FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
PHILADELPHIA, PA – The Philadelphia Funder Collaborative for the Semiquincentennial, a consortium of foundations, companies, and trusts committed to funding the nation’s semiquincentennial, has awarded 125 grants totaling $15 million to support Philadelphia-area nonprofits as they prepare and implement programs commemorating the 250th birthday of the United States on July 4, 2026. The Funder Collaborative includes seven Philadelphia-area institutions: the William Penn Foundation, the Connelly Foundation, The Pew Charitable Trusts, the Neubauer Family Foundation, the Knight Foundation, the Hamilton Family Charitable Trust, and Comcast NBCUniversal. Each of the seven partner organizations has committed at least $1 million to the Funder Collaborative, which has raised a total of more than $16 million. Including their contributions to the Funder Collaborative, the seven partners have made total philanthropic awards worth more than $42 million to 2026 programming in Philadelphia. The Connelly Foundation has served as the administrator of the Funder Collaborative since its inception.
“Collaboration is an evergreen buzzword in the nonprofit world,” said Tom Riley, President and Chairman of the Board of the Connelly Foundation. “It usually means something along the lines of, ‘Let’s do my thing with your money.’ But the Funder Collaborative has been the exception that proves the rule. Seven civic leaders have worked diligently to invest more than $15 million toward the success of 2026 programming in Philadelphia. It has been an honor and a pleasure to work with our partners and we look forward to a great and memorable 250th.”
With the 250th less than a year away, the eyes of the nation and the world will soon be on Philadelphia. It was in Philadelphia that the Continental Congress enacted the Declaration of Independence to establish the United States. Tens of millions of Americans visited Philadelphia for previous national milestones—1876, 1926, and 1976—and the 250th will be no exception.
The Funder Collaborative was established to ensure that regional nonprofits were prepared for the coming surge of interest in Philadelphia and its unrivaled contributions to American democracy. Since its public launch in August 2023, the Funder Collaborative has reviewed hundreds of applications, with aggregate requests totaling more than $100 million. Many of the grants were awarded to collaborative projects in which multiple organizations submitted a joint application. Nearly 200 organizations have been supported by the Funder Collaborative, either directly or indirectly. The Funder Collaborative provided critical seed funding for a wide range of programs, including grants to the following organizations:
- Philadelphia250 ($825,000): to host a series of neighborhood-based celebrations, tours, and
festivals - ArtPhilly ($750,000): to inaugurate the “What Now” festival, a month-long, city-wide series of artistic exhibitions and performances reflecting on the Semiquincentennial
- Homecoming 250 ($550,000): to host the celebration of the 250th anniversary of the founding of the U.S. Navy and the U.S. Marine Corps
- Carpenters’ Company of Philadelphia ($550,000): to host the “Young People’s Continental Congress,” a program for high school students from across the country, at the site of the original Continental Congress
- Philadelphia Visitors Center ($509,000): to activate 10,000 volunteer civic boosters as part of its 2026 “Phambassador” program
- Museum of the American Revolution ($500,000): to coordinate the “Revolutionary City Collaborative,” an unprecedented partnership among the Museum, the American Philosophical Society, the Historical Society of Pennsylvania, the Library Company of Philadelphia, and the University of Pennsylvania’s McNeil Center and Kislak Center
- Philadelphia Soccer 2026 ($500,000): to support physical improvements at Lemon Hill Park, both for the FIFA Fan Festival and as a legacy project for neighborhood residents
- Visit Philadelphia ($475,000): to partner with TED for a yearlong series of public events and media productions reflecting on the future of American democracy.
- Historic Philadelphia ($450,000): to host the “52 Weeks of Firsts” campaign in 2026 and to inaugurate the annual “Red, White, and Blue To-Do” festival in Historic Philadelphia on July 2
“As the nation prepares to mark 250 years of independence, there’s no place more fitting than Philadelphia to reflect on and celebrate our founding ideals—and the work still required to realize them,” said John Churchill, Philadelphia Program Director at Knight Foundation. “This collaborative effort builds on the city’s legacy of civic engagement by supporting programs that invite residents to connect, participate and celebrate this historic moment together.”
The Funder Collaborative also supported a number of smaller, community-based nonprofits. It awarded $13,000 to Widener University, to partner with the Delaware County Libraries and the Radnor Historical Society in hosting a series of local book clubs featuring recently published work on the Revolutionary era. It likewise provided $15,000 to the Philadelphia Freedom Band, for the “Band Things Happen in Philadelphia,” the 2026 national conference of, and performance by, the Pride Bands Alliance. And it provided $75,000 to support “Uplifting and Celebrating Revolutionary Blackness” at Mother Bethel AME Church, the nation’s oldest African Methodist Episcopal congregation.
