Awarded Grants | May 2026

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.

Jump to section:

• Arts and Culture

• Children and Families

• Democracy and Civic Initiatives

• Environment and Public Space

Arts and Culture

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

We awarded 18 grants totaling over $6 million to advance our Arts Education Programming objective, providing hands-on arts education through in-school partnership programs during the school day or the hours after school. The projects below will reach over 31,400 students through 156 school partnerships across Philadelphia.

• Arden Theatre Company to deliver its Arden for All Residency program providing in-classroom literacy- and theatre-based instruction. ($316,250 over 36 months)
• ArtWell Collaborative Inc. to implement three in-school arts education programs: We the Poets poetry program, The Art of Growing Leaders multidisciplinary artmaking, and EcoArts nature-based artmaking. ($420,000 over 36 months)
• BalletX to deliver its in-school dance education Dance eXchange program. ($316,250 over 36 months)
• Clay Studio to support its Claymobile program providing in-school ceramics education. ($347,695 over 36 months)
• Koresh Dance Company to facilitate in-school dance instruction for elementary aged youth through Koresh Kids Dance program. ($250,000 over 36 months)
• Mamadêlê Foundation to provide its Afro-Brazilian Arts Residency Programs in drumming, capoeira, or visual art for students in Northeast Philadelphia. ($153,063 over 36 months)
• Musicopia, Inc. to provide arts education residencies in music and dance. ($442,978 over 24 months)
• Opera Philadelphia to deliver in-school opera lessons through its Sounds of Learning Residency Program. ($428,425 over 36 months)
• Philadelphia Ballet to provide in-school dance lessons for students through its Dance Chance program. ($296,900 over 36 months)
• Philadelphia Young Playwrights to complete its Playwriting Program. ($400,000 over 24 months)
• Philadelphia Youth Orchestra to implement Tune Up Philly after-school residencies. ($387,000 over 36 months)
• Photography Without Borders to provide after-school photo clubs where students learn to tell their stories through photography. ($98,270 over 12 months)
• Print Center to implement high-quality visual arts education through its Artists-in-Schools Program. ($224,500 over 36 months)
• Samuel S. Fleisher Art Memorial to provide arts-integrated residencies through its Community Partnerships in the Arts program. ($393,890 over 36 months)
• Settlement Music School of Philadelphia to provide Music Education Pathways, intensive, high-quality after-school music and choir programs. ($461,150 over 24 months)
• Spiral Q (fiscally sponsored by Culture Works Greater Philadelphia) to engage the students of Blankenburg Elementary through the implementation of its SparQ in-school arts education programming. ($156,800 over 12 months)
• Taller Puertorriqueño, Inc. to support its Visítenos program providing standards-based multidisciplinary art instruction through a Latinx-focused cultural lens. ($450,919 over 25 months)
• WHYY, Inc. to deliver its WHYY Media Labs digital media arts education program. ($458,200 over 36 months)

We awarded 15 grants totaling $7.1 million to provide three-year General Operating Support to arts and culture organizations with fiscal years beginning between July and December 2026.

• Arden Theatre Company ($618,000)

• Asian Arts Initiative ($450,000)

• BalletX ($480,000)

• Kulu Mele African American Dance Ensemble Inc. ($105,000)

• Painted Bride Art Center ($411,000)

• Philadelphia Ballet ($675,000)

• Philadelphia Orchestra and Kimmel Center Inc. ($675,000)

• Philadelphia Theatre Company ($660,000)

• Quintessence Theatre Company ($450,000)

• Samuel S. Fleisher Art Memorial ($450,000)

• Taller Puertorriqueño, Inc. ($330,000)

• Theatre Exile Company ($504,000)

• University City Arts League Inc. ($267,000)

• Village of Arts and Humanities ($489,000)

• Wilma Theater ($594,984)

Children and Families

Supporting the healthy development and academic success of young Philadelphians.

We awarded 31 grants to advance our Advocacy for Child-serving Systems objective. 

$5.1 million was awarded to increase public funding for child-serving systems through advocacy, public information, and litigation. 

