News
Time for a civic ‘Tush Push’
We need an all-hands-on-deck, brotherly and sisterly shove to get us over the goal line in readying Philadelphia for the Semiquincentennial celebrations. Lately, we’ve been detecting a particularly Philadelphian phenomenon relating to next year’s Semiquincentennial. It might be best characterized as premature disappointment syndrome — a pessimism that great things can’t happen in Philadelphia. Yes, […]
...Philadelphia will kick off America’s 250th birthday with a birthday bash for the Navy and the Marine Corps
The week-long commemoration is scheduled to be the largest national event honoring the military and veterans for America’s 250th birthday. When George Leone began thinking about America’s 250th birthday in 2026, the retired New Jersey Superior Court judge and former Philadelphia assistant district attorney did not want to see Philly blow its chance in the […]
...Late for the Party: Philly’s preparations for America’s 250th anniversary lost momentum amid COVID and other challenges. Is it too late to pull off a great party in the nation’s birthplace?
Philadelphia has always gone big for America’s birthday. In 1876, to mark the 100th anniversary of the signing of the Declaration of Independence in our “greene countrie towne,” as William Penn called it, we built a small city in Fairmount Park and hosted 10 million people from 37 countries. In 1926, the crowds thinned, but […]
...announcements
Press Release
The Connelly Foundation, the William Penn Foundation, the Pew Charitable Trusts, and the Neubauer Family Foundation today announced the launch of a philanthropic initiative: the Philadelphia Funder Collaborative for the Semiquincentennial. The four grantmakers have committed $9 million to the Funder Collaborative, which is intended to provide financial support to Philadelphia-region nonprofits as they prepare and implement programs commemorating the 250th birthday of the United States on July 4, 2026.
