The Foundation is pleased to announce it recently awarded 90 grants totaling $25.8 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.
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Arts and Culture
Expanding access to diverse, inclusive, and high-quality arts and culture experiences.
We awarded 23 grants totaling $5.9 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 112,000 individuals in Philadelphia, Montgomery and Bucks counties over the next two years.
African Cultural Alliance of North America Inc. to commission and present a traveling exhibition by Philadelphia artists celebrating Africatown. ($337,250 over 24 months)
Awbury Arboretum Association Inc. to design and install “House of the Living,” a public artwork honoring homicide victims in Philadelphia. ($300,638 over 24 months)
Barnes Foundation to implement an art and well-being program that supports individuals with Parkinson's disease or Alzheimer’s/dementia and their caregivers. ($300,000 over 24 months)
Bearded Ladies Cabaret to host two annual daylong festivals envisioning radical social transformation 50 years in the future. ($295,620 over months)
Brandywine Conservancy & Museum of Art to support community engagement programming for “Imperfect Absence,” an exhibition examining human impact on the environment. ($84,825 over 14 months)
Bristol Riverside Theater Company, Inc. to engage community members as actors and production-related content creators for two participatory productions. ($218,700 over 9 months)
Clay Studio to produce two contemporary ceramic art exhibitions and accompanied community engagement programming. ($249,670 over 12 months)
InLiquid to present “Looking Takes Time,” a Philadelphia exhibition series on the Black figure in contemporary image and object making. ($236,925 over 21 months)
Opera Philadelphia to present Kaneza Schaal's reimagined Aida at the Academy of Music with “Pick Your Price” ticketing. ($340,500 over 12 months)
Partners for Sacred Places Inc. to support the 2027 Philadelphia Organ Festival. ($316,782 over 18 months)
Penn Live Arts to co-produce the Arts of India Festival with SRUTI at the Annenberg Center for the Performing Arts. ($129,717 over 11 months)
Pennsylvania Ballet Association to develop and implement a Philadelphia Ballet Family Series that reduces common barriers to participation and prioritizes accessible, high-quality performances. ($321,010 over 24 months)
Philadelphia Mural Arts Advocates to create an outdoor film installation project commemorating the 30th anniversary of the 1997 Million Woman March in Philadelphia. ($297,495 over 20 months)
Philadelphia Theatre Company to develop and produce La Guagua 47: An American Musical and host civic engagement events highlighting SEPTA’s 47 bus route. ($331,519 over 24 months)
Pig Iron Theatre Company Inc. to create and premiere a new farcical play celebrating feminist joy and bodily autonomy. ($198,673 over 14 months)
Quintessence Theatre Company to translate and adapt Part II of Alexandre Dumas's The Three Musketeers into a play presented in-repertory with its previously produced Part I. ($275,000 over 12 months)
Scribe Video Center Inc. to present a three-day festival in North Philadelphia exploring legendary musician John Coltrane's history and impact on the culture and identity of the Strawberry Mansion community. ($190,000 over 6 months)
SpArc Services to implement a screen-to-stage residency for participants of its Cultural Arts program. ($88,378 over 24 months)
Taller Puertorriqueño Inc. to support the curation of work, exhibition, and public programming for Myrna Báez, A Trailblazer of Puerto Rican Art. ($242,188 over 24 months)
Theatre Horizon to produce two community productions, provide adult theater classes, and choir performances in Montgomery County. ($328,106 over 24 months)
William Way LGBT Community Center to plan and mount an exhibition on the life and works of Philadelphia trans artist and architect Roberta Dickinson. ($323,950 over 24 months)
Wilma Theater to expand the Accessible Production Initiative. ($347,720 over 24 months)
Woodmere Art Museum Inc. to present Listen with Your Eyes: A Moe Brooker Retrospective and host public programming connecting visual art, music, and community dialogue. ($145,600 over 7 months)
We awarded two additional grants to advance the program’s Strengthening Arts and Culture Sector objective:
Citizens for the Arts in Pennsylvania to support its 2027 statewide Arts and Humanities Convening and develop a replicable model for its future convenings across the state. ($31,250 over 12 months)
The Nonprofit Center (fiscally sponsored by TriCounty Community Network Inc.) to host peer learning circles, professional development sessions, and sector-wide convenings for arts and culture nonprofit leaders. ($109,750 over 18 months)
Children and Families
Supporting the healthy development and academic success of young Philadelphians.
