Every Voice, Every Vote grants $2.875 million to 71 Philadelphia media and community organizations to expand access to civic news and information
The coalition, led by The Lenfest Institute for Journalism, will catalyze civic action around key issues and track the progress of Philadelphia’s new mayoral administration
More than 70 Philadelphia media organizations and community groups are partnering with the Every Voice, Every Vote coalition to launch journalism and civic engagement projects that connect residents to local government and track the progress of the city’s new administration.
The 71 media and community organizations have been awarded a total of $2.875 million by The Lenfest Institute for Journalism, which manages Every Voice, Every Vote. Philadelphians are eager for positive change, and the funding will enable partners to focus on public safety, affordable housing, sanitation, education, economic opportunities, and other issues that matter to their communities.
Lead support for Every Voice, Every Vote in 2024 and 2025 is provided by the William Penn Foundation with additional funding from The Lenfest Institute for Journalism, Comcast NBC Universal, The John S. and James L. Knight Foundation, Henry L. Kimelman Family Foundation, Judy and Peter Leone, Arctos Foundation, Wyncote Foundation, 25th Century Foundation, and Dolfinger-McMahon Foundation.
The Every Voice, Every Vote partners represent the full diversity of Philadelphia. Community media organizations including Inti Media, Madre Tierra, New Mainstream Press, WURD Radio, FunTimes Magazine, and the Philadelphia Gay News will cover the issues and conversations that matter most to their communities.
Digital media companies including Philadelphia Hall Monitor, Generocity, and Chalkbeat will join legacy outlets like The Philadelphia Inquirer, The Philadelphia Tribune, and WHYY to make the city’s government more accessible through news coverage and engagement initiatives.
Neighborhood organizations including Children First PA, Committee of Seventy, Congreso de Latinos Unidos, Economy League of Greater Philadelphia, Enon Tabernacle Baptist Church, PA Youth Vote, and more will provide community members opportunities to make their voices heard and engage in civic processes.
All reporting and events hosted by Every Voice, Every Vote partners will be free to access and be shared on everyvoice-everyvote.org.
Grant funding ranges from $10,000 to $130,000 to support community-centered projects that will run from July 2024 through December 2025 and prioritize solutions-focused accountability reporting, civic engagement, and more through four distinct calls to action:
Be heard: Let public officials and fellow community members know our priorities — at the polls and in our neighborhoods.
Be engaged: Participate in town halls and civic engagement events to dive deep into the issues that matter most.
Be accountable: Transcend apathy and ensure public officials and communities are doing their part.
Take action: Make change in small and big ways: sign petitions, show up to public meetings, unite our neighborhoods around important issues.
Throughout 2024 and 2025, Every Voice, Every Vote will build upon its initial success as Philadelphia’s largest-ever collaborative journalism and community engagement effort. In the run-up to the city’s 2023 municipal elections, 130 media, community, and social media coalition partners created more than 365 civic engagement projects and published nearly 600 pieces of journalism to inform voters. The coalition hosted 38 candidate forums and published resources in 15 languages.
“As we build on the momentum of the first round of Every Voice, Every Vote, we are again seeking to engage Philadelphians in every neighborhood across the city to ensure that their voices are heard and the issues that they most care about are being addressed,” said Lenfest Institute Head of Philadelphia Programs Shawn Mooring.
In addition to the funded partners, the Every Voice, Every Vote coalition includes 6abc, FOX29, NBC10/Telemundo62, and additional local media and community organizations. Every Voice, Every Vote has also partnered with local independent social media creators.
Nine media organizations and 15 community organizations are joining Every Voice, Every Vote coalition for the first time.
Learn more about Every Voice, Every Vote and sign-up for email updates about the project at everyvoice-everyvote.org. Others interested in learning more about how to join Every Voice, Every Vote or support the project can email voicevotephilly@lenfestinstitute.org.
