Community Projects Fund

An annual award to support strategic projects and increasing capacity for community serving organizations in the Mantua and Powelton Village neighborhoods of West Philadelphia. 

Maximum Award: $50,000

2024 Application

Now accepting submissions for the 2024 Community Projects Fund.

Deadline: Friday, Nov. 15, 2024

 

All applications must be submitted through the online application form.

To preview and for advanced application preparation, download a version of the application HERE.

THE GOALS OF THE COMMUNITY PROJECTS FUND ARE TO:

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Increase the capacity of bonafide, community-led organizations serving Mantua and/or Powelton Village
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Provide essential funding to larger, strategic projects that typically are unaffordable within the budget of a neighborhood organization
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Encourage collaboration between community organizations in Mantua and Powelton Village on projects of shared importance

ELIGIBILITY REQUIREMENTS:

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Be designated as a 501(c)(3) or 501(c)(4) organization by the IRS, or have a fiscal sponsor that is designated as a 501(c)(3) or 501(c)(4) organization
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Have a mission statement or core programmatic focus in the Mantua or Powelton Village neighborhoods
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Commit 100% of award funds to an initiative based in Mantua or Powelton Village
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Demonstrate a bonafide connection to the Mantua or Powelton Village communities (e.g. organizational history, residency of board and staff, etc)

Projects We Supported In 2023

Powelton Village Civic Association ($40,000)

www.poweltonvillage.org 

Trash Enclosures

This project is for the design, construction, and installation of trash screening
enclosures throughout Powelton Village. PVCA is to engage Mantua and Powelton residents and landlords via a community led process in partnership with TinyWPA. The Powelton Village Neighborhood Plan has identified safety, trash strewn streets and poor waste management at absentee-landlord owned properties as the largest concerns among residents. When mapping concerns, safety and trash problems are concentrated on the same blocks, making a correlation between garbage and litter problems and the perception of safety problems in those areas.

 

Concentrations of problem properties exist at neighborhood gateways and are highly visible and create very negative perceptions about conditions in all of the neighborhood. This makes it very difficult to attract families and long-term residents to the area, which is another critical planning priority.

TinyWPA will manage the design and construction process through collaboration with the
Powelton Village Civic Association. The design and construction process would engage with local youth and community members, soliciting design ideas and their fabrication.
Assuming the successful implementation, PVCA would share the design and any data  collected for adaptation and use in Mantua and other communities. The experience would also inform the Zoning Committee which already engages with developers about trash storage and screening during the RCO process.

Dimplez 4 Dayz ($35,000)

Dreamz Wellness and Resilience Program

www.dimplez4dayz.org

The “Dreamz Wellness and Resilience Program” is a comprehensive 6-month initiative designed to support the mental health and emotional well-being of young individuals aged 12-24. Recognizing the unique challenges that youth face in Philadelphia, this program offers a structured and supportive environment where participants can build essential life skills, develop resilience, and gain a better understanding of their mental health that can assist with combatting gun violence.

Mantua Worldwide Community Incorporated ($35,000)

Clean Green & Serene

A block-by-block community clean-up and greening initiative in Mantua. From a committed group of volunteers, Mantua Worlwide will continue to deploy a team into the community to recruit neighbors through means of door-to-door efforts, where they would find two neighbors per block who would be willing to be points-of-contacts for the sake of getting neighbors on their block to sign-up to commit to monthly cleanups, regular upkeep throughout the month, along with planting and cultivating flowers and plants in their yards, vacant lots, and the front yards and porches of their fellow neighbors. The organization anticipates that a solid 5 to 10 neighbors per block for 20 blocks in Mantua, would give us the momentum needed to keep us moving forward with transforming our community and welcoming a new day of hope and transformation as we move Mantua forward in- synch with the rest of the city. In doing so, we would increase the number of neighbors who would keep the momentum moving forward expeditiously. Ultimately, with the proposed funding in place, MWW would be most equipped to be targeted outcomes with the help of being able to provide stipends, gift cards, and incentives to those who are willing to go up and beyond normal volunteer efforts for the sake of playing more defined roles in recruiting and capacity building. Such efforts would consist of providing promotional materials for resource tables, setting up our own recruitment table at special events and at specific locations like WaWa, Heirloom, the Dornsife Building, and other student buildings, and developing social media sites.