Philadelphia, PA (Jan. 14, 2019) – The Philadelphia Foundation has announced 43 projects selected for $1,000 “Activate” mini-grants to help transform ideas generated during last year’s On the Table Philly into tangible initiatives that will improve the Greater Philadelphia region.

The recipients were selected from 80 who applied following their participation in On the Table Phillyconversations on Nov. 8, 2018. On that day, 5,000 people gathered around more than 400 tables to discuss how – individually and collectively – to make our communities stronger, safer and more dynamic.

“We know the conversations energized people’s thinking around important community issues,” said Philadelphia Foundation President & CEO Pedro A. Ramos. “The projects funded through the grants will not only spark positive change, but will be part of a broad network of connections and engagement that has been launched through On the Table Philly.”

The Philadelphia Foundation partnered with Philadelphia LISC – the local office of the national Local Initiatives Support Corporation – to oversee the grant application and award process. The applications were awarded based on input from a panel of community judges who considered criteria including whether the ideas were relevant, innovative, actionable and specific.

Organizations and the projects that were selected are:

• Al-Bustan Seeds of Culture – Students who created “An Immigrant Alphabet” public art installation will lead a discussion with the public over an international potluck dinner at Cherry Street Pier.
• Black Guns Matter – In North Philly, residents including local hip-hop artists will conduct pop up conflict resolution workshops for young people and develop toolkits on how to de-escalate confrontations.
• Camden Children’s Garden – Through hands-on environmental science, nutrition and culinary education, Camden residents will acquire the knowledge and skills to feed their families using backyard/container gardens.
• Cobbs Creek Recreation Center Advisory Council – Individuals experiencing homelessness will create and sell art pieces to earn money and skills to get back on track to productive citizenry.
• Dreams Can Become Reality – No-cost dance classes will create a safe space for the LGBTQIA community & underserved residents to affirm their unique identities
• Delaware County Women Against Rape – Low-income residents who have experienced sexual assault will have access to prepaid cell phones and ride sharing services to access counseling services and transportation to attend court proceedings.
• East Parkside Residence Association – Travel will be organized to transport local youths and adults to new educational sites in the region in support of sustaining a successful mentorship model.
• Freire Charter Schools Network – The Freire Charter School Alumni Association will create a mentorship program between current students and alumni to facilitate student internships, job placement, and college and career guidance, with the goal of creating a replicable model for area high schools.
• Germantown Deaf Ministries Fellowship – Accessible meet-and-greets will be hosted for the deaf, people with hearing loss and hearing-vulnerable and non-vulnerable populations. The focus will be on providing internet access through interpreting and printing documents for improved health, safety and awareness of city services.
• Global Citizen – In conjunction with March for Our Lives Philadelphia, CeaseFirePA and Dreamline, Global Citizen will host participants in the 24th annual Greater Philadelphia MLK Day of Service so they can create Dreamline Banners and structures to display the visualization of a world without gun violence.
• Global Philadelphia Association – A community-created, interactive Google map of World Heritage sites throughout Philadelphia will highlight little known neighborhood sites and be made available with easy access on mobile phones through the LearnPhillyHeritage.org website for residents and visitors.
• Greater Philadelphia Cultural Alliance – In partnership with Philadelphia Young Playwrights, GPCA’s STAMP Teen Council will write and produce an informational video about the STAMP program, which will introduce teens to the city’s cultural assets.
• Highest Power Community and Foreign Missions International – Care packages will be provided to individuals experiencing homelessness.
• I’m Free – Females Re-entering Empowering Each Other – Women incarcerated in Philadelphia will be encouraged to visualize their future and begin to plan for achieving their goals by creating vision boards.
• Logic Eye Care, Inc. – A health insurance information session for seniors and their caregivers will be developed by medical professionals to demystify processes most often experienced by patients.
• Meredith School Anti-Racist Discussion Group – Copies of the critically acclaimed “So You Want To Talk About Race” by Ijeoma Oluo will be shared within the school community to encourage a productive dialogue about racial diversity and equity.
• Mt. Airy USA – A financial literacy workshop will be facilitated and led by 9^th-graders through the lens of the book “Rich Dad, Poor Dad” for the community to encourage financial education and application.
• Nationalities Service Center – The Community Mentoring Project will help new Philadelphians form mentoring relationships with residents within ethnic, faith and community-based organizations to encourage social integration and community building.
• Norris Square Neighborhood Project – A comic book created by youth residents designed to inspire and build leaders within their community will be published.
• Office of Homeless Services, City of Philadelphia – Fathers experiencing homelessness with their children will be invited to learn how to gain fair access to resources and supports to address and end family homelessness.
• One Bright Ray Community High School – One Bright Ray and Strawberry Mansion High School will partner with Career Wardrobe to provide professional attire for job and college interviews, prep workshops for interviews and the workplace and build a bridge between the students of the two schools housed in the same building.
• Oxford Circle Christian Community Development Association – Oxford Circle’s customer-nominated top 10 best kept storefronts will be rewarded with a solar string light installation to support corridor cleanliness and safety.
• PARENT POWER – Active North Philadelphia parents, family and community members will conduct community walks and seek to recruit their neighbors to become engaged in their children’s education both at home and at school through conversations and relationship building.
• Passyunk Square Civic Association – A bilingual neighborhood meeting will be held to partner with nearby neighborhood groups and Spanish-speaking neighborhood leaders to amplify community awareness and engagement.
• Philadelphia College of Osteopathic Medicine – American Medical Women’s Association – Medical students will work to build a pipeline of future physicians by sharing their passion for medicine by building relationships with area youth through an education mentoring program.
• Philadelphia College of Osteopathic Medicine — Student-Run Clinic – The Student-Run Clinic will work to unite PCOM and Philadelphia communities by providing quality preventative and primary care to those who are under-insured.
• Penn Medicine/Together for West Philadelphia – A best practices workshop will be developed and ideas to expand the medical student health advocate and community health worker models across Philadelphia will be explored.
• Percy Street Project – A coalition of organizations and artists will transform a blighted alleyway into a community asset and landmark through arts interventions.
• Philadelphia Chinatown Development Corporation – An outdoor bulletin board will be erected to share important information on events, resources and meetings to community members and visitors to Chinatown.
• Philadelphia Young Playwrights – The third season of a youth-centered podcast, Mouthful, will be produced.
• Scribe Video Center, Inc. – Monthly filmmaker gatherings will provide community resources, support and inspiration for the local media-making community, including guest speakers and rough-cut screenings.
• Senior Community Services – A ride-hailing app will be used provide local, on-demand travel to seniors in Greater Landsdowne and Ridley Park, with funds providing a subsidy of up to 75% toward each trip’s cost to make rides affordable to seniors.
• Shawna’s House Inc. – Financial literacy clinics will be developed to answer the questions of local teens through resources, conversations and real-life scenarios during established community programs.
• The Possibility Fund – A series of conversations with residents, leaders and stakeholders will explore actions step to engage and align more groups and individuals in a bright future for the Chester community.
• Together for West Philadelphia/African Episcopal Church of St. Thomas – Work will expand Lankenau Medical Center’s existing community health education program into faith communities in West Philadelphia to increase healthy living.
• Together for West Philadelphia/Center City Toyota – A high school automotive curriculum to serve West Philadelphia students will be developed.
• Together for West Philadelphia/Victory Christian Center – To increase the awareness of Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACEs) and trauma affecting the community, leaders will learn from field experts about how to apply their knowledge to interactions with the community and share their experiences with partners.
• Urban Affairs Coalition – Tech savvy youth will connect with older community members who need technological help at three pop-up “Fix It Day” events at a community center or senior housing facility in South, North, and Center City Philadelphia.
• UUH Outreach Program – The Healthy Habits for Aging Well program will seek to reach more older adults and offer additional wellness and health promotion activities to better serve the needs of their participants and reinforce healthy habits.
• Welcoming Center for New Pennsylvanians – Multi-cultural events will be hosted to improve understanding and communication between immigrant communities and their neighbors.
• William Way LGBT Community Center – Short video interviews will be produced to increase visibility of transgender leaders in Philadelphia, especially trans leaders of color.
• Women in Dialogue – A scanner/copier will be purchased for a community-based center to address tech and transportation barriers that low-income people experience to provide access critical legal services.
• YWCA Tri-County Area – The Y will host listening tours for Pottstown residents, providing an open, respectful forum where community members can speak with council members, the mayor, and representatives of the police department.