Here are the community and media organizations receiving funding through Every Voice, Every Vote:
MEDIA PARTNERS
2 Puntos Platform*
Media addressing barriers faced by Latina mothers in Philadelphia when navigating crucial steps to their children’s schooling, specifically around enrollment and admissions processes for Pre-K.
Grant amount: $40,000
Andrea Lawful-Sanders*
Podcasts and in-person events about key issues facing Philadelphians.
Grant amount: $40,000
Big Picture Alliance*
An interactive multimedia series uplifting the stories of community leaders, organizations, and businesses driving transformative change across Philadelphia’s 10 city council districts.
Grant amount: $50,000
Chalkbeat
Reporting on school board meetings, the Parker administration's year-round school proposal, and other education issues.
Grant amount: $50,000
Civic Capital Consulting/Generocity
Community engagement and service journalism about how government works along with solutions and data journalism about key issues.
Grant amount: $75,000
DayOneNotDayTwo*
Engaging North Philadelphia residents in conversations on local issues, government policies, and solutions through community-centered storytelling and media production.
Grant amount: $50,000
FunTimes Magazine
An initiative to enhance civic engagement within Philadelphia's African and Caribbean communities.
Grant amount: $60,000
Green Philly
Journalism, social media campaigns, and community engagement events that help residents become civically engaged for a more sustainable city.
Grant amount: $57,000
Grid Magazine
Investigative reporting on the city’s environmental policy and programming, including topics like environmental justice, disaster preparedness and response, water and air pollution, transition to clean energy, urban biodiversity, housing energy efficiency, park and greenspace conditions, urban tree canopy, and equitable access to greenspace.
Grant amount: $70,000
Indonesian Lantern
Listening sessions with the AAPI community about public safety, transportation, education, public services, economic opportunities, and city infrastructure.
Grant amount: $20,000
Inti Media*
Civic engagement and multimedia reporting about public safety, affordable housing, economic opportunities, and other issues that affect Latino communities.
Grant amount: $50,000
Kensington Voice
Reporting on the Parker administration’s five-part Kensington Community Revival initiative, with the aim of improving government accountability and transparency, amplifying community perspectives and voices, and demonstrating how certain programs and solutions work (or are supposed to work).
Grant amount: $130,000
Love Now Media
Engaging young Philadelphians in bipartisan dialogue that captures their hopes, fears, and aspirations for their city and its political processes.
Grant amount: $50,000
Madre Tierra*
A service journalism project providing knowledge and tools for effective civic participation to the Latino community.
Grant amount: $30,000
New Mainstream Press
Chinese, Korean, and Vietnamese-language civic information briefings and community engagement events about elections and local government activities and policies.
Grant amount: $75,000
Next City*
Solutions journalism and a conference about how to address poverty issues.
Grant amount: $30,000
Nueva Esperanza – Impacto
Spanish-language service and solutions journalism and community engagement events.
Grant amount: $75,000
Orange International Media Inc./Chinese in US
Chinese-language election and civic information website and community engagement activities.
Grant amount: $50,000
Our Bible App News*
Podcast featuring interviews with faith leaders from various religious backgrounds highlighting their innovative approaches to addressing pressing social issues.
Grant amount: $40,000
Philadelphia Association of Black Journalists
District Attorney candidate forum on issues important to the Black community.
Grant amount: $10,500
The Philadelphia Citizen
Candidate interviews, voter guides, solutions journalism, and canvassing sessions.
Grant amount: $70,000
Philadelphia Gay News
Reporting and media that amplifies the voices, concerns, and perspectives of the LGBTQ+ community and fosters greater civic engagement and government accountability.
Grant amount: $60,000
The Philadelphia Hall Monitor
Neighborhood-based news service that reaches community groups, citizen activists, and people on the margins.
Grant amount: $50,000
The Philadelphia Inquirer
Data-driven and community-driven journalism about the changing face of the Kensington neighborhood.
Grant amount: $112,500
The Philadelphia Sunday Sun
Multi-platform reporting and in-person engagement events about issues important to the Black community.
Grant amount: $20,000
The Philadelphia Tribune
Election reporting focused on the issues of the Black community.
