The Foundation is pleased to announce it recently awarded 79 grants totaling $31.6 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.
Jump to section:
Arts and Culture
Expanding access to diverse, inclusive, and high-quality arts and culture experiences.
We awarded 17 grants totaling $3.3 million to advance our Arts and Culture Programming objective. The grants below will support high-quality performances, exhibitions, hands-on art-making workshops, and other arts and culture activities for approximately 100,000 individuals in Philadelphia, Delaware, and Chester counties over the next two years.
- 1812 Productions Inc. to produce, build community, and sustain new audiences around the world premiere of the bilingual play LA OTRA. ($66,250 over 24 months)
- Almanac Dance Circus Theatre (fiscally sponsored by Painted Bride Art Center) to provide BIPOC elders access to new artistic experiences. ($166,965 over 18 months)
- American Swedish Historical Foundation to support its Community Exhibition Series: Indivisible and Journeys to America. ($307,169 over 24 months)
- Ars Nova Workshop Inc. to support its John Coltrane Centennial Celebration. ($405,250 over 24 months)
- Barnes Foundation to expand its community engagement models to North Philadelphia. ($364,562 over 24 months)
- Brandywine Conservancy & Museum of Art to provide programs supporting emerging artist Jerrell Gibbs' “No Solace in the Shade” exhibition. ($111,500 over 9 months)
- cinéSPEAK (fiscally sponsored by Calvary Center for Culture and Community) to produce family film programming in West Philadelphia. ($357,900 over 22 months)
- Hedgerow Theatre Company to support its Bridges Program providing accessible theatre for people with disabilities. ($191,875 over 24 months)
- Liberty Bell Pops to produce a series of low-cost community concerts and the development of an equity-driven audience engagement strategy. ($143,726 over 24 months)
- Main Line Art Center to host a Lunar New Year festival and accompanied programming. ($48,700 over 6 months)
- Museum for Art in Wood to support “Queering Wood Craft,” an exhibition and related programming highlighting queer woodworkers. ($67,500 over 15 months)
- Ninth Planet (fiscally sponsored by Headlong Dance Theater) to create and produce performances of a dance-theatre piece engaging with Asian American grief and family dynamics. ($109,250 over 15 months)
- Obvious Agency (fiscally sponsored by Performance Zone Inc.) to engage community participants in workshops to develop and perform “SPORTS!,” a participatory play exploring the intersection of queerness and sports. ($72,370 over 13 months)
- People's Light and Theatre Company to produce tour-able works of theatre inspired by local history and overlooked figures. ($324,870 over 24 months)
- Philadelphia Folklore Project to establish a folk and traditional arts program series in partnership with the Free Library. ($116,938 over 24 months)
- Philadelphia Theatre Company to support public programs and the premiere of James Ijames’ “Wilderness Generation.” ($177,700 over 13 months)
- Taller Puertorriqueno Inc. to collaborate with the African American Museum in Philadelphia to provide programming supporting Afro-Latino culture. ($367,000 over 24 months)
Children and Families
Supporting the healthy development and academic success of young Philadelphians.
We awarded 10 grants totaling $3.83 million to advance our Caregiver Supports objective. The grants below are expected to support services for 1,045 grandparents and kinship caregivers raising young children aged 0 to 8 per year.
Asociacion Puertorriquenos En Marcha Inc. to strengthen grandfamily and kinship caregiver peer networks and community-based assets. ($370,300 over 24 months)
Children's Hospital of Philadelphia to expand support services for CHOP grandfamilies and kinship caregivers. ($146,315 over 24 months)
Connectedly to support the Grandfamily Resource Center programs. ($490,275 over 24 months)
Greater Philadelphia Community Alliance to support the Kinship Caregiver Resource Pantry. ($458,050 over 24 months)
Net Treatment Services Inc. to support the Kinship Family Caregiver Support Initiative. ($453,100 over 24 months)
Philadelphia Children's Alliance to provide a Caregiver support group and workshop programs for grandfamilies and kinship caregivers. ($386,975 over 24 months)
Philadelphia Housing Authority to support PHA/HUD-assisted kinship families raising young children in Philadelphia. ($388,402 over 24 months)
SeniorLAW Center to ensure access to justice for grandparents raising grandchildren. ($325,234 over 24 months)
Temple University, College of Education and Human Development to launch the Guiding Generations initiative designed to increase caregivers’ knowledge and skills. ($456,499 over 24 months)
Widener University to support Strength in Kinship: Innovative therapeutic care, training, and education for a thriving Philadelphia. ($356,360 over 24 months)
We awarded 11 grants totaling $5.25 million to advance our Early Childhood Education objective to work toward 60% of Philadelphia children, birth to 5, being enrolled in high quality early childhood education. The grants below are expected to support 225 early learning programs working with approximately 2,800 children and 560 early childhood educators.
