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The latest news, perspectives, and updates from around the Foundation.

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North Philly’s Hidden Gem: Tacony Creek Park

Imagine living less than a half mile away from a sprawling 300-acre public park without ever knowing it existed. Well, that was my experience before learning about Tacony Creek Park from Julie Slavet, Executive Director of Tookany/Tacony-Frankford...

Samantha Retamar

Philanthropy can help catalyze change and support opportunities to do more for and within the AANHPI community and other marginalized communities

The White House Initiative on Asian Americans, Native Hawaiians, and Pacific Islanders (WHIAANHPI) recently kicked off a series of regional economic summits with a goal of connecting AANHPI communities directly with leaders and resources at the federal...

Going Beyond the Dollar: Strengthening the Support System of Grandfamilies

January 11, 2023

By: Jennifer Stavrakos Interim Director of the Great Learning Program, William Penn Foundation, Guest Contributor to Generocity In Philadelphia, more than 17,000 children are estimated to live in homes where grandparents provide their primary care. These...

Jennifer Stavrakos

Published in Generocity

Keeping it in the Family: A Foundation Supporting Grandparents Raising Grandchildren

September 29, 2022

Across the country, approximately 2.7 million grandparents are raising grandchildren.

Inside Philanthropy

William Penn Foundation and National Nurse-Led Care Consortium Announce $5.4M Grant to Connect Philadelphia Families Enrolled in Home Visiting Programs to Emergency Funds and Free Legal Services

September 12, 2022

Home visiting professionals will have access to financial and legal resources to address clients’ urgent needs

William Penn Foundation

Philadelphia Nonprofit Organizations Receive $2.8 Million from the William Penn Foundation to Improve and Expand Services for Grandparents who are Raising Grandchildren

September 7, 2022

Ahead of National Grandparents Day, 8 organizations receive grants to provide a variety of supportive services to help ‘grandfamilies’ thrive PHILADELPHIA (September 7, 2022) – The William Penn Foundation today announced a set of three-year grants...

William Penn Foundation

Toddler seated in woman's lap

Quality Early Learning Starts Before PreK

September 1, 2022

Thanks to research, advocacy, the skills of early childhood educators, and private and public funding over just the past few decades, early learning programs for children are much more widely understood to be important ingredients in their social...

Children and families play in a park that has many games and toys available.

Summer in the City: Building 6 Critical Skills Through Playful Learning

August 31, 2022

For many, summer is synonymous with play. It holds the promise that fun and play might spring from anywhere at anytime – whether the playground or neighborhood pool, a friend’s house or a local shop, a block party or lazy front porch afternoon. I love...

Like Renovating a Church

August 26, 2022

About 30 years ago, graffiti writers and street artists began to flock to an abandoned, crumbling railroad coal bridge on the Delaware River waterfront. Located at the water’s edge in the Port Richmond section of the city, the site is part of Philadelphia...

Build the Community Before You Build the Project

August 26, 2022

Bridesburg Riverfront Park. In recent years, the Foundation has stepped up support for efforts to strengthen connections between neighborhoods and the North Delaware Greenway that joins with the northern end of the Central Delaware. In 2017 and 2018 the...