Grant amount: $70,000
Resolve Philly
Grant amount: $50,000
Revive Radio*
Digital series investigating affordable housing and tenant rights.
Grant amount: $40,000
Scribe Video Center
Radio programs serving the West Philly community
Grant amount: $20,000
Technically Media
Reporting on local IT and tech policy issues.
Grant amount: $50,000
Trace Media Inc
Reporting on local public safety issues.
Grant amount: $60,000
Unified Partnerships, iHeartMedia
Audio and social media content that amplifies community voices and encourages civic participation.
Grant amount: $50,000
We Talk Weekly
Innovative multimedia programming, storytelling, and interactive events that educate and empower residents, particularly those in underserved communities.
Grant amount: $50,000
WHYY
Multi-platform solutions journalism, community engagement activities, Billy Penn’s “How well do you know how the city works?” quiz, and the Civic Dialogue Conference.
Grant amount: $120,000
WURD Radio
Multi-platform project focused on mobilizing the city’s Black community.
Grant amount: $125,000
COMMUNITY PARTNERS:
Alliance for a Just Philadelphia
Community education on understanding the City’s budget process.
Grant amount: $15,000
C2 Consulting Services *
Civic engagement events highlighting key community issues.
Grant amount: $10,000
Ceiba
Civic education and engagement efforts in Latino communities.
Grant amount: $30,000
Children First PA
Training fellowship for parents to create more effective advocacy tools to improve child health outcomes.
Grant amount: $10,000
Committee of Seventy
Promotion and distribution of civic literacy materials dedicated to helping citizens navigate the rules and role of city government.
Grant amount: $ 25,000
Community College of Philadelphia Foundation*
Engaging and educating Black women on municipal policies introduced by the Philadelphia City Council and Mayor Parker's administration that significantly impact their lives.
Grant amount: $65,000
Congreso de Latinos Unidos
Collecting and amplifying Latino community voices and priorities through community conversations, workshops, social media and print content development.
Grant amount: $50,000
DiverseForce
Civic engagement event series to elevate Philadelphia’s BIPOC community voices and increase civic literacy.
Grant amount: $20,000
Easterseals of Southeastern Pennsylvania
Civic literacy and civic engagement activities within the disability community and efforts to amplify the voices of the disability community to political officeholders, candidates, and the public.
Grant amount: $20,000
Economy League of Greater Philadelphia
Developing a data resource for journalists, civic leaders, service providers, community organizers, urban studies and public policy students, and more by supporting the information ecosystem that connects research and data collection with nuanced understanding and the civic solutions needed to address the complex issues that matter to Philadelphians.
Grant amount: $75,000
Elevate 215
Community engagement with the aim of shaping a shared vision for school quality in Philadelphia.
Grant amount: $25,000
The Elevation Project
Monthly community engagement events where constituents will hear about policies and laws that affect formerly incarcerated individuals. Participants will have opportunities to voice their concerns, advocate for policy changes, and build relationships that foster ongoing dialogue and collaboration.
Grant amount: $15,000
Enon Tabernacle Baptist Church
Community town hall events and other voter engagement activities in Northwest Philadelphia.
Grant amount: $30,000
Episcopal Community Services
Community activities focusing on youth civic literacy and engagement.
Grant amount: $10,000
GDA Consulting (Greater Days Ahead)*
Mini-documentary sharing the stories of individuals impacted by the justice system while highlighting some of the legislation that hinders justice-impacted people.
Grant amount: $10,000
Humanature
Providing Black and Brown youth opportunities to move through and beyond experiences of trauma and grief through learning, connectivity, and advocacy. The project will lay the groundwork for sustainable change by sharing power with young adults and neighborhoods to engage in the design, creation, and implementation of public explorations and solution building that impacts their lives.
Grant amount: $25,000
Lancaster Avenue 21st Century Business Association CDC (LA21-CDC)*
Education and engagement about the importance of civic participation in the business community.