• Arc of Philadelphia to support advocacy for special education funding. ($201,778 over 36 months)

• Civic News Company to support non-partisan journalism to increase public investment in education. ($575,000 over 36 months)

• Education Law Center – PA to support litigation to ensure adequate funding for Pennsylvania’s preschool early intervention system. ($474,240 over 36 months)

• Education Law Center – PA for K-12 funding litigation. ($357,360 over 36 months)

• National Nurse-Led Care Consortium for home visiting advocacy. ($345,000 over 36 months)

• Pennsylvania Association of Rural and Small Schools (fiscally sponsored Children First PA) to support advocacy for rural and small school districts. ($360,000 over 36 months)

• Pennsylvania Early Learning Investment Commission(fiscally sponsored by Team Pennsylvania Foundation) to advance public-private investments for early childhood education. ($390,000 over 36 months)

• Pennsylvania Partnerships for Children for advocacy to increase student access to Career and Technical Education. ($500,000 over 36 months)

• Public Interest Law Center for K-12 funding litigation. ($354,000 over 36 months)

• Research for Action Inc. to support the PA Clearinghouse for Education Research. ($498,896 over 36 months)

• Resource Equity Funders Collaborative (fiscally sponsored by Assets Under Movement, Inc.) to support advancing adequate and fair public education funding. ($504,500 over 36 months)

• WHYY, Inc. to support education policy and public funding reporting. ($575,000 over 36 months)

$6 million was awarded to provide 36 months of funding to advance school funding adequacy and equity in Pennsylvania through the PA Schools Work campaign.

• 412 Justice ($360,000)

• Children First PA ($1,054,294)

• Education Law Center – PA ($624,360)

• Keystone Research Center, Inc. ($1,065,441)

• Pennsylvania Policy Center ($852,726)

• Public Interest Law Center ($410,160)

• Teach Plus Incorporated ($433,252)

• Urban League of Greater Philadelphia ($1,200,001)

$9 million was awarded to provide 36 months of funding to ongoing statewide advocacy efforts to strengthen early childhood education and supports.

• Allies for Children ($88,104)

• Children First PA ($867,473)

• Education Law Center – PA ($116,980)

• First Up ($1,364,407)

• Maternity Care Coalition ($207,042)

• Pennsylvania Association for the Education of Young Children ($1,361,225)

• Pennsylvania Child Care Association ($498,069)

• Pennsylvania’s Early Intervention Providers Association (fiscally sponsored by Ramsey Educational and Development Institute Inc.) ($157,579)

• Pennsylvania Partnerships for Children ($2,044,518)

• Trying Together ($1,943,850)

• United Way of Pennsylvania ($350,753)

We awarded 12 grants totaling $5.9 million to advance our Caregiver Supports objective. The projects below are expected to provide caregiver supports and opportunities for early learning for 3,785 pregnant and parenting families with young children.

• Anti-Drug & Alcohol Crusaders Inc. to support Philly Families Thrive: Community-based and one-on-one parenting education. ($281,250 over 24 months)

• Catholic Social Services to support Family Thrive: A Caregiver Support and Early Learning Program. ($526,191 over 36 months)

• Child Guidance Resource Centers Inc. to implement the Incredible Years Parent Education program. ($508,638 over 24 months)

• CocoLife Foundation to support the Pregnancy-to-Preschool Pathway Program. ($295,525 over 24 months)

• First Up for Project Bridge: Early literacy programming for families of young children. ($500,000 over 36 months)

• Health Promotion Council of Southeastern Pennsylvania, Inc. to implement Learning Inspiring Families Together (LIFT). ($650,000 over 36 months)

• Linked Family Services to support the Tiny Essentials Relief Hub: Prevention Enhancements. ($40,000 over 12 months)

• Maternity Care Coalition to support family support services. ($699,998 over 36 months)

• Riverbend Environmental Education Center, Inc. to support Riverbend’s Budding Naturalists (Caregiver & Me) Program at North10’s Lenfest Center. ($249,406 over 36 months)

• Smart From the Start Inc. to implement The Caregiver Support & Early Learning Success Initiative. ($650,000 over 36 months)

• Temple University Hospital Inc. for the Temple Family Thriving Initiative. ($700,000 over 36 months).

• Thomas Jefferson University to support Connected Caregiving: An integrated model for families impacted by substance use disorders. ($750,000 over 36 months)

We awarded 6 grants totaling $4.1 million to advance our Prevent Homelessness objective. The projects below are expected to provide critical, in-time supports that help stabilize a family’s housing. The projects will help prevent homelessness for 1,400 families over the next three years. 

