Grant Recipients

At the Impact100 Annual Meeting on June 1, 2009, Philadelphia Committee to End Homelessness (PCEH) was selected by the members to receive Impact100 Philadelphia's 2009 grant of $111,000 for its SafeHome Philadelphia project. Click here to see the PCEH Winter Newsletter.

We acknowledge also the work of the five finalists for the 2009 grant, and their positive impact on the Greater Philadelphia community. Click here to see the wish list from organizations that received site visits in 2009. Please check back here to follow the grant’s impact.

Below is a list of the 2009 finalists for each Focus Area and a description of their proposed projects.

Family: The Philadelphia Committee to End Homelessness was founded in 1982 to address the needs of people living in public spaces. Its leadership works hand-in-hand with homeless people and acts as an independent voice on their behalf by accepting only private funding and by seeking empirical evidence to achieve the elimination of homelessness. Through its Safe Home Program, and partnerships with Early Head Start and Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia, PCEH proposes to find secure and affordable housing for homeless working families, to purchase beds and basic furniture, and to provide links to community services and ongoing support. To learn more about PCEH, visit their website.

Arts and Culture: Musicopia brings music performance and education to students and communities throughout the Delaware Valley, with a particular focus on areas that lack adequate music programming or are cut off from the region’s rich cultural life. The proposed Bridge to Music Project would partner with four North Philadelphia schools to start or revitalize their in-school music programs. It would offer intensive music, vocal and dance workshops through residencies led by Musicopia teaching artists. The program would support the schools’ music teachers; furnish and repair musical instruments; arrange extensive performance opportunities; and support summer music programs and other enrichment activities. To learn more about Musicopia, visit their website.

Education: Interim House is the oldest residential and outpatient substance abuse treatment program for women in Philadelphia. It incorporates cutting edge treatment practices, including sensitivity to past trauma. Interim House assists women who have experienced violence and abuse, and provides vocational services and life skills to facilitate transition back to the community. Funding for the Educational Readiness Program for Women in Recovery would support building a computer center, and would provide for educational materials and the hiring of a coordinator/teacher to design the curriculum, teach GED and computer classes, and provide educational counseling. To learn more about Interim House, visit their website.

Environment: ERTHNXT, founded in 2004, is committed to encouraging young people to be stewards of the environment. ERTHNXT programs are designed to be used by organizations serving children with the least access to the natural environment. The proposed Philadelphia No Child Left Inside program would partner ERTHNXT with Big Brothers/Big Sisters Southeast Pennsylvania to develop and implement one–on–one science education kits designed to fit the one adult–one child mentoring model. Children and mentors would learn about tree planting and environmental stewardship, and together, would plant 2,000 trees in the Philadelphia region. To learn more about ERTHNXT, visit their website.

Health and Wellness: Linda Creed Breast Cancer Foundation's mission is to promote breast health, foster the healing process and establish a public agenda for prevention and cure. The organization provides free mammography screenings to the uninsured and underinsured, access to diagnostic testing, outreach education and advocacy. The Linda Creed Screening Program would serve homeless and uninsured women in North Philadelphia by bringing a mobile screening unit into communities where there is limited access to free or low-cost mammograms. Patients would have access to a continuum of care: clinical breast exam, mammogram and, as needed, follow-up diagnostic services. To learn more about Linda Creed, visit their website.