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William Penn Foundation and The Andrew W. Mellon Foundation Announce more than $8 million in Covid-19 Relief and Recovery Grants

Wednesday, December 2, 2020

To continue to address the impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic, the William Penn Foundation has partnered with The Andrew W. Mellon Foundation to collectively award more than $8 million in Relief and Recovery Support grants to local arts organizations. These unrestricted operating support grants are intended to help grantee organizations weather the unprecedented obstacles posed by the pandemic.

In addition to the funding collaboration with the Mellon Foundation for Philadelphia arts organizations, William Penn's board of directors also approved Relief and Recovery Support grants for several cultural and public space grantee organizations.

Below is a complete list of the William Penn Foundation-approved Relief and Recovery support grants. Today’s announcement with the Mellon Foundation can be viewed here.

The Philadelphia Orchestra performs on stage at the Mann Center for the Performing Arts. Photo credit: Jeff Fusco

Relief and Recovery Support

The following William Penn Foundation grantee organizations have been awarded unrestricted operating support grants to continue to weather the effects of the ongoing pandemic. A total of $4,825,000 over 12 months was awarded to 48 organizations. Grant awards range from $25,000 to $200,000 and are based on organizational budget size. The Andrew W. Mellon Foundation awarded a 1-to-1 match to 37 of those organizations, as indicated by the (*) on the list below.

  • African American Museum in Philadelphia*
  • Asian Arts Initiative*
  • Awbury Arboretum Association, Inc.
  • Barnes Foundation*
  • Black Lily, Inc./BlackStar Film Festival*
  • Centennial Parkside Community Development Corporation
  • Center for Art in Wood, Inc.*
  • Center for Emerging Visual Artists, Ltd.*
  • Clay Studio*
  • CultureTrust Greater Philadelphia*
  • Fairmount Park Conservancy
  • Franklin Institute
  • Friends of the Rail Park
  • HACE - Hispanic Association of Contractors and Enterprises
  • Historic Philadelphia
  • Interact, Inc.*
  • Kimmel Center, Inc.*
  • KuluMele African American Dance Ensemble, Inc.*
  • KYL Dancers, Inc.*
  • Lantern Theater Company*
  • Leeway Foundation*
  • Mann Center for the Performing Arts*
  • Mural Arts Philadelphia*
  • Nueva Esperanza/Teatro Esperanza*
  • Opera Philadelphia*
  • Pennsylvania Academy of Fine Arts*
  • Pennsylvania Ballet*
  • Pennsylvania Horticultural Society
  • People’s Light and Theatre Company*
  • Philadelphia Chamber Music Society*
  • Philadelphia Contemporary*
  • Philadelphia Dance Company (PHILADANCO!)*
  • Philadelphia Folklore Project*
  • Philadelphia Orchestra Association*
  • Philadelphia Photo Arts Center*
  • Quintessence Theatre Group*
  • Shakespeare in Clark Park*
  • Southeast Asian MAA Coalition, Inc.*
  • Spiral Q (fiscally sponsored by CultureWorks)*
  • Strawberry Mansion Community Development Corporation
  • Taller Puertorriqueño, Inc.*
  • Temple University –Tyler School of Art, Temple Contemporary*
  • The Print Center*
  • Theatre Horizon*
  • Village of Arts and Humanities*
  • Woodlands Trust for Historic Preservation
  • Zoological Society of Philadelphia


WPF Fund

In addition, two grants were approved as part of the WPF Fund, which is designed to test new ideas related to the Foundation’s strategies, support capital projects, advance cross-programmatic work, support one-time civic opportunities, or strengthen regional philanthropy. The grants below relate to the Creative Communities Program and our interests in supporting equitable access to public spaces. One grant, to Benefits Data Trust, builds on past WPF support of targeted home repair efforts to prevent displacement near WPF public space investments. A second grant supports the creation of a new youth-led community space through workforce program Ones Up.

Grants were awarded to:

  • Benefits Data Trust ($140,000 over 12 months) to work with a coalition of non-profits and government agencies to develop a new web-based platform to coordinate and increase access to dozens of programs and funding sources for home repair. By reducing the impact of costly repairs on residents’ ability to stay in their homes, this project was developed to help stabilize neighborhoods where the Foundation has made public space investments. The effort, “Built to Last,” will maximize the impact, effectiveness, and efficiency of disparate repair programs available to over 60,000 low-income homeowners in Philadelphia.
  • Urban Affairs Coalition ($250,000 over 12 months) to create a new youth-led community center with youth workforce program Ones Up in a formerly vacant storefront on Germantown Avenue in the Hartranft neighborhood of North Philadelphia. Ones Up Fellows will develop the center’s programming, engaging community members in speaker events, discussion panels, screenings, and other activities.
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