• Campaign for Working Families for the family stability initiative providing housing and economic supports to prevent homelessness.  ($696,871 over 36 months)

• HELP USA Inc. to support Home First: Temporary financial assistance with rent and case management for families at risk of homelessness. ($747,500 over 36 months)

• Mt. Airy CDC to implement the Default & Delinquency Prevention Program. ($541,813 over 36 months)

• Pennsylvania Community Real Estate Corporation to prevent housing instability through utility assistance. ($559,998 over 24 months)

• Philadelphia Energy Authority to support Built to Last: Family housing stabilization for young children. ($810,998 over 24 months)

• Valley Youth House Committee to support homelessness prevention and stability for young families. ($767,855 over 36 months)

We awarded 9 grants totaling $4.6 million to advance Teacher Preparation objective. The projects below are expected to directly impact 490 new and current elementary teachers, 40 paraprofessionals, 50 school leaders, and 350 high school students over the grant period. In addition, the projects will indirectly impact thousands of education stakeholders through coalition building and policy efforts.

• Asian Americans United to support Education for Liberation as an Asian Teacher Diversity Initiative. ($205,500 over 36 months)

• College Unbound to expand the paraprofessional to teacher pipeline in Philadelphia’s elementary schools. ($301,876 over 36 months)

• Elevate 215 to support Redesigning Teacher Staffing for Stronger Schools (RTS³). ($780,802 over 30 months)

• KIPP Philadelphia to provide personalized mentorship and certification supports for KIPP educators. ($287,500 over 24 months)

• National Council on Teacher Quality to advance stronger teacher preparation and support effective recruitment and retention of well-qualified teachers. ($75,431 over 12 months)

• Pennsylvania Educator Diversity Consortium Inc. to support Keeping the Teachers We Have: Catalyzing the elementary education workforce through culturally relevant leadership. ($537,632 over 24 months) 

• Teach Plus to pilot strategic staffing and advanced teacher roles in the School District of Philadelphia to improve teacher retention. ($947,823 over 36 months)

• Temple University - College of Education and Human Development to cultivate Philadelphia’s early pipeline into teaching. ($731,605 over 24 months)

• University of Pennsylvania - Graduate School of Education to support Residency-informed Teacher Education Redesign (RTER). ($720,825 over 24 months)

We awarded three additional grants in the Children and Families program: 

• Caregiver Supports:
  • Playful Learning Landscapes (fiscally sponsored by Ultimate Block Party Inc.) to support mini-installations in Center City Philadelphia for the Semiquincentennial. ($110,000 over 8 months)
• Out-of-School Learning:
  • Fairmount Ventures, Inc. to support grant writing focused technical assistance and capacity building to Philadelphia out-of-school time providers. ($110,000 over 12 months)
• Prevent Homelessness:
  • OnePA Activist United to support tenant engagement for residents. ($103,418 over 9 months)

Democracy and Civic Initiatives

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

We awarded 12 grants totaling $2.6 million to advance Responsive Local Government objective.  The projects below use tactics such as organizing and coalition building to ensure local government is responsive to the needs and priorities of residents.

• Abolitionist Law Center to help shape a responsive Philadelphia Prisons Community Oversight Board. ($220,000 over 24 months)

• Alliance for a Just Philadelphia (fiscally sponsored by Movement Alliance Project) to support base building and municipal organizing. ($157,609 over 24 months)

• JUNTOS to support the Sanctuary Schools Campaign for safety of immigrant youth ($240,258 over 24 months)

• Lift Every Voice Philly Inc. to support public school parent coalition-building and advocacy. ($400,000 over 24 months)

• National Domestic Workers Alliance Inc. to support domestic worker leadership and labor protections in Philadelphia. ($260,000 over 18 months)

• People's Tech Project (fiscally sponsored by Movement Alliance Project) to ensure accountability and transparency for AI use in City government. ($230,000 over 24 months)

• Philadelphia City Fund to support evaluation of the City’s approach to building trust by engaging residents. ($200,000 over 24 months)

• Philadelphia Mural Arts Advocate for the People’s Budget Office to empower residents to shape city resource allocation through educational workshops and public art. ($246,023 over 24 months)

• POWER Interfaith to support the Affordable Philadelphia campaign: creating a sustainable future for the most vulnerable. ($174,960 over 24 months)

