Awarded Grants | November 2024

Published November 2024

The Foundation is pleased to announce it recently awarded 103 grants totaling more than $40 million in its five grantmaking programs, supporting efforts to expand access to resources and opportunities that promote a more vital and just city and region for all.

Arts and Culture

Expanding access to diverse, inclusive, and high-quality arts and culture experiences.

We awarded 18 grants totaling $11.8 million under our new Arts and Culture program: 

• ArtPhilly (fiscally sponsored by Culture Works Greater Philadelphia, Inc.) to support the presentation of creative projects made by Philadelphia-based artists for the 2026 ArtPhilly Festival. ($500,000) 
• Barnes Foundation for unrestricted general operating support. ($675,000) 
• Beyond the Bars Inc. to support access to its musical programming for youth impacted by issues such as violence, homelessness, and the justice system. ($270,000) 
• Dance Iquail! for the creation of an original dance-theater performance with residents from the Mantua neighborhood of West Philadelphia. ($110,000) 
• Lantern Theater Company to support community outreach activities that engage with audiences in Northwest Philadelphia. ($110,000) 
• Love Now Media Inc. to support Love Now Live, a year-long series of events at venues across Philadelphia featuring poets, singers, musicians, and visual artists sharing their art and stories with audiences. ($110,000) 
• Mamadele Foundation to support its Afro-Brazilian Percussion Teaching Residency Program. ($39,875) 
• Montgomery Theater, Inc. for the development of a new bilingual musical to help build relationships with its growing Hispanic community. ($62,850) 
• Orchestra 2001, Incorporated to support “Playing the Markets,” a series of events designed to cultivate sustainable programming and new audience models outside of Philadelphia’s Center City. ($110,000) 
• Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts for the presentation of several exhibitions and the debut of its permanent collection reinstallation. ($658,000) 
• Philadelphia Clef Club of the Performing Arts Inc. for unrestricted general operating support. ($345,000) 
• Philadelphia Mural Arts Advocates to support creative place-keeping collaborations with Philadelphia’s Norris Square neighborhood. ($425,000) 
• Philadelphia Theatre Company for the premiere and neighborhood tour of a participatory musical titled Night Side Songs. ($100,000) 
• Playpenn, Inc. to pilot a new model for its flagship “New Play Development Conference” in 2025. ($75,000) 
• PRISM Quartet, Inc. to support its Generate Music project. ($60,000) 
• Team Sunshine Performance to produce the “Great American Gunshow,” focusing on curbing gun violence in Philadelphia neighborhoods. ($110,000) 
• Woodmere Art Museum, Inc. for the presentation of two exhibitions and related programming celebrating diverse artists and reflecting local audiences. ($110,000) 

Earlier in the year, we awarded 14 grants totaling $4.1 million under our former Creative Communities grantmaking program, which sunset in October 2024: 

• Ars Nova Workshop, Inc. for unrestricted general operating support. ($420,000)  
• ArtSmart to deliver weekly music lessons and mentorship to students at several Greater Philadelphia partner schools. ($300,000) 
• Association for Public Art to support the creation of a new strategic plan. ($110,000)  
• Big Picture Alliance for its Youth Filmmaking after-school and summer program that brings filmmaking and digital storytelling into classrooms and communities across Philadelphia. ($270,000) 
• Darlington Fine Arts Center, Inc. for its arts education partnership programming that brings dance, drama, music, and visual arts to schools in Greater Philadelphia. ($150,000) 
• Drexel University to research change readiness in the arts and culture sector and develop a prototype tool to assess how organizations are learning from and adapting to change. ($110,000) 
• Frankford Community Development Corporation to support stewardship, staff, outreach, and maintenance for Frankford Pause Park. ($74,145) 
• FringeArts for the creation of three productions that elevate underrepresented voices for the 2024 curated Fringe Festival. ($110,000) 
• Greater Philadelphia Cultural Alliance to support “Cultural Dynamics: Convening, Connecting and Catalyzing,” a half-day arts and culture summit. ($60,000) 
• National Liberty Museum to develop models, practices, and skills for engaging community partners as co-curators in conceptualizing and producing art exhibitions and programs. ($110,000) 
• Philadelphia Chamber Music Society for unrestricted general operating support. ($495,000) 
• Philadelphia City Fund for community engagement and preliminary planning analysis for I-676 highway cap, the “Chinatown Stitch,” to mitigate transportation-related inequities. ($1,260,000)
• Rock School for Dance Education to provide dance and drumming instruction for several Philadelphia district and charter schools through its RockReach program and pilot free after-school enrichment programming. ($525,000) 
• University of Pennsylvania - Annenberg Center for the Performing Arts to support “Toll the Bell,” a city-wide sound installation and interactive digital map that will engage communities in conversations about their personal experiences with gun violence in Philadelphia. ($110,000)

