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PAS Seal

Pennsylvania Abolition Society (PAS) Grants
applications due January 13, 2025

Please note:
We have changed to an email submisson system

PAS, formed by Anthony Benezet and the first abolition society in the world, seeks proposals for its annual grants to its fund established at The Philadelphia Foundation.

Grants:
Requests for grants are sought from 501(c)(3) organizations and programs that work to improve conditions of African Americans throughout Pennsylvania, particularly in Bucks, Chester, Delaware, Montgomery, and Philadelphia counties. Examples of proposals that would be considered include projects confronting racism, preserving African American monuments, fighting housing discrimination, promoting multicultural arts, exposing children to multicultural opportunities, offering recognition awards, providing scholarships for persons of African American descent in seeking higher education, and improving the quality of race relations in Pennsylvania.  Typically, these grants range in size from $500 to $2,000.

Ineligible requests: The Society does not accept funding requests

  • from individuals
  • for general operating funds
  • for completed projects or projects in process that will be completed prior to the awards review date (late April)
  • for endowment appeals
  • for awards to the same institution in consecutive years (with rare exceptions for unusual circumstances or for donor-initiated support, as noted on the list of awardees by italicized listings)

Applicants must submit, in this order:

  1. Application summary sheet (download link below) -- THIS SHOULD BE THE COVER PAGE
  2. Letter of application indicating that you are applying for the Pennsylvania Abolition Society Fund at the Philadelphia Foundation
  3. Description of project or program to be funded and the desired amount (may be included in letter of application)
  4. Background summary information about the organization and program, if desired
  5. Copy of IRS 501(c)(3) determination letter

Download Application Summary Sheet/Cover Page

Please combine all files into one Adobe Acrobat file, in the order listed here, and email to awards@paabolition.org

2024 Cycle Awards

  • Competitive awards
    • 1838 Black Metropolis -- 1838 PAS Census Map Accuracy Project
    • Concord Schoolhouse -- Remember the Children: A Memorial Project by Cassandra Gunkel
    • Historic Fair Hill -- Tour Guide Training and New Tour
    • Historical Society of Pennsylvania -- 1838 Project Curricular Unit and Teacher Workshop
    • Jubilee School -- Honoring Activists, Abolitionists, and Members of the Underground Railroad
    • Pennsylvania Academy for the Fine Arts -- School Tour Program
    • Phoenixville Area Positive Alternatives -- Foundations of Fatherhood Workshops

  • Donor-initiated Awards
    • African American Museum of Philadelphia -- Educational Project in partnership with the National Museum of of African American History and Culture
    • Historical Society of Pennsylvania -- Three Year Anniversary Project (HSP, PAS, USA)
    • Historical Society of Pennsylvania -- Ongoing Support for PAS Collections Care
    • Library Company -- In Memory of Board Member Phil Lapsansky
    • National History Day / Philadelphia -- Student Scholarships
    • National Museum of African American History and Culture -- Educational Project

2023 Cycle Awards

  • African American Museum of Philadelphia -- Educational Prgamming in coordination with the National African American Museum of History and Culture - donor-initiated special project
  • Art Sphere Inc -- Financial Literacy for Teens and Adults
  • Chester County History Center -- Underground Railroad Walking Tours
  • Eastern State Penitentiary -- Virtual Tour Technology
  • Historic Fair Hill -- donor-initiated gift, not part of the competitive process
  • Historical Society of Pennsylvania -- ongoing support for PA Abolition Society archives collections care (donor-initiated gift, not part of the competitive process)
  • Human Rights Coalition -- Prison Abolition Archive
  • La Salle University -- Documenting the Black History of Belfield
  • Museum of the American Revolution -- AmRev Presents: Black Founders, A Musical Experience
  • National African American Museum of History and Culture -- multi-year gift for educational project (donor-initiated gift, not part of the competitive process)
  • National History Dayof Philadelphia -- donor-initiated gift, not part of the competitive process
  • Presbyterian Historical Society -- African American Leaders and Congregations
  • Wildwood Cemetery--Road Restoration to Abraham Updegrass's Grave
  • Wyck Association -- Wyck: History Hunters Hosting

2022 Cycle Awards

  • 1Hood Media Academy - Ask a Black Lawyer podcast series
  • African American Museum of Bucks County - Untold Stories and Hidden Figures of Bucks County
  • African-American Museum in Philadelphia - Educational Progamming in coordination with the National African American Museum of History and Culture - donor-initiated special project
  • The Carpenters Company of Philadelphia - Changing the Face of the City
  • Community Partnership School - African Dance with Kulu Mele
  • Ebenezer Maxwell Mansion - Linda Sanders Artist in Residence installation
  • Germantown Historical Society - African American Heritage Guide in the German Township
  • Historic Fairhill - Reading Promise Festival
  • Historical Society of Pennsylvania - Virtual Learning with the PAS Records
  • Historical Society of Pennsylvania -- PAS Collections Care - donor-initiated ongoing support
  • Jubilee School - Telling the Story of Africatown in Mobile, Alabama
  • National Museum of African American History and Culture -- donor-initiated special project
  • National History Day Philly -- donor-initiated ongoing support
  • Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts - School Tour Program
  • Sister Thea Bowman Black Catholic Education Foundation - Project Hope