• Resolve Philadelphia Inc. to engage local residents to report on their experiences with city services and decision-making. ($30,000 over 18 months)

• The Organizing Center (fiscally sponsored by Movement Alliance Project) to advance accountable democracy through training and capacity building. ($171,958 over 12 months)

• Women's Community Revitalization Project to support the Community Leadership Initiative for Housing Justice and Responsive Government. ($250,000 over 24 months)

We awarded four additional grants in the Democracy and Civic Initiatives program: 

• Civic Initiatives:
  • Pennsylvania Immigration and Citizenship Coalition (fiscally sponsored by The Foundation for Delaware County) to support the PA Fund for Immigrant Rights and Equity (PAFIRE). ($800,000 matching grant over 30 months)
• Fair Redistricting:
  • Common Cause Education Fund to support statewide redistricting planning. ($108,050 over 15 months)
• Regional Funder Collaboration:
  • United Way of Greater Philadelphia and Southern New Jersey to support spring programming at the Center for Leadership Equity. ($57,500 over 5 months)
• Responsive Local Government:
  • Lenfest Institute for Journalism to support Every Voice, Every Vote. ($1,009,500 over 24 months)

Environment and Public Space

Protecting and improving natural areas and community spaces. 

We awarded 6 grants totaling $1.7 million to advance the Community Greening Plans objective. The projects below are expected to establish seven community-driven plans to improve and expand green space, benefiting over 263,000 residents of Philadelphia.

• Common Place to develop a community greening and food sovereignty plan for Southwest Philadelphia. ($267,500 over 24 months)

• Enterprise Center Community Development Corporation to support a West Philadelphia Community Greening Plan. ($290,840 over 24 months)

• Francisville Garden & Greenspace Collective (fiscally sponsored by St Joseph’s Preparatory School) to develop a community greening plan. ($199,785 over 12 months)

• Germantown United Community Development Corporation to provide a resident-driven community greening plan for Germantown, focused on equity and housing stability. ($298,125 over 18 months)

• Temple University Institute on Disabilities to support Green Access Philly: A Disability-Led Greening Plan. ($292,594 over 24 months)

• The Water Center at the University of Pennsylvania to catalyze community enjoyment of the Cobbs Creek trails and parkland through a community greening planning process. ($340,013 over 18 months)

We awarded 10 grants totaling $2.5 million to advance the Outdoor Programming objective. The projects below are expected to provide outdoor programs totaling 24,066 participant program days in Philadelphia and Camden over the next three years.

• CommUnity Garden @ The Creek (fiscally sponsored by Painted Bride Art Center) to support organic gardening and environmental education programs. ($185,000 over 36 months)

• Disability Pride Philadelphia Inc. to support Outdoors for Everyone, a program that builds inclusive, accessible outdoor experiences across Philadelphia. ($250,000 over 36 months)

• Fab Youth Philadelphia to support a Play Captain Initiative and Play Parks equitable outdoor programming in Kensington. ($300,000 over 36 months)

• Fair Amount Food Forest to provide agriculture-based afterschool, summer camp, and public education programming. ($155,250 over 36 months)

• Friends of Franklin Delano Roosevelt Park to support Plant the Seeds, a co-created outdoor program in FDR Park. ($251,000 over 24 months)

• Impact Services Corp to implement outdoor programming in six parks in Kensington and Harrowgate. ($290,033 over 24 months)

• John Bartram Association to provide new access and increased trail and riverfront programming at Bartram’s Garden in Southwest Philadelphia. ($270,000 over 24 months)

• Neighborhood Bike Works to implement a youth bicycle education and empowerment program. ($270,000 over 36 months)

• Philadelphia Outward Bound Center to support North Philly Outdoors, an outdoor learning adventure program for youth. ($275,000 over 36 months)

• Students Run Philly Style to implement the Students Run Philly Style Trailblazers Program. ($300,000 over 36 months)

We awarded two additional grants in the Environment and Public Space program: 

• Improvement of Public Spaces:
  • National Recreation and Park Association to implement public space and democracy programming at the 2026 national conference in Philadelphia. ($250,000 over 6 months)
• Reduce Sewage Overflows:

  • Pennsylvania Environmental Council Inc. to support an Alternative Dispute Resolution process with municipal and non-profit stakeholders. ($20,906 over 4 months)