News and Perspectives

The Foundation is pleased to announce it recently awarded 128 grants totaling $57.2 million across its grantmaking programs, supporting efforts to expand access to resources and opportunities that promote a more vital and just city and region for all...

Across Pennsylvania, schools are grappling with a growing teacher shortage—one that affects students, families, and communities alike. The impact of the shortage touches rural, suburban, and urban districts throughout the Commonwealth and around the...

How his original blueprint for the city of Philadelphia became a blueprint for our democratic society As we approach the 250 th anniversary of the signing of the Declaration of Independence it is appropriate to reflect on the special role that...

Why the digital town square is no replacement for physical space This essay is part of a series studying the long, enduring, and essential relationship between public space and democracy. This essay will explore the continued importance and centrality of...

As the country prepares to celebrate the 250th anniversary of the signing of the Declaration of Independence, now is an opportune time to reflect on the constitutional rights guaranteed to us as a free nation of self-governing citizens — a people ruled by...

The Foundation is pleased to announce it recently awarded 106 grants totaling $47.6 million across its grantmaking programs, supporting efforts to expand access to resources and opportunities that promote a more vital and just city and region for all...

The legal framework for assembly and public speech is not absolute, but communities can take action.