Upon the launch of Philamplify, we asked Facebook users from the Philadelphia region for their input on the grantmaking of the William Penn Foundation, one of the first foundations we assessed. Considering that the William Penn Foundation will award $90 million in grants in this year alone, we posed the question, “Where would you like to see that money go?” Some 110 individuals submitted comments and highlighted issues of importance to Philadelphians, including the three priorities of the foundation: education, the arts, and watershed amenities.
The feedback pointed to strong concerns in thematic areas such as education and public schools. Among the online remarks, 93 comments sounded calls for investment in Philadelphia schools, including support for technology, educational materials and school staffing. These insights speak to the reality of life in the City of Brotherly Love, given that the School District of Philadelphia has suffered from devastating budget cuts and struggles with some of the worst performing schools in the country. The challenges facing Philadelphia’s schools are complex, with 82 percent of public school students coming from economically disadvantaged families.
One community member responded, “Education, upgrade the technology and the textbooks that students do not have enough of.”Another elaborated, “Renovate the buildings. Re-open the schools shut down due to budget cuts to bring the class sizes down. Bring back the arts in schools. If you invest in our children now…they will invest later as adults rather than moving to other cities after going to college.”
These concerns are in line with the William Penn Foundation’s strategic shift in 2012 that narrowed the foundation’s focus in pre-K and K-12 education work. Their “Closing the Achievement Gap” program prioritizes educational opportunities for children from low-income families. On its website the foundation explains, “As the most important instrument of social mobility and economic opportunity, our schools must do a better job of preparing economically disadvantaged students for later success.”
NCRP’s new comprehensive assessment of the William Penn Foundation’s grantmaking and operations gathered feedback from local community leaders through surveys and interviews. Some of their concerns were echoed by social media commentators, and strengthen the report’s findings. Philly constituents wanted to see the foundation exercise more public leadership, support more parent and student led school improvement efforts and also focus on poverty and income inequality. Thirty Facebook commentators also thought that the foundation should be addressing issues of poverty and employment.
Author Lisa Ranghelli writes that the foundation should “share learning from Closing the Achievement Gap and exercise leadership to help ensure all low-income and marginalized students have access to a good education, including by promoting strong accountability across all K–12 education providers in the city.”
Is it enough that the William Penn Foundation has focused a third of its grantmaking to improve pre-K and K-12 schools, or does it also need to be more of a public leader and use its bully pulpit to mobilize Philadelphians for education? Visit Philamplify to comment and vote on NCRP’s recommendations for the William Penn Foundation!
Caitlin Duffy is the project assistant for Philamplify at the National Committee for Responsive Philanthropy (NCRP). Follow NCRP on Twitter (@ncrp) and join the #Philamplify conversation.
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