A full index of the Funder Collaborative’s grantees, including project descriptions and award amounts, may be found on its website.
“The Hamilton Family Charitable Trust is proud to support this important work because our rich history deserves to be celebrated and shared,” added Chekemma Fulmore-Townsend, President of the Hamilton Family Charitable Trust.
“Philadelphia has always been at the heart of America’s story, and as we approach the 250th anniversary of our nation’s founding, we have a profound opportunity to honor that legacy,” said Dalila Wilson-Scott, EVP and Chief Impact and Inclusion Officer, Comcast Corporation and President, Comcast NBCUniversal Foundation. “This investment ensures that the commemoration is not only historic, but also deeply rooted in the communities that make this city so special. We’re proud to support the vision and vitality of the organizations bringing this extraordinary moment to life.”
The Funder Collaborative was privileged to partner with the National Philanthropic Trust (NPT), a public charity with an impressive track record of managing large collaborative funds. The Funder Collaborative’s assets were held in a Donor Advised Fund at NPT, and NPT provided expert guidance on a range of administrative issues. The Funder Collaborative is no longer accepting unsolicited proposals. It is scheduled to close by the end of 2026.
For more information on the Philadelphia Funder Collaborative for the Semiquincentennial, please visit phila2026fund.org.
About the Connelly Foundation
The Connelly Foundation was founded in 1955 by John and Josephine Connelly. John Connelly achieved remarkable business success as president of Connelly Containers and later Crown Cork and Seal, both manufacturing companies based in Philadelphia. He and his wife Josephine, strongly motivated by their Catholic faith and love for the Philadelphia region, dedicated their good fortune to helping others. Over the past 70 years, the Connelly Foundation has donated more than $500 million to nonprofit organizations in the Philadelphia area focusing on education, human services, the arts, and civic life.
About the William Penn Foundation
The William Penn Foundation, founded in 1945 by Otto and Phoebe Haas, is dedicated to improving the quality of life in the Greater Philadelphia region through efforts that increase educational opportunities for children from low-income families, ensure a sustainable environment, foster creativity that enhances civic life, and advance philanthropy in the Philadelphia region.
About The Pew Charitable Trusts
Founded in 1948, The Pew Charitable Trusts uses data to make a difference, addressing the challenges of a changing world and helping communities thrive. In our hometown of Philadelphia, Pew promotes pathways to economic advancement, access to civic and cultural enrichment, and the safety and well- being of all residents by strengthening local nonprofits’, governments’, and civic institutions’ abilities to address complex challenges. Pew does this through its grantmaking, capacity building, research, policy analysis, and stakeholder convenings. Learn more at pew.org/Philadelphia.
About the Neubauer Family Foundation
The Neubauer Family Foundation invests in people and data-driven, evidence-based initiatives intended to achieve transformational impact. Philanthropic initiatives include strategic investments in Philadelphia’s school system, community safety, innovative leadership of arts & cultural organizations, institutions of higher learning and advancing new opportunities for Arab Israelis to participate in Israel’s high-prestige scientific revolution.
About Comcast
Comcast Corporation (Nasdaq: CMCSA) is a global media and technology company. From the connectivity and platforms we provide, to the content and experiences we create, our businesses reach hundreds of millions of customers, viewers, and guests worldwide. We deliver world-class broadband, wireless, and video through Xfinity, Comcast Business, and Sky; produce, distribute, and stream leading entertainment, sports, and news through brands including NBC, Telemundo, Universal, Peacock, and Sky; and bring incredible theme parks and attractions to life through Universal Destinations & Experiences. Visit www.comcastcorporation.com for more information.
About the Hamilton Family Charitable Trust
The Hamilton Family Charitable Trust represents the family’s long history of philanthropy. Since 1992, the family has provided significant resources to improve educational opportunities and community life for residents of the greater Philadelphia area. The children and grandchildren of Samuel M.V. Hamilton (1924-1997) and Dorrance Hill Hamilton (1928-2017) continue the family’s legacy of service today. The Trust supports programs and projects that promote academic, career, and social-emotional learning. The Trust helps to create vibrant communities that offer effective, equitable, and well-rounded education for all young people. The Trust invests in services that improve community well-being and empower students to achieve academically as they prepare for meaningful careers.
About the Knight Foundation
We are social investors who support a more effective democracy by funding free expression and journalism, arts and culture in community, research in areas of media and democracy, and the success of American cities and towns where the Knight brothers once published newspapers. Learn more at KF.org.