We awarded 8 grants totaling $4.5 million to advance our Early Childhood Education objective. The projects below are expected to provide services and supports to 120 early childhood programs, 1,560 new and existing early childhood teachers, and add an estimated 1,380 new high-quality seats in Philadelphia.
Children's Hospital of Philadelphia Foundation to help families navigate the childcare system from access to enrollment in high-quality education. ($454,973 over 36 months)
Finanta to support investments in Philadelphia's childcare sector through affordable loans and technical assistance. ($507,500 over 36 months)
Drexel University to support Teaching to Thrive: training and support for early childhood educators to improve retention and workforce stability. ($761,547 over 36 months)
Fund for the School District of Philadelphia to recruit and retain PreK educators through a centralized marketing and candidate management system for potential teachers. ($1,000,000 over 36 months)
Graduate Philadelphia to expand workforce pathways and degree attainment for early childhood educators. ($187,500 over 40 months)
Latinos Educando Juntos to support Sembrando Semillas: culturally and linguistically supportive technical assistance for early childhood education providers. ($463,723 over 36 months)
Public Health Management Corporation to support the early childhood education curriculum fund. ($991,227 over 36 months)
Temple University - College of Education and Human Development for community engagement and planning to strengthen early childhood education in North Philadelphia. ($149,537 over 12 months)
We awarded one additional grant in the Children and Families program:
- Prevent Homelessness:
- Local Initiatives Support Corporation to develop acquisition and preservation plans for existing affordable rental units in West and Southwest Philadelphia. ($95,750 over 6 months)
Democracy and Civic Initiatives
Enabling more people to participate in democratic processes and finding collaborative ways for funders to accelerate improvement.
In partnership with the Heinz Endowments and HealthSpark Foundation, we awarded 22 grants totaling $1.3 million to advance the Foundation’s Census Participation objective. The organizations below will create plans customized to their specific priority populations to guide their work in increasing the census self-response rate for the 2030 Census across the state of Pennsylvania.
2Puntos Platform, Inc. to support a community-driven census outreach model for Latino residents in South Philadelphia. ($50,000 over 18 months)
ACLAMO to develop Sí Nos Cuentan, Sí Contamos (If they count us, we count), a community-informed census engagement plan. ($50,000 over 18 months)
Alliance for Police Accountability (fiscally sponsored by Rise Up 365) to develop a plan to increase census self-response rates in Allegheny County. ($50,000 over 18 months)
Allies for Children, working with Allegheny Intermediate Unit to establish Every Voice Counts, an outreach and communications plan to maximize census self-reporting and identification of underrepresented children and families in Southwestern Pennsylvania. ($70,000 over 18 months)
Asian Americans United to create a Get-Out-The-Count plan to engage “hard-to-count” Chinese communities in Philadelphia. ($50,000 over 18 months)
Brown Mamas (fiscally sponsored by New Sun Rising), working with Healthy Start Pittsburgh and The Motherhood to create a plan to increase census self-response rates among Black mothers, caregivers, and families with young children in Allegheny County. ($90,000 over 18 months)
Cambodian Association of Greater Philadelphia to support community-driven census outreach and education for Cambodian and Lao Pennsylvanians. ($50,000 over 18 months)
Center for Victims to boost census awareness and self-response rates in Pittsburgh through community partnerships. ($50,000 over 18 months)
City of Erie to increase awareness of and education around the census through neighborhood outreach and develop a plan to increase census participation. ($50,000 over 18 months)
Disability Rights Pennsylvania to increase census participation of people with disabilities across Pennsylvania. ($50,000 over 18 months)
Down Syndrome Association of Pittsburgh to develop a community-driven plan to increase census participation among families with Down Syndrome individuals in Western Pennsylvania. ($50,000 over 18 months)
