About the Foundation:
The William Penn Foundation, founded by Otto and Phoebe Haas in 1945, is a leading American philanthropy located in Philadelphia with over $3.7 billion in assets and a $155 million annual grant budget. Our approach to grantmaking is focused on one central idea: let’s help make more lives better by connecting more people to more opportunities and more resources. We aim to do this work in the Philadelphia region particularly for groups of people who have often been shut out of opportunity in the past because of disinvestment, discrimination, or systemic inequities.
The Foundation makes grants in five programs, primarily focused in Philadelphia and its surrounding counties:
- Arts and Culture – Increase access to diverse, inclusive arts and culture experiences.
- Children and Families – Expand access to programs and resources that support the healthy development and academic success of young children, ages 0-8.
- Environment and Public Space – Increase access to the benefits of natural areas, public spaces, and community assets while decreasing harmful impacts on the environment.
- Democracy and Civic Initiatives – Expand engagement in democratic processes and collaborative efforts that make the city and region responsive to the needs of residents.
- Workforce Training and Services – Support Philadelphia residents to successfully prepare for, secure, and retain family sustaining employment.
In pursuing our program goals and objectives, we will be guided by the following values:
- Prioritize opportunities for communities that have been most affected by economic inequity, discrimination based on race, gender, or sexual orientation, and other forms of injustice.
- Elevate community voice.
- Value partnership, collaboration, and transparency.
- Minimize and respond to the impacts of climate change.
- Leverage our leadership to advance important citywide and regional initiatives and to respond to changing needs of the city and region.
- Share our learning locally and nationally.