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

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SEPTA stations get makeover for reading campaign

Underground, at the Broad Street Line’s Tasker-Morris station in South Philadelphia, there’s now a mini-library. Riders, by placing their hand over touchless buttons, can now get free short stories, printed on store receipt-like paper. Many of the tales...

Metro Philadelphia

A colorful new childhood literacy campaign featuring real Philly kids is rolling out across SEPTA

SEPTA has never looked this vibrant — and never this much fun. Welcome to Come Aboard the Reading Promise, a brilliantly hued, early literacy campaign that was officially rolled out on Wednesday, April 6, featuring the words and faces of real Philly...

Philadelphia Inquirer

Want to fix Pennsylvania's education system? Fund our preschools

After months of witness testimony, the state’s first trial on the question of whether Pennsylvania’s school funding system meets its constitutional requirements concluded in March. A decision from Commonwealth Court is expected later this summer. Among...

Elliot Weinbaum in the Bucks County Courier Times

William Penn Foundation Names Chief Philanthropy Officer

The William Penn Foundation announced that Elliot Weinbaum will assume the role of Chief Philanthropy Officer.

William Penn Foundation

Summer Learning Programs in Philadelphia Receive $4.6 Million Boost from William Penn Foundation

22 summer programs across the city will support more than 29,000 students over the next two summers

William Penn Foundation

Rebuild Philadelphia’s 66% Diverse Participation Rate for Contracts is an Example for the Rest of the City

Philadelphia has over 400 neighborhood parks, recreation centers, and libraries and about 90 percent of them need renovations and maintenance. Like many cities across the country that face similar challenges, Philadelphia wrestled with how to equitably...

Early Childhood Education Quality Improvement in Philadelphia Gets $1.5 Million Investment

January 27, 2022

PHILADELPHIA, January 27, 2022 – William Penn Foundation awarded a $1.5 million grant to First Up to build on the success of the Early Education Quality Improvement Program (EQUIP), a coaching initiative that supports Philadelphia early learning programs...

William Penn Foundation

Nonprofit Organizations Awarded More than $6 Million from William Penn Foundation for Workforce Development and Pandemic Recovery Efforts

January 4, 2022

PHILADELPHIA (January 4, 2022) – The William Penn Foundation today announced 44 grants totaling more than $6 million to support workforce development and job training opportunities for nearly 2,000 Philadelphians, as well as continued support for families...

William Penn Foundation

William Penn Foundation Welcomes Stuart Clarke as New Program Director of Watershed Protection

The William Penn Foundation announced today the appointment of Stuart A. Clarke as the organization's new Program Director of Watershed Protection.

William Penn Foundation

Diversifying Early Education Leadership in Philadelphia

I recently had the opportunity to chat with some of the Fellows and Host Organizations who are part of the inaugural cohort of the Diversifying Early Education Leadership Fellowship (DEEL), a program that aims to build more inclusive and representative...