Grant amount: $15,000
The Monkey & The Elephant
Amplifying issues that matter to Philadelphia’s diverse communities, specifically young adults who have aged out of the foster care system.
Grant amount: $10,000
Need In Deed*
Elevating the voices of teachers and community members in a dialogue about public education.
rant amount: $10,000
New Kensington Community Development Corporation*
Providing data-centered information resources to Kensington residents.
Grant amount: $20,000
North10*
Hosting a series of community forums in which residents can share issues or concerns and raise topics for discussion.
Grant amount: $25,000
PA Youth Vote
Identifying and bringing to the political process the issues of greatest concern to young people and encourage their continued engagement in the democratic process through voting, volunteering, and attending public hearings and demonstrations.
Grant amount: $80,000
Pennsylvania Prison Society
Educating disengaged and de facto disenfranchised populations on how city government is structured to address the criminal legal system, especially the courts and prisons.
Grant amount: $10,000
Pennsylvanians for Modern Courts
Providing civics educational programming to bring lawyers and judges into the classroom, exposing students to different topics of the law and real-life experiences, and encouraging interactive discussions.
Grant amount: 10,000
Philadelphia Association of Community Development Corporations*
Direct engagement with Philadelphia’s most vulnerable populations about their most urgent needs of a safe, stable, affordable home. By highlighting stories of fellow residents facing similar challenges, the project will engage the broader community in this dialogue to understand the role of government and “regular” residents in local communities in finding solutions.
Grant amount: $15,000
Philadelphia Center for Gun Violence Reporting*
Hosting a conference to support journalists in reframing the conversation and better facilitating engagement moving forward. This improved conversation will allow discussion to move forward grounded in research, minimize secondary harm done to those who experience gun violence, and promote more comprehensive solutions to firearm violence.
Grant amount: $30,000
Philadelphia Film Factory*
Establishing a platform for diverse community members to discuss their local issues and inspire young inhabitants to seek solutions through active engagement with local authorities.
Grant amount: $20,000
PhillyBOLT (Build Our Lives Together)
Partnering with the Philadelphia School District to create a civics curriculum and build the capacity of residents to be civic leaders and educators by working with government to bring about change.
Grant amount: $25,000
Research for Action*
Developing a curriculum that translates for community members how to source, understand, and use data for pressing education issues.
Grant amount: $27,500
SEAMAAC*
Voter education about Philadelphia City Government to the AAPI community and increase AAPI youth civic engagement and literacy by using social media.
Grant amount: $10,000
Southwest CDC
Bringing community residents and stakeholders together to discuss issues most important to them and allowing them to share their views, experiences, insights and solution ideas through media outlets.
Grant amount: $15,000
Sustainable Business Network of Greater Philadelphia*
Making information about sustainability and its economic potential more accessible and transparent for local business owners, elected officials, and the broader community.
Grant amount: $20,000
Victoria's Urban Outreach Tutoring Service
Community conversations on civic engagement and youth-lead civic workshops about legislation, housing, poverty, and crime.
Grant amount: $10,000
Welcome America, Inc.*
Incorporating civic engagement activations and hubs throughout Welcome America’s yearly programming to amplify the importance of comprehensive civic engagement at the local level.
Grant amount: $40,000
Why Not Prosper, Inc.
Amplifying issues that matter most to Philadelphia’s current and formerly incarcerated citizens, catalyzing civic engagement for this overlooked population, creating communication and transparency between government and residents, and teaching participants how to use their voice and experience in advocating for the needs of current and formerly incarcerated people
Grant amount: $30,000
Woori Center
Ensuring the AAPI community’s key issues are included and accurately uplifted to media, other community organizations, and candidates. In addition, the project will fill gaps in culturally and linguistically competent resources that inform Asian American voters about civic processes which remain unclear to them and facilitate conversations around issues that matter to AAPI communities, including public safety, education equity, affordable housing, and immigrant rights.
Grant amount: $17,500
*Indicates partners new to the Every Voice, Every Vote coalition