About On the Table

The Philadelphia Foundation is one of 10 community foundations across the U.S. that participated in On the Table, a national initiative funded by the John S. and James L. Knight Foundation following a successful Philadelphia pilot in 2017.

It replicates an annual civic engagement initiative of the same name developed by The Chicago Community Trust in 2014. Support for On the Table advances the Knight Foundation’s work to help cities attract and keep talented people, expand economic opportunity and create a culture of civic engagement. The Knight Foundation believes that successful communities are equitable, inclusive and participatory.

About The Philadelphia Foundation

Founded in 1918, the Philadelphia Foundation strengthens the economic, social and civic vitality of Greater Philadelphia. It grows effective philanthropic investment, connects individuals and institutions across sectors and geography, and advances civic initiatives through partnerships and collaboration. A publicly supported foundation, Philadelphia Foundation manages more than 900 charitable funds established by its donors and makes over 1,000 grants and scholarship awards each year.

To learn more, visit philafound.org.

About the John S. and James L. Knight Foundation

Knight Foundation is a national foundation with strong local roots. It invests in journalism, in the arts, and in the success of cities where brothers John S. and James L. Knight once published newspapers. The foundation’s goal is to foster informed and engaged communities, which it believes are essential for a healthy democracy. For more, visit knightfoundation.org.

About Philadelphia LISC

Philadelphia LISC is one of 32 local offices of Local Initiatives Support Corporation (LISC), a national nonprofit community development organization and CDFI. In Philadelphia, LISC is a catalyst for community change, working with partners on the ground to strengthen neighborhoods and improve the lives of residents. It combines corporate, government, and philanthropic resources and have invested $435 million (and leveraged $1.5 billion) in Philadelphia’s neighborhoods to build or preserve 8,500 affordable homes and to develop 2.3 million square feet of retail, community and educational space since 1980. Its goal is to create neighborhoods of choice and opportunity, where every resident has a chance to thrive.