2021 Cycle Awards

  • Arch Street Meeting House Preservation Association -- Virtual Town Halls - Striving for Change
  • ArtSphere -- Using African Folk Tales and Storytelling to Teach Financial Literacy
  • Athenaeum of Philadelphia -- Oral Histories of…Black Architects
  • Blockson Collection -- William Still programming
  • Camel Project, The -- Stop Bullying - I care
  • Community Learning Center -- Career Coaching and Counseling Workshops
  • Conservation Center for Art and Historic Artifacts -- Preserving African American Family History
  • Eastern State Penitentiary -- Music Weekend at Eastern State
  • Free Library of Philadelphia -- Dox Thrash Programming for WPA Project
  • Historic Germantown -- John Trower Historic Marker & Education Program
  • Historical Society of PA -- Collections care for PA Abolition Society records (ongoing support)
  • Lest We Forget Slavery Museum -- Restoration and exhibition work
  • Library Company of Philadelphia -- Juneteenth 2021 Project
  • National Museum of African American History and Culture -- Donor-initiated special project for K-12 education (five year commitment)
  • NHDPHilly -- National History Day Student Scholarships
  • Philadelphia Women's Theatre Festival -- The Silent Shaker of Society
  • Swarthmore/Friends Historical Library -- Digitize the 1847 African American census records
  • Women Make Movies -- Sorority Confidential
  • Wyck -- Virtual Programming for History Hunters

2020 Cycle Awards

  • Beacon Theatre Productions -- Under the Bonnet: A Play about Lucretia Mott
  • Betsy Ross House (Historic Philadelphia) -- Women at Work in Revolutionary Americ
  • Concord School House -- The Slave Narratives: 500 Years of Resilience
  • Eden Cemetery Company -- Saving Eden's Historical Records
  • The Frances Project -- The Philadelphia Frances Project
  • Historic Fair Hill -- History Through Theater
  • Ivy Legacy Foundation -- HBUC for Life: A Call to Action
  • Jubilee School -- Sharing Stories of Elder Activists from the Community
  • The Keeping Society of Philadelphia -- PHRP Nomination: William Still's Boarding House
  • Union League Legacy Foundation -- National History Day Philadelphia
  • Pennsylvania Humanities Council Philadelphia -- Teen Reading Lounge
  • Presbyterian Historical Society -- African American Leaders and Congregations
  • Rosenbach Museum & Library -- Alice Dunbar-Nelson Exhibition
  • Shining Light Ministries -- Impact Workshop at State Correctional Inst. Phoenix
  • YWCA Tri-County Area -- Inclusion, diversity, and cultural sensitivity training

2019 Cycle Awards

  • African American Museum of Philadelphia: Foodways of the Diaspora
  • Art Sphere: History through Art
  • Bethel Burying Ground / Mother Bethel: Teacher Professional Development Series
  • Community Learning Center: High School Equivalency Test Fee Voucher Program
  • Culture Trust / History Making Productions: Teacher Guide, Sisters in Freedom
  • Historic Philadelphia: Once Upon a Nation Storytelling
  • Historical Society of Pennsylvania: Records processing / African American Collections
  • Independence Seaport Museum: Juneteenth Celebration
  • Library Company of Philadelphia: From Negro Pasts to Afro Futures
  • Methodist Services, Making Place: West Philadelphia
  • Mural Arts, Guild Scholarships (youth violence reduction programs)
  • National History Day: special award
  • PACSCL: Chronicling Resistance Collections
  • PAFA: School and Teacher Program, and Family Arts Academy
  • St. Daniel's Ray of Hope Community Development Corporation: Chester Juneteenth Festival
  • Wyck:History Hunters Hosting

2018 Cycle Awards

  • Arch Street Meeting House Preservation Trust:Abolition Lecture Series
  • Beacon Theatre Productions:The Fanny Kemble Project
  • Chester Children's Chorus: Building Resilience and Cultural Awareness through Literature (summer learning program)
  • Cliveden of the National Trust: Cliveden Food Chain (Chew Family indentured and enslaved workers)
  • Concord School House/Upper Burying Ground: Freedom Stories
  • Eastern State Penitentiary: The Returning Citizens Tour Guide Project
  • Historic Fair Hill: History Education & Community Service
  • Historical Society of Pennsylvania: History Makers Summer Camp; ongoing collections care for the Pennsylvania Abolition Society papers
  • Jubilee School: Book-writing project -- Visions from the Future from Ancestors of the Past and Children of the Present
  • Land Conservancy for Southern Chester County:- Bucktoe Cemetery Living History Classroom
  • Pennsylvania Humanities Council: Chester Humanities Summer Camp
  • Sisters Project (Women Make Movies): Sisters project on racial discrimination against African American women by white college sororities
  • Stenton: The History Hunters Youth Reporter Program
  • Theatre for Transformation: National Loving Day Live Performances about the 14th Amendment
  • William Way LGBT Community Center: Processing of the Anita Cornwell Papers

