Public Benefits
Public Benefits supports Philadelphia organizations providing direct services, policy improvements, and information access to connect families with young children to public benefits and tax credits.
Funder: William Penn Foundation
Due Dates: Rolling (Open applications for urgent opportunities)
Funding Amounts: $10,436,174 awarded across 23 grants since 2024
Summary: Supports work connecting Philadelphia families with young children to public benefits and tax credits through direct services, policy improvements, and information access.
Key Information: Open applications are intended for urgent opportunities that cannot wait for a future RFP, with very limited funding available.
Description
Public Benefits is a funding objective within the William Penn Foundation’s Children and Families program. By 2035, Foundation-funded efforts aim to connect 25,000 families with young children to public benefits and tax credits worth at least $75 million. The objective links economic stability and reduced household stress with stronger parent-child relationships, healthy child development, and early learning.
The Foundation supports work that Philadelphia organizations believe will most effectively help families access benefits for which they qualify. Possible approaches include direct services helping families navigate benefits, social services, and resources; policy work improving systems’ responsiveness and operations; and initiatives addressing gaps in information about program availability and eligibility. The work responds to substantial childhood poverty and an estimated $450 million in federal and state benefits that eligible Philadelphians do not access.