All Our Kin Inc. to enhance and sustain high-quality family childcare programs in Philadelphia. ($506,447 over 24 months)
Black Child Development Institute Philadelphia (fiscally sponsored by National Black Child Development Institute Inc.) to support childcare homes and improve early childhood education slots. ($377,212 over 24 months)
Black Wildflowers Fund (fiscally sponsored by Wildflower Foundation) to expand high-quality early childhood education in Philadelphia. ($478,250 over 24 months)
Children's Village to support the Staff Up project in supporting Philadelphia childcare directors in strengthening and diversifying staff recruitment. ($241,463 over 24 months)
Congreso de Latinos Unidos Inc. to support the Child Development Associate Training Initiative. ($964,850 over 24 months)
Education Law Center – PA to ensure access to inclusive high-quality preschools in Philadelphia. ($411,240 over 24 months)
First Up to support the EQUIP Program to increase high-quality early childhood education in Philadelphia. ($1,023,750 over 24 months)
Ken-Crest Services to support the SWIFT Support Program to decrease the use of suspension and expulsion in Philadelphia Early Learning Centers. ($350,657 over 24 months)
Kimble Group (fiscally sponsored by First Up) to increase the quality of early childhood education in high-needs settings. ($473,250 over 24 months)
Nueva Esperanza to expand the Hope Pathways STAR Educator Project in supporting Latinx-led and/or-serving early learning programs in Hunting Park. ($380,048 over 24 months)
Parent Infant Center to support training, retaining, and sustaining teachers for lasting student enrollment in high-quality childhood education centers. ($47,438 over 24 months)
We awarded seven additional grants through this program:
Advocacy for Child-serving Systems
The Learning Agenda (fiscally sponsored by Youth Success Summit) to advance Out-of-School Time advocacy in Pennsylvania. ($87,288 over 10 months)
Generations United Inc. to support the Grandfamilies Learning Community. ($296,119 over 24 months)
Playful Learning Landscapes Action Network (fiscally sponsored by Ultimate Block Party Inc.) to provide playful learning technical assistance to WPF grantees. ($81,563.00 over 12 months)
Playful Learning Landscapes Action Network (fiscally sponsored by Ultimate Block Party Inc.) for capital support for playful learning grantees. ($500,000 over 36 months)
Philadelphia City Fund to support planning for the Office of Children and Families and the School District of Philadelphia to coordinate pre-k services. ($90,000 over 4 months)
Reinvestment Fund Inc. to support high-quality early learning facility expansion. ($3,500,000 over 36 months)
Research for Action Inc. to study the supply, demand, and gaps in access to Out-of-School time programming in Philadelphia. ($248,524 over 11 months)
Democracy and Civic Initiatives
Enabling more people to participate in democratic processes and finding collaborative ways for funders to accelerate improvement.
We awarded two grants to advance our Regional Funder Collaboration objective, intended to advance funder collaboration and coordination across the region:
National Philanthropic Trust to support the Partners Fund, led by the Patricia Kind Family Foundation, which pools resources from foundations, businesses and individual donors to support organizations serving historically marginalized communities. ($500,000 over 36 months)
Regional Foundation (fiscally sponsored by the Philadelphia Foundation) to support a comprehensive strategic planning process. ($75,000 over 8 months)
We awarded a grant through our objective to increase Voter Participation in both Philadelphia and across Pennsylvania:
University of Florida to support research to calculate the voter turnout rate in PA and Philadelphia elections. ($44,826 over 48 months)
We also awarded several grants through our Civic Initiatives objective:
Philadelphia Visitors Center Corporation to support the Wanamaker Light Show and Dickens Village. ($110,000 over 6 months)
Lenfest Institute for Journalism to support special edition information for immigrant communities. ($25,000 over 3 months)
Lynnewood Hall Preservation Foundation Inc. to support strategic planning for Lynnewood Hall. ($110,000 over 17 months)
Environment and Public Space
Protecting and improving natural areas and community spaces.
We awarded 15 grants totaling $4.4 million to advance our Improving Public Spaces objective. The grants below are expected to support improvements in at least 16 public spaces across Philadelphia.