2017 Cycle Awards

  • African-American Museum: Juneteenth Parade and Festival
  • Ben Franklin, Celebration of 2018 Birthday Celebration: "Race Relations and Human Rights"
  • Chester Fund for Education and for the Arts: Arts Integration at the Chester Charter School for the Arts
  • Community Learning Center: High School Equivalency Fee Voucher Program
  • Historical Society of Pennsylvania: HSP Encounters and the PAS Records (biographical/genealogical database project)
  • Historic Philadelphia / Betsy Ross House: Phillis the Washerwoman
  • IPIPC New Africa Cente: The Lancaster Ave Historic New Freedom District Tours
  • Library Company of Philadelphia: Program in African American History
  • Philadelphia History Museum: Scholarships for History Lessons
  • Pulley & Buttonhole Theater: One More River to Cross
  • Villanova University: Last Seen--Finding Family After Slavery
2016 Cycle Awards
  • Abraham Lincoln Foundation - History Making Productions: O. V. Catto 16 pg newspaper and study guide
  • Beacon Theatre: Frederick Douglass in the Community program
  • Chester Children's Chorus:  Junior Counselor leadership development
  • Eastern State Penitentiary: Searchlight Series
  • Historic Fair Hill: Field trip program
  • Jubilee School: Children's Campaign Against Police Brutality
  • Kennett Underground Railroad Center
  • National History Day Philadelphia: Program support
  • Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts: Family Arts Academy and School Visit Program
  • YWCA Tri County Area: Stand Against Racism

2015 Cycle Awards

  • Cliveden: Interactive dramatic experience about the lives of people enslaved by the Chew family at Cliveden
  • Friends of Independence Historical Park (collaboration with the African American Museum of Philadelphia: Emancipation 2015: Considering the Relevancy and Legacy of Emancipation, 1865-2015
  • Historical Society of Pennsylvania: William Still digital history project
  • Land Conservancy for Southern Chester County: Bucktoe Cemetery Summer Education Program
  • Moonstone Arts Center: Hidden History program, "Education in Black and White: The Institute for Colored Youth, Octavius V. Catto and the Struggle for Freedom"
  • Pennsylvania Humanities Council: Light Up Chester awards program to demonstrate how the arts, culture, and creative expression light up Chester PA
  • Pennsylvania Prison Society: To support the publication of Graterfriends, a bimonthly newsletter by and for a prison population that is disproportionately low-income and African American
  • Philadelphia History Museum at the Atwater-Kent: Exhibition-based school lessons for public school students

2014 Cycle Awards

  • Abolitionist Law Center:  Human Rights Report on the Death Penalty
  • Art-Reach: Celebration of African American Arts
  • Belmont Mansion: "Heritage for the Future" Docent Training Camp
  • Chester Children's Chorus: Keyboard Kit
  • The Chester Fund for Education and the Arts: Arts-Infused Education at Chester Charter School for the Arts
  • Chester County Historical Society: Conservation of Passmore Williamson visitor's book
  • Cheyney University Archives:  Preservation/Scanning for a Dorsey Collection scrapbook
  • Constitution Center:  Slavery at Jefferson's Monticello
  • Ethical Humanist Society (Camp Linden):  Camp Linden Summer Children's Program
  • Historical Society of Pennsylvania:  Uncovering William Still's Underground Railroad
  • History Making Productions:  Civil Rights Poster
  • Library Company of Philadelphia: Constructing Freedom: African Americans after the Second American Revolution
  • The Mann Center:  Philadelphia Freedom Festival
  • Mercer Museum:  Traveling Exhibit, "For all the World to See: Visual Culture and the Struggle for Civil Rights”
  • Villanova University:  Website on the Institute for Colored Youth in the Civil War Era

2013 Cycle Awards

  • African American Museum: Collection care seminars for smaller institutions
  • Byberry Friends Meeting: Robert Purvis PHMC marker
  • Citizens for the Restoration of Historical La Mott: Camp William Penn 150th anniversary
  • College of Physicians: Medical treatment of U. S. Colored Troops during Civil War
  • Fair Hill Burial Ground: Children's book on Robert Purvis
  • Historical Society of Pennsylvania: planning grant for digitization of additional William Still materials
  • Images of the Motherland, public programming
  • Independence Seaport Museum: "Tides of Freedom: African Presence on the Delaware"
  • National History Day Philadelphia: program support
  • The Nia Center, exploring culture with NIA
  • Philadelphia History Museum at the Atwater Kent, exhibition-based school lessons
  • Stenton/Historic Germantown: History Hunters Youth Reporter Program
  • Temple University: Special award in honor of Charles Blockson