Children and Families

Supporting the healthy development and academic success of young Philadelphians.

We awarded 14 grants totaling $7.4 million to advance our Public Benefits objective. The grants below are expected to connect more than 20,000 families with public benefits and tax credits worth an estimated $70 million:  

• HIAS and Council Migration Service of Philadelphia Inc. to serve eligible immigrant clients. ($575,000)
• Pennsylvania Health Access Network to serve children and caregiver populations. ($375,000)
• Concilio De Organizaciones Hispanas to serve families in Northeast Philadelphia. ($430,575)
• St. Christopher's Hospital for Children to serve families in North Philadelphia. ($381,536)
• JUNTOS to expand its Solo el Pueblo Salva al Pueblo program serving Latine immigrant families. ($159,750)
• Community Legal Services Inc. for Bridging the Gap: Empowering families through benefits access and advocacy. ($943,575)
• Defender Association of Philadelphia for its Peer Advocate Benefits Navigator. ($488,180)
• Philadelphia FIGHT to serve eligible pediatric patients. ($69,000)
• Cambodian Association of Greater Philadelphia for its Young Families Safety Net project. ($406,250)
• Vietgroup Empowers to serve immigrant families with young children. ($108,750)
• Philadelphia Legal Assistance Center to serve low-income workers and their families. ($574,585)
• Southeast Asian MAA Coalition, Inc. for its Immigrant Benefits Enrollment project. ($420,000)
• Jewish Family and Children's Service of Greater Philadelphia to expand existing public benefits connection services and strengthen partnerships to reach more people. ($1,000,000)
• Local Initiatives Support Corporation - Philadelphia Chapter for its Latino Equitable Development Collective Family Tax and Benefits Referral project. ($1,497,313)

We awarded two grants to support implementation of the Commonwealth Court decision on school funding:  

• Public Interest Law Center ($267,900)
• Education Law Center – PA ($259,200)

We awarded two additional grants through this program:

• Please Touch Museum to support its Director of Community Programs and Inclusion position. ($100,000)
• Research for Action, Inc. to develop a plan to conduct a supply and demand analysis of out-of-school time programming focused on children ages three to eight in Philadelphia. ($109,625)

Democracy and Civic Initiatives

Enabling more people to participate in democratic processes and finding collaborative ways for funders to accelerate improvement.

We awarded 14 grants totaling $3.9 million to advance our Regional Funding objective. The grants below are expected to enable organizations across Southeastern PA to apply for at least $160 million in new federal funding for climate, environmental justice, and infrastructure in the form of grants and tax credits:

