Independence Public Media of Philadelphia
ActiveArts, Culture & HumanitiesFunds Individuals
About Independence Public Media of Philadelphia
The foundation concentrates its giving on public media and narrative-change efforts that center community storytelling and local coverage of violence and safety. Grants are large and targeted — one sizable general operating grant to a Philadelphia-based violence-prevention organization and a major grant to a national media advocacy group to support local narrative-shift work. This suggests an interest in strengthening public media infrastructure and using storytelling to drive community-centered approaches to public safety.
Focus Areas
Community-centered storytelling and local public media capacity (public radio/TV)Narrative-change initiatives around violence, crime and public safetySupport for Philadelphia-based community organizations working on violence prevention and safety
Who They Fund
Black, Brown, and Indigenous artists and filmmakersAAPI storytellersSpanish-speaking / Latinx communities in Philadelphianeighborhood-level Philadelphia residents (e.g., Germantown)people directly impacted by gun violence and mass incarceration
About Independence Public Media of Philadelphia
Independence Public Media of Philadelphia Inc. is defined by a grantmaking pattern that links community storytelling with local coverage of violence, crime, and safety. A $1,000,000 grant to Free Press supported the Shift the Narrative coalition, which was described as changing narratives in local media and putting storytelling power in community hands. The same coalition approach appears in a $650,000 grant to Movement Alliance Project and a $335,000 grant to Media Inequity and Change Center (mic), both for the same narrative-shift effort. The foundation also backs local media infrastructure through substantial operating support, including $1,600,000 to Resolve Philadelphia for general support and $700,000 to Scribe Video Center for continued general operating support. Its portfolio shows a strong preference for Philadelphia organizations, alongside select regional and national partners that advance media access, civic storytelling, and movement-oriented communications. Grants range from operating support to fellowship, coalition, and project funding, with clear emphasis on building institutions that produce local information and shape public narratives.
What Independence Public Media of Philadelphia Funds
Community media infrastructure is a major thread in the portfolio. Philadelphia Public Access Corp - Phillycam received $375,000 for general operations, and Philly Cam received $300,000 for operating support tied to its franchise fee strategy. The foundation also gave $350,000 to Phillycam for Community Radio Reporters, connecting media capacity to reporting work. In filmmaker support, Blackstar received $600,000 for the Local Filmmaker Lab, a year-long fellowship for Black, Brown, and Indigenous emerging and mid-career artists and filmmakers in Greater Philadelphia. First Person Arts received $300,000 for Trigger, a documentary, while Philadelphia Asian American Film Fe received $225,000 to showcase AAPI storytellers. Digital equity is another line of work: Digital Literacy Alliance received $250,000 for technology refurbishment, redistribution, and technical support.
How Independence Public Media of Philadelphia Gives
Typical awards cluster at a modest-to-mid scale for a regional funder: the p25 is $10,000, the median is $25,000, and the p75 is $50,000. The recent grant list also shows much larger operating and program commitments, including several six-figure awards. Recipients appear across multiple years, which points to repeated support rather than isolated transactions; Resolve Philadelphia, Movement Alliance Project, and Phillycam each reappear with more than one grant. The foundation is a Regular Funder and funds individuals, while making no program-related investments. Several grants are multi-year, and some invite-based programs are explicitly not open to unsolicited applications.
Financial Snapshot
Annual Giving
$6.2M
Total Assets
$120.8M
Total Revenue
$10.9M
Total Expenses
$8.3M
Typical Grant Size
Most grants fall between $10K and $50K, with a median of $25K.
25th Percentile
$10K
Median
$25K
75th Percentile
$50K
Geographic Reach
Regional18 states funded
Funding intensity
LowHigh
Headquarters
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