William Penn Foundation

OUR MISSION is to close the achievement gap for low-income children, ensure a sustainable environment, foster creativity that enhances civic life, and advance philanthropy in the Philadelphia region.

Two Logan Square, 11th Floor
100 North 18th Street
Philadelphia, PA 19103-2757
Tel: 215-988-1830
grants@williampennfoundation.org

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Features

$35 Million In Grants Launches Multi-State Investment In Delaware River Watershed The William Penn Foundation announced a $35 million multi-year initiative to protect and restore critical sources of drinking water for 15 million people, many in major cities including New York (NY), Philadelphia (PA), Camden (NJ), and Wilmington (DE). more...

Subwatershed Fact SheetAs urban development, suburban sprawl, industrialized agriculture, energy infrastructure, and other development continue to adversely affect the environment from New York to Delaware, the region’s need for a comprehensive approach to protecting and restoring its most precious resource – water – has become increasingly self-evident. more...

WPF News and Information

WILLIAM PENN FOUNDATION NAMES LAURA SPARKS AS EXECUTIVE DIRECTORThe William Penn Foundation today announced it has named Laura Sparks as Executive Director, succeeding Managing Director Peter Degnan. Mr. Degnan recently tendered his resignation effective August 31 for personal reasons, and the Foundation’s Board has accepted his decision to step down. more... Survey paints bleak picture of Pa. school fundingHARRISBURG, Pa. (AP) — Rising costs and shrinking state and federal aid at Pennsylvania's public schools are exacerbating a pattern of property-tax increases, school program cutbacks and employee layoffs, two statewide groups representing school managers said Thursday. more...	Philadelphia Zoo Receives $6M Grant from the William Penn Foundation to Blaze a New Trail The Philadelphia Zoo is pleased to announce a $6 million grant from the William Penn Foundation, whose philanthropy is dedicated to improving the quality of life in the Greater Philadelphia region by investing in great public spaces to serve the cultural and recreational needs of the City’s expanding urban core. more... Changing Skyline: An elegant redesign for Ben Franklin - and Venturi Ben Franklin was a great and fearless tinkerer, but even he might have been reluctant to mess with the Old City architectural icon that honors his life and work. The deceptively modest Franklin Court complex was designed by world-famous Robert Venturi for the 1976 Bicentennial, and it changed the way we think about memorials. The historic site reopened last week, after three years of planning, construction, and dire warnings of architectural Armageddon. Just as the experts predicted, everything is different. But different is also better. more...