Foundation for Delaware County, working with Delaware County government to support county-wide early coordination and planning efforts for a more complete and equitable census count in Delaware County. ($80,000 over 18 months)
Hugh Lane Wellness Foundation to support Here to Stay, an LGBTQ+ census community planning initiative in Western Pennsylvania. ($50,000 over 18 months)
In This Together NEPA Inc. to begin census participation preparation for historically undercounted populations across Northeastern Pennsylvania. ($50,000 over 18 months)
New Kensington Community Development Corporation to support Count Kensington In!, a trauma-informed planning process to understand and improve census self-response rates in Kensington. ($50,000 over 12 months)
New PA Project Education Fund to co-design a plan to increase census self-response rates in hard-to-count and undercounted communities in Harrisburg, Chester, Coatesville, West Chester, and Norristown. ($50,000 over 18 months)
Penn Asian Senior Services Inc., working with Oak Lane Community Action Association, Korean American Alliance of Greater Philadelphia, and Asian American Business Alliance of Greater Philadelphia to develop a census engagement plan for Asian and other hard-to-count groups in Philadelphia and Montgomery counties. ($90,000 over 18 months)
Philadelphia City Fund to design a 2030 Census Outreach Plan in Philadelphia. ($90,000 over 18 months)
Pittsburgh United, working with Casa San Jose, Pittsburghers for Public Transit and other coalition partners to develop census planning efforts across Western and Central Pennsylvania. ($90,000 over 12 months)
TriCounty Community Network Inc., working with BucksMont Collaborative and Interagency Council of Norristown to build a community-informed census engagement plan in Bucks, Chester, and Montgomery counties. ($90,000 over 12 months)
Wayne County Community Foundation, working with Greater Pike Community Foundation to complete a census messaging plan for Wayne and Pike Counties. ($90,000 over 15 months)
Woori Center (fiscally sponsored by National Korean American Service and Education Consortium Inc.) to increase Korean and Asian American Census self-response rates in Pennsylvania. ($50,000 over 18 months)
We awarded 10 additional grants in the Democracy and Civic Initiatives program:
- Regional Funder Collaboration
The Nonprofit Center (fiscally sponsored by TriCounty Community Network Inc.) to support its Sector Sustainability Initiative. ($225,000 over 36 months)
United Way of Greater Philadelphia and Southern New Jersey to launch the Coordinated Capacity Strengthening Initiative. ($1,000,000 over 36 months)
United Way of Greater Philadelphia and Southern New Jersey to support programming from the Center for Leadership Equity and Black Nonprofit Chief Executives of Philadelphia. ($603,750 over 36 months)
- Regional Funding
Habitat for Humanity of Montgomery and Delaware Counties to develop and implement a coordinated home repair and weatherization pilot serving low-income Delaware County households. ($200,000 over 12 months)
Philadelphia Foundation to transition Philly Gives, a regional media-driven charitable giving campaign, from a pilot initiative to full implementation. ($2,088,010 over 24 months)
- Voter Participation
Public Rights Project to provide direct legal support, training, and technical assistance to local elections officials in Pennsylvania. ($100,070 over 5 months)
Asian American Community Fund of Pennsylvania (fiscally sponsored by Center for Empowered Politics Education Fund) to host proactive and responsive programming to help ensure a safe, free, and fair 2026 midterm election in Pennsylvania. ($100,000 over 7 months)
Democracy Works Inc. to integrate vote-by-mail software to support eligible voters in applying for a mail ballot for the 2026 General Election. ($110,000 over 6 months)
All Voting is Local to support equitable voter participation in Pennsylvania through nonpartisan advocacy, voter education, and outreach efforts. ($110,000 over 5 months)
In This Together NEPA Inc. to expand its election protection and meeting monitoring programs across Northeastern Pennsylvania. ($100,000 over 6 months)
Environment and Public Space
Protecting and improving natural areas and community spaces.