Awbury Arboretum Association Inc. to address key safety, accessibility, and landscape sustainability challenges across the site and deepen engagement with neighbors and stakeholders. ($269,375 over 36 months)
Clean Air Council to support playful learning installations, wayfinding signage, and storybook walks in Cobbs Creek and Eastwick Parks. ($200,000 over 24 months)
CommUnity Garden @ The Creek (fiscally sponsored by the Painted Bride Art Center) to build food security, refuge, and intergenerational connectivity in Mill Creek. ($79,900 over 24 months)
Drexel University to activate outdoor space at the Dornsife Community Center by integrating playful learning equipment and increasing accessibility through multipurpose seating, crosswalks, and wayfinding. ($203,044 over 21 months)
Friends of Clark Park for a community-driven effort to provide inclusive and engaging play at the park. ($313,000 over 23 months)
Friends of the Wissahickon Inc. to build a new all access trail, restore native habitat with select reforestation, and improve parkside amenities to foster a more welcoming and equitable greenspace. ($250,000 over 24 months)
Make the World Better Foundation Inc. toward an inclusive redesign and redevelopment of Hart Park in South Kensington that reopens the park to the public for daily use. ($130,000 over 16 months)
Mount Airy Community Development Corporation to construct three new playful learning installations in East Mt. Airy and Germantown. ($349,980 over 36 months)
National Society of the Colonial Dames of America in Pennsylvania to support accessible, inclusive, community driven public space improvements at historic Stenton House, a three-acre National Historic Landmark site in Philadelphia’s Germantown/Nicetown/Logan neighborhoods. ($450,000 over 24 months)
Norris Square Neighborhood Project toward capital improvement projects on five community gardens to expand accessibility and sustainability. ($300,000 over 36 months)
Philadelphia City Fund (Philadelphia Parks and Recreation) to incorporate playful learning into public spaces and to improve access, equity, inclusion, and engagement in two neighborhood parks and recreation sites in East Parkside and Germantown. ($400,000 over 24 months)
Philadelphia Youth Basketball Inc. to increase accessibility at the Alan Horwitz “Sixth Man” Center. ($515,450 over 24 months)
Public Health Management Corporation (PHMC) to complete the revitalization of the courtyard at the PHMC Public Health Campus on Cedar for health, equity, and belonging. ($350,000 over 24 months)
Smith Memorial Playground and Playhouse for work on its Gateway Plaza, enhancing access, safety, and inclusion to the space. ($245,600 over 4 months)
Zion Baptist Church to renovate and restore access to Zion Gymnasium, a beloved community space. ($400,000 over 12 months)
We awarded 8 grants totaling $4 million through our objective to Reduce Environmental Burdens. The grants below will support efforts to measurably reduce the environmental burdens confronting eight Greater Philadelphia communities.
Chester Residents Concerned for Quality Living to increase the knowledge of residents in Chester and Delaware County on incineration, a proposed liquified natural gas terminal, and environmental concerns in the area. ($242,125 over 36 months)
City of Chester to improve indoor air quality for families impacted by pollution and health inequities. ($997,250 over 36 months)
Clean Water Fund – Pennsylvania to deploy an air monitoring network in South Philadelphia with devices installed at 20 locations, as well as community engagement in support of the project. ($334,520 over 12 months)
Drexel University to reduce the burden of sewage flooding in the Marlton neighborhood of Camden. ($143,915 over 18 months)
Drexel University to provide community-driven air quality, heat, and humidity mitigation in environmental justice neighborhoods of Philadelphia. ($666,000 over 30 months)
Germantown United Community Development Corporation to reduce litter along Germantown's commercial corridors and provide community education and engagement. ($50,000 over 12 months)
Philadelphia City Fund (Philadelphia Office of Sustainability) to launch a scalable neighborhood home pilot to address energy burdens, heat, and indoor air quality in Grays Ferry and Strawberry Mansion. ($1,324,468 over 36 months)
Thomas Jefferson University to ensure cleaner air for communities in Frankford, providing community-driven air quality monitoring and advocacy and building a replicable model for policy engagement. ($245,157 over 24 months)
We awarded 5 grants totaling $5 million to Reduce Sewage Overflows in Philadelphia. The grants below will support water infrastructure improvements, advocacy, and community organizing to reduce sewage overflow by an estimated 500-800 million gallons per year.
American Littoral Society to support a new approach for financing and addressing sewage overflow issues, including assembling a diverse civic coalition and launching a broad communications campaign. ($1,279,768 over 24 months)
Camden County Municipal Utilities Authority to support the next phase of an ongoing road flooding mitigation project in the Cramer Hill neighborhood of north Camden. ($1,000,000 over 24 months)
Citizens for Pennsylvania's Future to identify new pathways for affordable financing and community support to advance combined sewer overflow reduction. ($414,341 over 12 months)
Delaware Riverkeeper Network to reduce sewage spills in Philadelphia with community volunteers, data and agency advocacy. ($178,232 over 12 months)
Philadelphia City Fund (Philadelphia Water Department) to advance the “Wingohocking Wet Weather Tunnel” in the city’s single largest combined sewer outfall through geotechnical studies and community engagement. ($2,127,659 over 24 months)
