The William Penn Foundation, through its Children and Families programme, invites proposals for the Connecting Families with Public Benefits and Tax Credits funding opportunity. This initiative supports efforts to increase access to public benefits for families with young children, ages 0 to 8, in Philadelphia.

Overview

The Foundation seeks to fund projects that create system-level improvements or benefit multiple organizations, rather than individual organizations providing direct enrollment services. The goal is to strengthen the systems that help families access and maintain public benefits and tax credits. Proposals may focus on supporting local or state systems improvement, simplifying or streamlining processes, informing policy change, or other efforts that make it easier for families with young children to secure their benefits.

Funding and Benefits

The Foundation has made $3 million available to advance this objective through this Request for Proposals (RFP). There is no minimum or maximum amount that organizations may request, though grant requests under $1 million will be most competitive. The grant amount requested should be commensurate with the contribution the project will make to the overall objective.

Funding is available for up to three years. After reviewing proposals, the Foundation will conduct site visits and gather additional information from a limited number of organizations.

Eligibility

Eligible candidates include organizations that propose projects focused on improving or strengthening the systems that help families access and maintain public benefits and/or tax credits. Funding through this RFP is limited to projects that benefit multiple organizations or create system-level improvements. Projects focused on individual organizations providing direct services to enroll families in public benefits programs are not eligible for funding through this RFP.

Organizations that propose projects in partnership with other applicants will be considered on their individual merits. The Foundation encourages partnerships that leverage complementary strengths, resources, and expertise to reach proposed goals.

Application Process

All applications must be submitted through the Grants Portal. If an application has already been started in response to this RFP, applicants may visit the Proposals in Progress section in the Grants Portal to view or continue the application process.

Interested organizations are invited to participate in an optional informational webinar on Wednesday, June 24, 2026 at 11:00 AM ET. Following the live webinar, a recording will be posted to this page. Registration for the webinar is available online.

Deadline and Timeline

Deadline to Respond: July 30, 2026

Contact Information

General Contact
William Penn Foundation
Two Logan Square, Suite 1100
100 North 18th Street
Philadelphia, PA 19103
(215) 988-1830
grants@williampennfoundation.org