In partnership with the Knight Foundation, we awarded 16 grants totaling $6 million to advance the Improvement of Public Spaces objective. The projects below are expected to improve 34 existing public spaces in Philadelphia and Camden, contributing to the Foundation’s objective of improving at least 100 existing public spaces that support recreation, refuge, and social interaction in Greater Philadelphia by 2035.
- Camden Community Partnership Inc. to improve Roosevelt Plaza Park in downtown Camden. ($525,000 over 18 months)
- Camden County Historical Society to support the Camden waterfront trailhead and civic space at the Benjamin Cooper Tavern. ($512,500 over 16 months)
- City of Camden to support Phase II improvements at Elijah Perry Park. ($525,000 over 12 months)
- Delaware River City Corporation to support Phase I construction of the Tacony Boat Launch. ($348,000 over 24 months)
- Historic Germantown Preserved to improve tree canopies and amenities at public greenspaces in “Freedom’s Backyard” historic sites in Germantown. ($500,438 over 18 months)
- John Bartram Association to improve Bartram’s Garden site safety and welcome area for increased swing bridge visitation. ($500,000 over 24 months)
- Kensington Corridor Trust to support The [el]evated Stoop, a community-designed public space for Kensington. ($350,000 over 30 months)
- Philadelphia City Fund to improve safety and security at LOVE Park. ($360,000 over 12 months)
- Philadelphia’s Peace Plaza Committee (fiscally sponsored by Asian Arts Initiative) to support the Philadelphia Peace Plaza Project. ($500,000 over 36 months)
- Philadelphia Youth Organization to support the Marian Anderson Field Project. ($200,000 over 36 months)
- Pinelands Preservation Alliance, Inc. to improve the Roots to Market Farm in Camden. ($56,358 over 12 months)
- RAIR Inc. (Recycled Artist in Residency) to improve public spaces using circular practices, in collaboration with Tacony CDC and Norris Square Neighborhood Project. ($274,269 over 18 months)
- Salvation Army to improve accessibility and safety at Haven of Hope Community Center. ($281,249 over 12 months)
- Smith Memorial Playground to support Playhouse Renovation Phase II: Expanding Year-Round Community Access. ($360,000 over 12 months)
- Tree House Books to support Community Library Renovation: Enriching a North Philadelphia Civic 3rd Space. ($250,000 over 12 months)
- Woodlands Trust for Historic Preservation to restore the gates and support Opening the Grounds: Access and Wayfinding at The Woodlands. ($459,375 over 36 months)
We awarded 6 grants totaling $3 million to advance the Reduce Sewage Overflows objective. The projects below are expected to reduce sewage overflows by 900 million gallons per year through a combination of large capital projects, support for increased public sector financial capacity, and advocacy and public engagement activities.
- American Rivers, Inc. to support Clean and Safe Cobbs Creek: A Community-Informed Approach to Sewage Overflow Reduction. ($170,645 over 12 months)
- Camden County Municipal Utilities Authority to support Bridging and Building Financial Resilience for CSO Reduction: East State Street Sewer Project and Stakeholder Engagement. ($266,472 over 24 months)
- Citizens for Pennsylvania’s Future to provide new pathways and beyond for combined sewage overflows in Philadelphia. ($608,000 over 12 months)
- Delaware Riverkeeper Network to enhance community science and engagement to shut down raw sewage spills and secure Philadelphians’ rights to healthy waterways. ($464,410 over 24 months)
- New Jersey Future, Inc. to support Engage. Advocate. Accelerate: Speeding up Combined Sewage Overflow (CSO) Solutions in Camden. ($748,473 over 24 months)
- Philadelphia City Fund to accelerate the Philadelphia Water Department’s design for Thomas Run CSO reduction and stakeholder engagement with Cobbs Creek communities. ($742,000 over 24 months)
We awarded two additional grants in the Environment and Public Space program:
- Improvement of Public Spaces:
- Watchdog Real Estate Project Management to enhance technical support for public space and arts and culture capital project grantees. ($91,667 over 12 months)
- Urban Trees:
- Public Health Management Corporation to support urban forestry capacity building and technical assistance from 2026-2027. ($20,056 over 21 months)
