Philadelphia Foundation

Through our partnership with the Philadelphia District Attorney’s Office, 46 local nonprofits have received a total of $500,000 in microgrants supporting youth summer programming and violence prevention efforts across Philadelphia. 🙌

These grants fund summer camps, athletic programming, cycling, swimming, and more, creating safe spaces and opportunities for young people across the city. This work plays a critical role in addressing the root causes of violence and building safer, more resilient communities. Investing in community-led solutions is what helps drive lasting change in our region.

Read more: https://www.nbcphiladelphia.com/news/local/philadelphia-grants-violence-larry-krasner-district-attorney/4400697/

In 2025, Philadelphia's nonprofit sector faced one of its most challenging funding environments in recent memory. Federal policy shifts introduced real uncertainty, forcing organizations to make hard decisions about programs and the people they serve.

When our community was in need, our donors stepped up. 🤝

In significant and measurable ways, our DAF donors read the moment and responded to it. Donor-directed giving rose nearly 41% year over year, reaching $32.4 million. That kind of responsiveness reflects something important about what it means to have a giving vehicle rooted in a community foundation. When the community needs more, our donors already have the infrastructure in place, our expertise to help them understand the landscape, and our relationships to give more, quickly and with confidence.

Read more about how Philadelphia Foundation DAF donors met the moment in 2025 ⬇️
https://www.philafound.org/how-philadelphia-foundation-daf-donors-met-the-moment-in-2025/

Philly Gives brought home the gold! 🥇

The Philadelphia Inquirer has been awarded gold at the 2026 INMA Awards for its Philly Gives coverage, placing the initiative among the best public service campaigns in news media internationally. This award reflects what becomes possible when media, philanthropy, and community work together.

We congratulate the Inquirer and every partner who has helped make Philly Gives a model for collective generosity.

Read more about this exciting honor: https://www.philafound.org/philly-gives-earns-global-recognition-for-community-impact/

Lasting philanthropic investments open doors for the next generation. For years, donors across Greater Philadelphia have contributed to scholarship funds at Philadelphia Foundation to do exactly that, ensuring ambitious local students have the financial support to pursue their education. 🎓

Each year, Philadelphia Foundation awards more than 200 scholarships from the funds we steward. The 2026 Scholarship Application is now open! If you're a high school or undergraduate student in the Philadelphia area, we encourage you to apply before the June 8 deadline. 📅

To learn more or apply today, visit: https://www.philafound.org/students/apply-for-a-scholarship/

Philadelphia Foundation is proud to welcome John S. Swartley to its Board of Managers! 👏

Dr. Swartley serves as the inaugural Chief Innovation Officer at the University of Pennsylvania, bringing expertise in innovation strategy and cross-sector partnership to his new role.

We look forward to working alongside him to advance our work as a civic catalyst in Greater Philadelphia.

Read the full announcement: https://www.philafound.org/philadelphia-foundation-welcomes-innovation-leader-john-s-swartley-to-board-of-managers/

Philadelphia Foundation President and CEO Pedro Ramos recently joined Jessica Sharp of Maven Communications for Lunch with the City's Leaders, hosted by Center City Business Association, for a conversation on civic leadership and economic mobility in Greater Philadelphia.

A few key takeaways from the conversation:
🔸Philadelphia ranks last among 50 major metros for upward economic mobility, but progress is possible when philanthropy, government, and the private sector align around shared goals.
🔸Trust built over decades is what allows Philadelphia Foundation to move quickly when the community needs it most.
🔸Business leaders have a direct role to play, from hiring locally and investing in mentorship to partnering with organizations already doing the work.

Conversations like this one are part of how change takes shape. 🤝

Philadelphia Foundation was honored to attend the 234th Class Gift Fund scoreboard dedication at Central High School. 🎉

The 234th class, Central's class of 1975, opened a donor advised fund at Philadelphia Foundation to raise money for a new scoreboard for their alma mater. More than 50 years after graduation, these alumni came together around a shared commitment to the students who came after them.

That kind of giving is at the heart of what a DAF makes possible. When it lives at Philadelphia Foundation, it becomes a way for donors to organize around a shared purpose, pool resources, and direct meaningful support to the places and communities that shaped them.

We applaud the 234th class on this milestone. Central High School students will benefit from your generosity for years to come.

Philadelphia Foundation is proud to support CURRENTS, a new exhibition from Philadelphia Sculptors opening May 9 at the Fairmount Water Works, made possible in part through a 2025 grant from our Edna W. Andrade Fund.

The Edna W. Andrade Fund cultivates and promotes the work of visual fine artists across Greater Philadelphia, supporting exhibitions, acquisitions, and projects that strengthen the region's arts community and honor the legacy of Andrade, a celebrated Philadelphia teacher and artist whose work continues to inspire.

The exhibit features ten local artists as they explore the history, ecology, and imagined future of the Schuylkill River through immersive sound, light, and video installations inside the Water Works' subterranean spaces. The exhibition is part of Philadelphia's Semiquincentennial celebration and runs through August 8.

Learn more: https://fairmountwaterworks.org/event/currents-a-multimedia-exhibition-opening-reception/

Events for May 2026 – Fairmount Water Works All Events More Art Exhibition CURRENTS: A Multimedia Exhibition Opening Reception Date:Saturday, May 9Time:1:00pm—4:00pmRecommended Audience: Everyone, Family FriendlyEvent Type: Arts & Culture, Exhibitions Admission: FREE, but pre-registration is requiredRegister Now! Add to calendar:  Google C...

Black immigrant-serving organizations in Greater Philadelphia have long provided essential services to their communities, often with limited resources and little external support.

In 2022, Philadelphia Foundation provided grant support through our Black Community Leaders Fund to help establish the Black Immigrant Capacity Building Project (BICBP), a community-led initiative strengthening the capacity and sustainability of Black immigrant-led organizations across the region. Since then, BICBP has grown, supporting organizations with both funding and fundraising training.

The City of Philadelphia Office of Immigrant Affairs recently spotlighted that growth, and we're proud to have helped launch it.

When community organizations are resourced to lead, this is what's possible.

Read the full spotlight: https://www.phila.gov/2026-04-21-learn-the-history-of-the-black-immigrant-capacity-building-project/

Learn the history of the Black Immigrant Capacity Building Project | Office of Immigrant Affairs The Black Immigrant Capacity Building Project (BICBP) is a newly organized network and resource fund.

This week, Philadelphia Foundation Chief Impact Officer Philip Fitzgerald joined Vik Dewan, Founding Partner of Doing Good. Well. for a panel discussion titled "Resilient Governance: Enhancing Impact Through Collaboration" at the Bernstein Private Wealth Management 2026 Nonprofit Forum.

It was a great conversation about what it really takes to build effective philanthropic collaborations. With years of experience in this space, Phil emphasized the importance of defining the problem first, building trust over time, and thinking of collaboration as a muscle that must be used every day, not just when you need it.

Thanks for our friends at Bernstein for inviting Philadelphia Foundation to join in this important conversation and to all of the nonprofit leaders in the room who are doing the hard work every day.