This year, attention from across the country and around the globe will turn to Philadelphia, the city where the great American experiment began. There is much to celebrate in 2026, and with that comes the opportunity to shape what this historic moment means for the future of our community.
In addition to moments of national attention, we believe the 250th celebrations should also result in lasting local public benefits. While the Foundation is helping strengthen civic infrastructure, cultural institutions, and shared spaces to welcome the world, our long-term objective is that these investments directly impact, for the better, the people who call this region home.
Leading up to this milestone year, we committed more than $15 million to efforts to celebrate the 250th. That included a $6 million grant, as one of seven founding funders, to the Philadelphia Funder Collaborative for the Semiquincentennial, a fund organized by the Connelly Foundation. The Collaborative awarded 145 grants to Philadelphia-area non-profits to develop a diverse and large number of programs commemorating the 250th and inspiring greater civic engagement and community service opportunities.
We also committed $5 million to welcome the world to Philadelphia for the World Cup soccer games, including funds to improve Lemon Hill as a public gathering space and to permanently strengthen community soccer programs and facilities. While these improvements will be enjoyed by visitors from around the world, their true impact extends well beyond a single event. Enhancements to park infrastructure are intended to serve surrounding neighborhoods for years to come—supporting recreation, gathering, and community life long after the final match is played.
The Foundation’s support for organizations such as Historic Philadelphia, Philadelphia Visitors Center, Independence Historical Trust, and the National Constitution Center reflects a similar commitment. These institutions help ensure that America’s founding story is shared in ways that are inclusive, honest, and relevant, connecting the past to the lived experiences and aspirations of today’s communities.
It is fitting, then, that America’s 250th birthday invites reflection not only on our origins, but on our responsibilities. Democracy is described as an experiment for a reason: it is unfinished, fragile, and dependent on participation. It requires trust, engagement, on-going stewardship, and a willingness to work together, even when doing so is difficult.
In this moment, we also want to recognize the non-profit organizations across this city whose leadership and aspirations have not dimmed in the face of a particularly challenging year. Many of you have operated amid significant uncertainty—diminishing federal funding, threats to civil rights and increasing needs from the communities you serve. Your resilience, adaptability, and commitment have sustained essential services and strengthened civic life at a moment when both have felt under attack. There seems to be no question that you’ll be called on for more of that in the year ahead. To support the non-profit sector during this extraordinary time of uncertainty, last summer our board awarded $10 million in special grant funding to support 19 organizations working to defend democratic values, respond to emerging federal actions, and support non-profit organizations in crisis. We continue to be grateful for your strength and dedication and stand with you.
More than ever, let’s recommit ourselves to the work of protecting and participating in our democracy, of participating fully in civic life, and ensuring that the ideals founded in 1776 and celebrated in 2026 continue to guide us as we build our collective future together.
We are grateful for your partnership, your leadership, and your belief in the power of communities working together. Collectively we can ensure that Philadelphia’s and America’s 250th is an incredible milestone, yet not an endpoint. Anniversaries like this matter most for what they commemorate and for what they inspire. Here’s to an incredible year and the long-term legacy it will sow; one that is bright for all of us.
With gratitude,
Peter Haas
Chair, William Penn Foundation Board of Directors
Katherine Christiano
Vice Chair, William Penn Foundation Board of Directors
