and the humanities can strengthen communities, deepen civic connection, and inspire new approaches to local challenges.
“The PA Cultural Exchange provides an exciting opportunity to support leaders across the state who are engaging their communities in experiences that foster creative expression, learning, and belonging,” said the Spring Point Partners team. “We look forward to learning from and alongside PA Humanities and the Fellows throughout this experience.”
“We’re excited to support the launch of the PA Cultural Exchange Fellowship and the opportunity it creates for people working in arts, culture, and the humanities across Pennsylvania to learn from one another, build meaningful relationships, and strengthen their leadership,” said Jasmin DeForrest, Managing Director of Arts & Culture at The Heinz Endowments. “We’re especially pleased to invite leaders from southwestern Pennsylvania to be represented in the cohort and connect to a broader statewide network of peers and collaborators.”
Applicants must live and work in Pennsylvania and be engaged in humanities, creative, cultural, or community-based work. Ideal candidates include public humanities practitioners, scholars, artists, educators, librarians, storytellers, organizers, archivists, historians, independent practitioners, organizational leaders, and others working in professional, volunteer, grassroots, or informal capacities. An organizational affiliation is not needed to apply.
PA Humanities is especially interested in individuals who use storytelling, creative methods, cultural documentation, dialogue, and community engagement as part of their practice; value collaboration and exchange; and are eager to learn, share, and build relationships with others across Pennsylvania.
Applications are due July 8, 2026, by 11:59 p.m. Interested applicants are encouraged to review the program guidelines before applying. A special informational webinar will be held on June 16, 2026, from 2:00–3:00 p.m.
To register for the webinar and apply for a fellowship, visit: pahumanities.org/pax.
Questions about eligibility may be directed to Jen Danifo, Senior Manager of Programs, at jdanifo@pahumanities.org.
The PA Cultural Exchange is made possible through the generous support of Spring Point Partners and The Heinz Endowments, with additional support from Pennsylvania state legislators, the Pennsylvania Department of Community and Economic Development, and the National Endowment for the Humanities (NEH).
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