• Community First Fund to access Greenhouse Gas Reduction Fund dollars to capitalize loans for energy efficiency and sustainability. ($209,600)
• Energy Coordinating Agency of Philadelphia Inc. to access federal dollars for Neighborhood Energy Centers in Philadelphia. ($316,250)
• Generation180 to support its Electrify Our Schools program to help K-12 schools in Southeastern PA access clean energy benefits. ($348,000)
• Green Building United to establish a regional building energy hub as a central resource supporting building owners and operators in Southeastern PA in accessing federal funding. ($470,000)
• HACE - Hispanic Association of Contractors and Enterprises to improve connections and infrastructure on the Richmond Industrial Track rail corridor. ($400,000)
• Institute for Market Transformation Inc. to prepare lenders and communities to access Greenhouse Gas Reduction Fund dollars. ($359,000)
• Keystone Research Center, Inc. to help applicants maximize federal funding for climate and infrastructure by integrating diverse local hiring, community benefits, and union engagement into their projects. ($204,375)
• New Ecology Inc. to help access federal funding for clean energy upgrades in homes in Philadelphia’s Justice40 communities, joint with Centennial Parkside Community Development Corporation. ($334,200)
• New Kensington Community Development Corporation to secure Inflation Reduction Act funds for Kensington residents. ($101,471)
• Philadelphia City Fund to enable Philadelphia community-based organizations to apply to the federal Thriving Communities Grantmaking Program by supporting the Office of Sustainability’s bridge funding program. ($266,000)
• Philadelphia Energy Authority to launch the Solarize Greater Philly program with the PA Solar Center. ($460,000)
• Safe Routes to School National Partnership to support access to federal active transportation funding. ($375,000)
• Technology Learning Collaborative to access Digital Equity Act grants for organizations that serve low-income individuals and families in Philadelphia. ($45,625)
• Wissahickon Valley Watershed Association Inc. to complete watershed-wide project planning to guide federal funding applications to manage stormwater. ($74,000)

Six of the above grants were co-funded with the Green Family Foundation, which awarded an additional $100,000 each to Energy Coordinating Agency, Generation180, Green Building United, Institute for Market Transformation, New Ecology, and the Philadelphia Energy Authority. 

We awarded 8 grants totaling $1.5 million to advance our Responsive Local Government objective. The grants below are expected to directly connect almost 700 Philadelphia residents to decisionmakers in local government and advance solutions to community-identified issues:

• Ceiba, Inc. for development of the Latino Equitable Development Collective’s Housing and Economic Development Policy Agenda and Advocacy Plan. ($218,750)
• Philadelphia Mural Arts Advocates to support the People’s Budget Office, a public art project that educates residents on the municipal budgeting process and creates art to visually depict budget priorities. ($250,650)
• Philadelphia Association of Community Development Corporations for its Elimu Academy and Community Development University programs, supporting residents to educate policymakers on neighborhood challenges and advocate for solutions. ($163,063)
• National Domestic Workers Alliance Inc. for leadership development, organizing, and advocacy in support of domestic workers. ($170,250)
• We Reign Inc. for “we SPEAK” programming that empowers Black girls to lead change in their communities. ($68,750)
• Philadelphia City Fund for the City’s Division of Housing and Community Development to improve systems and processes for equitable, collaborative community engagement around housing policies and programs. ($212,800)
• Women's Community Revitalization Project to organize and build community leadership for its campaign for housing justice. ($177,200)
• The Welcoming Center for New Pennsylvanians to support its Immigrant Leadership Institute, fostering inclusion and teaching participants how to become change agents for their communities. ($269,366)

We awarded two additional grants through this program:

• Committee of Seventy to support the use of federal work study funding for nonpartisan civic engagement. ($25,000)
• New Venture Fund for a Census Equity Initiative case study on philanthropic investment in Pennsylvania’s nonpartisan census and redistricting activities. ($45,000)

Environment and Public Space

Protecting and improving natural areas and community spaces.

