2024 COMMON APPLICATION/PROFILE CREATION

Description

Competitive Grantmaking Process

Philadelphia Foundation is excited to announce details of our Spring 2024 Competitive Grant Cycle. To better align prospective grantees with the grant categories where they stand the greatest chance of success, we have made some minor changes to our traditional process. ​

​All grant categories, requirements and funding levels remain the same as in prior years.​

​We have essentially broken our traditional process into two steps:​

​Step 1:  we will collect basic information from grantees (all the information that previously comprised the first half of our application).  Our team will then review your organization's information and invite you to apply for grants in the category(ies) where your application will be most competitive.  This process opened on February 9, 2024 and close on March 1, 2024.​

​Step 2:  completing the rest of the grant application.  The invitation received following step one will include a link to the second part of the application.  It will open on March 8, 2024 and close on March 29, 2024.  The link is exclusive to your application PLEASE DO NOT SHARE IT​

​This is essentially the second half of our traditional applications, and will be no more than 4-5 questions.  All data entered in step 1 will be prepopulated and grantseekers can rest assured that you are applying in the most appropriate categories. 

This application will be used for all the following competitive grants.

ADVOCACY UNRESTRICTED GRANTS 
Advocacy Unrestricted Grants are available on a competitive basis for nonprofits utilizing advocacy and community organizing best practices toward policy change on behalf of marginalized and low-income communities in Greater Philadelphia. 

Successful applicants will demonstrate a track record of identifying community issues of concern and the specific policies reinforcing these issues, implementing activities challenging these policies and practices and a history of winning policy changes.    

DIRECT SERVICE GRANTS 
Direct Service Grants are available on a competitive basis for direct-service nonprofits serving high poverty and vulnerable populations in our Greater Philadelphia region. 

Almost all Direct Service grants are awarded to agencies who received past funding from Philadelphia Foundation and have a proven track record. 

Organizations seeking direct service grants should demonstrate a strong history of effective programs that serve on behalf of vulnerable populations, strong management practices, sound fiscal performance and strong leadership at the board and staff levels. 

Successful applicants demonstrate non-profit best practices and are working to operationalize equity at all levels (Board, Operations, and Service Delivery). Applicant uses trauma informed, strength and racial equity-based policies and practices in program development and delivery. Applicant demonstrates results-oriented programming including a track record of successes and proven outcomes for low-income communities. Board and leadership demographics should reflect the communities being served. 

FUND FOR CHILDREN 
The Fund for Children (FFC) was established as part of a lease agreement between the City of Philadelphia and the Philadelphia Phillies and Philadelphia Eagles teams. The $2 million annual investment supports programs to improve the quality of life for children and youth in Philadelphia. 

FFC strategic investment in youth grants provide support for Philadelphia-based organizations serving children and youth that prioritize youth leadership, civic engagement and youth organizing activities and outcomes. Grants are only available to serve children and youth, ages 0-18, in Philadelphia.

IMPACT GRANTS 
Impact Grants are available on a competitive basis to nonprofits serving high-poverty and marginalized populations in Greater Philadelphia who can demonstrate that their work improves the lives of people served. 

Applicants must present a strong history of direct service programming to high-poverty and marginalized populations and have documented outcomes and evaluation data for at least one year of program service delivery. 

Organizations seeking funding for pilot programs should demonstrate prior success in delivering outcomes-based initiatives and achieving desired outcomes for targeted populations. 

LEADERSHIP GRANTS 
Leadership Grants are made to nonprofit organizations that seek to increase measurable skills and diversity of pipelines for executives and board members. Grants can be used to strengthen organizational capacity and nonprofit leaders in the areas of: 

• Governance
• Management 
• Civic engagement 
• Board and staff development 
• Diversity, equity and inclusion 

Requests to support leadership transition will also be considered. 

 

HENRIETTA TOWER WURTS GRANTS 
The Henrietta Tower Wurts Memorial is a charitable foundation formed to carry out the wishes of Henrietta Tower Wurts, who passed away in 1933. 

Henrietta Tower Wurts Grants support organizations serving children, youth or the elderly for which a modest grant can play a significant part and which have meaningful goals in relation to the total resources committed to them. 

The Philadelphia Foundation provides administrative and management support services for the memorial. We receive grant applications and distribute grants approved by the Memorial's Board of Directors. 

GSK IMPACT AWARDS FOR GREATER PHILADELPHIA 
The GSK IMPACT Awards for Greater Philadelphia annually honors up to ten local nonprofit organizations in recognition of their exceptional achievements, overall excellence, and best practices in contributing to a healthier Greater Philadelphia.  Individual awards of unrestricted funding are $50,000. 

THE NESSA FORMAN, DAVID FORMAN, ELEANOR AND SOLOMON FORMAN FAMILY FUND
The Forman Family Fund will provide support for programs during school or out-of-school time that provide training, education and exposure the visual arts of photography, architectural drawing, and architecture; or, exposure to the written arts of writing in any format. Programs will support young people ages 11-18, in the five-county region.

Requirements

To complete the organization profile you will be required to attach:

• List of board members 
• Board approved budget forecast for current fiscal year (2024) 
• 2023 Audit or 990 
• 2022 and 2021 Audit (If your 2021 and 2022 990s available on Candid's Guidestar you will not need to attach these) 
• IRS Letter of Determination 
• Theory of Change or Logic Model (if available) 
• Board Approved Non-Discrimination Policy
• Current PA Bureau of Charitable Organizations Certificate  

If you need assistance please email grantmakingservices@philafound.org.