William Penn Foundation Announces $24 Million in Capital Support for City’s Arts and Culture, Public Space Organizations

Eight grants awarded to projects with significant local and regional impact

Today, the William Penn Foundation announced an investment of $24 million for capital improvements to five arts and culture organizations and three public space projects with significant benefits for communities locally and regionally. These one-time capital grants were awarded to help address a backlog of improvement, maintenance and accessibility work that had been deferred due to the economic impacts and uncertainty of the pandemic.

“The benefits that these organizations provide for Philadelphians and people throughout the region are wide-ranging and meaningful. They are hubs for human connection where people gather, participate, and develop a sense of community and belonging – work that is as important as ever,” said Katherine Christiano, Board Chair of the William Penn Foundation. “This investment will help fund necessary physical improvements in these eight places so they can reach and serve even more people.”

Christiano added, “It’s important to note that these grants represent a look back and a look ahead for the Foundation. While they were evaluated and awarded under our previous grantmaking strategy, they also helped inform our thinking about how to support capital improvements as part of the new grantmaking approach we launched earlier this summer.”

Capital Grants Awarded

Capital grants were made to support the following projects:

Center City District ($2 million): The expansion of the Rail Park builds upon the William Penn Foundation’s prior investment in phase one, which enabled the Center City District to transform that portion of an abandoned railroad viaduct into an animated, community gathering space, programmed by the Friends of the Rail Park. The Viaduct Greenway will convert 6.8 acres of brownfields into an elevated park running 6/10th of a mile from Vine Street to Fairmount Avenue, linking diverse neighborhoods together and connecting them to downtown with an active transportation trail.

Fairmount Park Conservancy ($5 million): To create the Centennial Gateway at the historic Welsh Fountain, which dates to 1887, by revitalizing an important civic space and landscape in the Centennial District of West Fairmount Park. The project represents the next major phase in a progression of safety and accessibility improvements designed to make the Centennial District a more welcoming and inclusive public space for the West Philadelphia residents neighboring the park, as well as all park visitors. The Centennial Gateway at Welsh Fountain is a critical and timely investment in this historic landscape that will establish an enduring legacy project for the semiquincentennial celebration in 2026.

Mann Center for the Performing Arts ($2 million): To further the Mann’s campus transformation initiatives and provide a world-class experience for patrons, addressing accessibility and safety improvements such as digital wayfinding and signage, lighting, ramps, bathrooms, visitor services and overall design planning.

Philadelphia Ballet ($2 million): To expand Philadelphia Ballet’s existing studios at 323 North Broad Street with a new five-story addition that will add 43,000 square feet of rehearsal, performance and administrative and community space which will result in a new Center for Dance for Philadelphia. Philadelphia Ballet will use the multi-purpose facility to expand community engagement, elevate artistic innovation, connect with patrons and improve education programs. They will also use this space to offer more public programming such as community events, free-pop-up classes, and open rehearsals, and will also make the space available to local artists and organizations to rehearse, host events and perform.

Philadelphia Clef Club ($2 million): To address building improvements and repairs as well as enhancements to its entrance and classrooms. More than 30 years ago the William Penn Foundation made a grant to the Clef Club to help construct a new facility on Broad Street as part of the development of the cultural organizations in Philadelphia’s performing arts district, the Avenue of the Arts. This most recent grant will help to enable the organization to meet the needs of performers, students, and visitors, increasing the numbers of performances and student programs.

The Philadelphia Orchestra and Ensemble Arts ($5 million): To continue the transformation of Commonwealth Plaza at the Kimmel Center for the Performing Arts as a public gathering place to experience the arts, making it possible to welcome up to 100,000 people per year at no charge. Commonwealth Plaza presents a wide range of arts experiences, from bebop to hip-hop to salsa, through partnerships with Philadelphia artists.

Philadelphia Soccer 2026 ($3 million): To support construction, landscaping and site improvements for lasting community-driven improvements to Lemon Hill in Fairmount Park. In addition to being a valuable open space for its neighbors, Lemon Hill, which sits on 104 acres in Fairmount Park, was selected as the site of FIFA Fan Festival™ when FIFA World Cup 26™ comes to Philadelphia. Foundation funding will support improvements to Lemon Hill with input from local communities so that the space will feature new amenities and improvements to existing ones benefit Philadelphians well beyond this special event.

Philadelphia Zoo ($3 million): To reimagine the core Zoo experience through new guest experiences that are more engaging and build on the Zoo’s renewed commitment to be a more active member in its community. This includes designing initiatives that prioritize residents in the West Philadelphia neighborhoods adjacent to the Zoo’s campus and increasing residents’ access to and involvement in the Zoo’s programming.

“Philadelphia’s arts and culture organizations are living landmarks, with buildings that often serve as anchors in our neighborhoods or destinations for our visitors. Too often, these organizations are called to prioritize immediate programs and operations, leaving a backlog of capital projects that would sustain their services over the long term and support their growth,” said Patricia Wilson Aden, President & CEO, Greater Philadelphia Cultural Alliance. “We applaud the William Penn Foundation for recognizing this reality and thoughtfully addressing the present and future needs of Philadelphia’s vibrant arts and culture sector. Their vision to institute a capital support strategy will ensure the cultural vitality of our city now and for years to come.”

New Capital Support Grantmaking Strategy

The eight capital grants that compose the full $24 million awarded were in development and review simultaneous to the Foundation’s process of charting its grantmaking path for the next decade. According to Foundation Executive Director, Shawn McCaney, that timing was fortuitous as it prompted the Foundation to consider formalizing a capital support strategy moving forward.

“We had occasionally made grants to support capital improvements in the past, but it had never been a defined priority,” said McCaney. “However, as we interviewed stakeholders during our strategy revision process, we learned that people wanted us to help take better care of the region’s existing assets, rather than creating new ones. So, while the investments we are announcing today represent requests for support that preceded our strategy revision process, they also helped inform our thinking and the need for capital support moving forward, particularly for clearer criteria for how to prioritize these kinds of investments effectively.”

McCaney continued, “We are committed to making more capital investments in future grant cycles and expect to support a diverse range of projects to help improve important spaces in communities across the city.”

As part of this new direction, the first Request for Proposal for Arts and Culture Capital Support will open on September 18th, and a second Request for Proposal for improvement of Public Spaces will open in March 2025.

For more information about the grants and the upcoming RFP, please visit the funding opportunities section of our website.

About William Penn Foundation
The William Penn Foundation, founded in 1945 by Otto and Phoebe Haas, is committed to expanding access to resources and opportunities that promote a more vital and just city and region for all. We do this through funding programs in the Philadelphia region in arts and culture, children and families, democracy and civic initiatives, environment and public space, and workforce training and services. Learn more at www.williampennfoundation.org.