William Penn Foundation grants $24 million for culture capital projects

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In 2022, the Philadelphia Ballet ceremoniously broke ground on the construction of a new 48,000-square-foot building on North Broad Street, which would nearly quadruple its size.

But construction never began, and two years later, the building site is still an empty lot.  But with help from a $2 million grant from the William Penn Foundation and the securing of a partnership with the Brown Brothers Harriman financial firm, construction of the new center for dance is back on its feet.

“The site has now been turned over to Turner Construction,” said the ballet in a statement. “Marking the next phase of this exciting development.”

The new building is one of eight capital projects the William Penn Foundation is supporting with a $24 million round of funding. Many of the projects have been ongoing and need money to get to the next phase toward completion.

Chief Philanthropy Officer Elliott Weinbaum said the foundation is catching up from a pandemic pause.

“There was a built-up need,” he said. “The foundation didn’t do any significant capital grant making during the COVID pandemic. We diverted resources to emergency needs and helping communities respond in a variety of ways to the disruptions that the pandemic caused.”

William Penn is giving $5 million to the Philadelphia Orchestra and Ensemble Arts to turn the Kimmel Center into a more accessible public space; $2 million to the Clef Club to continue renovations for jazz performance and instruction; $2 million to the Mann Center to continue campus improvements; and $3 million to the Philadelphia Zoo for design changes that will make it more accessible to West Philly residents.

Lemon Hill, a 104-acre section of Fairmount Park, will receive $3 million for World Cup soccer in 2026. As the official FIFA Fan Center, Lemon Hill will be used as a space for fans to watch the tournament on monitors, buy merchandise and engage in soccer-oriented activities. Neighbors will be encouraged to take part in the design phase to best determine how the renovated field will benefit the community after the World Cup.

William Penn has its eye on 2026, when other major events are happening in Philadelphia. The Fairmount Park Conservancy will receive $5 million to build the Centennial Gateway, an improved public access point at the park’s Parkside, at the historic John Welsh Fountain in front of Memorial Hall.

Built in 1887 to honor the finance chair of the hugely successful 1876 Centennial Expo in Fairmount Park, the fountain will be the centerpiece of a Semiquincentennial project that is expected to last beyond 2026.

Center City District is receiving $2 million to begin a preliminary design process for the next phase of Rail Park, an urban park built on existing elevated train tracks near Callowhill.

Earlier this summer William Penn announced a shift in its grant-making strategy, to include programs for workforce training, democracy and civic initiatives and expanding climate-related programs.

This most recent round of funding announced is not part of that new strategic plan, which will begin later this year. However, Weinbaum said funding these eight projects was informed by William Penn’s 10-year strategic plan process.

“One of the things that we heard repeatedly from stakeholders was that they wanted to see the foundation invest its funds in improving existing resources and assets in our communities,” he said. “Rather than building new stuff, make the stuff we have nicer and better, more accessible and more useful to them.”