We awarded 4 grants totaling $932,000 to advance our Climate Resilience Planning objective. These grants will support development of community-led climate resilience plans in three neighborhoods in Philadelphia and one in Camden, which are home to populations that are vulnerable to specific and substantial climate impacts:

• Nueva Esperanza to work in the Hunting Park neighborhood. ($218,233)
• Philadelphia City Fund to work in the Eastwick community. ($212,500)
• Sustainable Jersey Inc. to work in Camden, N.J. ($259,665)
• Academy of Natural Sciences of Philadelphia to work in the Germantown neighborhood. ($241,600)

We awarded 8 grants totaling $4.5 million to advance our Improving Public Spaces objective. The below grants are expected to help to improve three community centers, six parks, eleven gardens, and between 20 and 30 public swimming pools in underserved neighborhoods in Philadelphia and Camden:

• Heart of Camden Inc. for improvements to its MJD Fieldhouse. ($689,813)
• Movement Alliance Project as the fiscal sponsor for Philly Community Wireless, to foster connection in green spaces. ($214,740)
• Xiente for improvements to its community and economic mobility center. ($259,555)
• Tookany-Tacony-Frankford Watershed Partnership for community organizing and programming, daily maintenance and restoration, and planning for a new park center. ($1,373,750)
• Amandla for improvements to Scanlon Recreation Center to create a safe space in the Kensington/Harrowgate neighborhoods. ($146,500)
• Culture Trust Greater Philadelphia as the fiscal sponsor for Peace Park Design Collaborative, to steward neighborhood-managed green spaces as public commons. ($574,375)
• Tiny WPA to expand Swim Philly to transform public pools into safe, welcoming spaces. ($675,000)
• The Lighthouse for Somerset Community Center repairs. ($566,267)

Workforce Training and Services

Helping Philadelphians to access and keep better paying jobs.  

We awarded 15 grants totaling $5 million to advance our Workforce Training objective. The grants below are expected to provide supports that will enable up to 3,000 individuals with high barriers to employment to complete workforce training and sustain employment:  

• Episcopal Community Services of the Diocese of Pennsylvania for its MindSet program, providing long-term job coaching and career support to help workers achieve economic independence. ($212,435) 
• Hopeworks N Camden, Inc. to expand its employment placement services in Philadelphia. ($577,588) 
• AchieveAbility for its TechUp workforce development program that provides Salesforce technical training to low-income individuals. ($287,000) 
• Eastern State Penitentiary Historic Site Inc. to enhance support and capacity of its carpentry and masonry workforce development and reentry programs. ($165,750) 
• First Step Staffing for its Working Our Way Home Program providing training and housing financial assistance for housing-insecure, unemployed and justice-involved individuals. ($575,000) 
• Energy Coordinating Agency of Philadelphia Inc. for a Placement Coordinator for its Green Careers Training Center. ($230,000) 
• Propel America to expand its Medical Assistant workforce development program in Philadelphia. ($396,500) 
• JEVS Human Services to expand its Center for New Americans driver's license initiative. ($362,294) 
• Pennsylvania Horticultural Society to expand and enhance its workforce bootcamp program. ($439,600) 
• Why Not Prosper Inc. to expand its Workforce Academy for current and formerly incarcerated women. ($235,000) 
• Uplift Solutions Inc. to support its Reentry Workforce Empowerment Program, which includes job training, job readiness, placement, and case management, along with record sealing, clearing, and expungement services. ($597,120) 
• Congreso de Latinos Unidos, Inc. for Breaking Barriers: Workforce Barrier Removal Project that provides clients with “starter packs” of workforce and housing supports. ($517,500) 
• Pennsylvania School for the Deaf to support its Transition Academy, reducing barriers to employment and training for deaf and hard-of-hearing young people. ($85,350) 
• Drexel University to increase the number of job seekers who complete its Certified Medical Assistant and Security Support Technician apprenticeships. ($287,491)
• Philadelphia City Fund to hire a Workforce Hub Specialist within the City's Office of Transportation and Infrastructure Systems. ($109,250)

Earlier in the year, we awarded two workforce-related grants under our former grantmaking program which sunset in October 2024:

• Drexel University to reduce barriers and expand career pathways in health and human services for young people through the Center for Nonviolence and Social Justice. ($100,000)
• Urban Affairs Coalition to support the Women in Nontraditional Careers Tradeswomen Readiness program. ($110,000)