The William Penn Foundation seeks to support efforts that will increase the percentage of teachers in Philadelphia public schools (district and charter schools) who are fully certified.
Donor Name: William Penn Foundation
State: Pennsylvania
City: Philadelphia
Type of Grant: Grant
Deadline: 01/29/2026
Size of the Grant: $500,000 to $1 million
Grant Duration: 3 Years
Details:
In addition, they will be funding efforts that are most likely to help the teaching force build a racial/ethnic profile that more closely matches the profile of the student body. They will prioritize projects that focus on teachers for grades pre-k-4, but understand that programs may also serve teachers of other grade levels.
Funding will be directed toward efforts that help pre-service and in-service teachers, as well as high school students, community college students, career changers, or other adults to achieve full teacher certification and employment in Philadelphia public schools or help to retain currently certified teachers in Philadelphia public schools. These efforts may include:
- Recruiting individuals into the teaching profession through traditional educator preparation or alternative preparation pathways;
- Improving educator preparation programs to increase teacher effectiveness and completion rates;
- Streamlining placement and hiring in Philadelphia public schools;
- Supporting emergency-permitted teachers to pass certification requirements;
- Activities to retain high performing certified teachers, including mentoring, securing loan forgiveness, or other possibilities.
Funding Information
- WPF has $4.5 million available to advance this objective through this RFP. While there is no minimum or maximum amount of funding that organizations may request, proposals under $1 million will be most competitive.
- WPF requesting proposals for up to three years of funding.
Eligibility Criteria
- Applicants must be recognized by the Internal Revenue Service as 501(c)3 public charities or operate under a public charity fiduciary. Public charities include community-based organizations, schools and educational institutions, and other types of public-serving groups. Government entities are also eligible to apply.
- Any direct services must be focused solely on current and future teachers for Philadelphia public schools (School District of Philadelphia schools or charter schools authorized by the School District of Philadelphia).
For more information, visit WPF.
