What kind of work does The Philly Service Award fund?

It funds student-led service projects in Philadelphia high schools, with categories tied to civic engagement, community service, education, school improvement, community partnership, innovation, and youth leadership. The recent awards show project-based recognition for completed work, not general support.

What is the typical grant size?

The typical grant size is $20,000. The reported 25th percentile, median, and 75th percentile are all $20,000, which points to a very tight award band across the program’s prize structure.

How does the funding process work?

The program includes a city-wide competition for Philadelphia high schools. Schools that complete a service project can be invited into the awards process, and participating schools may also submit completed projects for spring prize consideration across award categories such as Community Partner, Legacy Builders, Safer/Cleaner/Greener, Innovation, and People’s Choice.

Where does the foundation give?

Grantmaking is local and focused on Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. Every recent grant listed went to a Philadelphia recipient, and the recipient-country distribution is entirely U.S.-based.

Does The Philly Service Award fund individuals?

No. The foundation funds schools and other organizations, including Philadelphia high schools and school-affiliated groups, through project grants and competitive awards.

Philly Service Award

Name: Philly Service Award — grants, 990 financials & funding data
Creator: Kindora

ActiveYouth Development

BRYN MAWR, PAWebsite6106653458

About Philly Service Award

Partnering with Philadelphia high schools to cultivate service and leadership by providing funding and resources for impactful, youth-led service projects and a city-wide competition that drives volunteerism and student civic leadership.

Focus Areas

community serviceyouth developmenteducationcivic engagementpublic healthenvironment

Who They Fund

young entrepreneurscommunity organizations/partnerscontent creators producing PSAsgeneral public (as voters/beneficiaries of outreach)

Funding Style

award/prize-based fundingone-time/project-specific awards

About Philly Service Award

The Philly Service Award centers student-led service in Philadelphia high schools and ties that work to competitive recognition. Its model combines funding with a city-wide awards structure, so schools can carry out projects and then be considered for prize awards based on the completed work. In 2025, the award made a $21,000 Legacy Builders Award to Imhotep Institute Charter High School, showing that individual school projects can be recognized at a substantial level within the program. Other recent awards also went to Philadelphia schools through categories tied to community partnership, public choice, and youth entrepreneurship. The foundation’s program design links civic participation with school-based project implementation, making student leadership a defining feature of its grantmaking. The recent grants also show a consistent emphasis on completed service projects rather than general operating support. Across the available records, the award’s giving is concentrated in one city and one state, with all recent recipients located in Philadelphia, which matches the organization’s local scope. Leadership is listed under Shelly Lotman Fisher.

What Philly Service Award Funds

A major theme is youth civic leadership through school projects. The award gave $20,000 to the Association of Alumni of Central High School for a People’s Choice Award, which reflects how student service efforts are evaluated through competitive recognition. Another clear focus is community partnership: Kensington Capa High School received $20,000 for a Community Partner award, linking student work with local collaboration. The program also supports entrepreneurship within service, as shown by a $20,000 Young Enterprise award to Kensington Health Sciences Academy. Public awareness work appears in the PSA Judge’s Choice Award, which went to Sankofa Freedom Academy Charter School for a completed project judged through the awards program. These grants show a structure that rewards projects in multiple categories after student teams have already built and completed their service work.

How Philly Service Award Gives

The typical grant size is $20,000, with the 25th percentile, median, and 75th percentile all at that same level. The recent record includes one larger award at $21,000, but the core pattern is a fixed prize amount across the program’s competitive categories. The grantmaking structure is project-specific and award-based rather than open-ended, with both pre-registered project grants and competitive prizes for completed school projects. The program also appears recurring rather than one-off, since schools can receive a project grant and later be eligible for additional prize funding in the awards cycle. The foundation funds organizations, not individuals.

Financial Snapshot

Annual Giving

$150K

Total Assets

$313K

Total Revenue

$537K

Total Expenses

$366K

Typical Grant Size

Most grants fall between $20K and $20K, with a median of $20K.

25th Percentile

$20K

Median

$20K

75th Percentile

$20K

Geographic Reach

Local1 state funded

Funding intensity

Low

High

Headquarters

Leadership

SHELLY LOTMAN FISHER

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Recipient	Location	Amount	Year	Purpose
PHILADELPHIA ACADEMY CHARTER	PHILADELPHIA, PA	$20,000	2026	SCHOOL ENHANCEMENT
MULTICULTERAL ACADEMY CHARTER SCHOO	PHILADELPHIA, PA	$20,000	2026	SCHOOL ENHANCEMENT
ABRAHAM LINCOLN HIGH SCHOOL	PHILADELPHIA, PA	$20,000	2026	SCHOOL ENHANCEMENT,
FRIENDS OF CARVER HSES	PHILADELPHIA, PA	$20,000	2026	SCHOOL ENHANCEMENT

Philly Service Award

About Philly Service Award

Focus Areas

Who They Fund

Funding Style

About Philly Service Award

What Philly Service Award Funds

How Philly Service Award Gives

Financial Snapshot

Typical Grant Size

Geographic Reach

Leadership

Deep Analysis

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Where Philly Service Award Makes Grants

Frequently Asked Questions About Philly Service Award

What kind of work does The Philly Service Award fund?

What is the typical grant size?

How does the funding process work?

Where does the foundation give?

Does The Philly Service Award fund individuals?

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Philly Service Award

About Philly Service Award

Focus Areas

Who They Fund

Funding Style

About Philly Service Award

What Philly Service Award Funds

How Philly Service Award Gives

Financial Snapshot

Typical Grant Size

Geographic Reach

Leadership

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Topics

Where Philly Service Award Makes Grants

Frequently Asked Questions About Philly Service Award

What kind of work does The Philly Service Award fund?

What is the typical grant size?

How does the funding process work?

Where does the foundation give?

Does The Philly Service Award fund individuals?

Open Grant Opportunities

Neighborhood Improvement Project Grants

Recent Grants