The U.S. House of Representatives is allowing members of Congress to recommend specific projects in our communities for direct funding in federal appropriations. Each member of Congress is permitted to request up to fifteen Community Project Funding (“CPF”) requests. The amount of funding for directed projects is limited and all proposals will be subject to considerable scrutiny and competition with other projects around the nation.
For information on how to apply, carefully review this letter and attachments. Click here for a list of appropriations accounts eligible for CPF requests. A recording of our office's recent webinar on the CPF process is available here.
The deadline to submit project requests for Fiscal Year 2023 was Friday, April 22, 2022.
For Fiscal Year 2023, the following projects were submitted by our office and chosen by the House Appropriations Committee for inclusion in the Omnibus Appropriations Bill.
The Africa Center: $2,000,000
African Cultural Alliance of North America, Inc.
5530 Chester Avenue
Philadelphia, PA 19143
Project Address:
5432-36 Chester Avenue
Philadelphia, PA 19143
The African Cultural Alliance of North America (ACANA) is a non-profit organization in Southwest Philadelphia that aids immigrants, refugees, and asylees in their resettlement and adjustment process. The Africa Center will be a multi-use building that will be a new anchor of economic and community development in Southwest Philadelphia. The building will accommodate a community center, pre-school, retail spaces, and health services offices and is expected to serve members of the African diaspora and communities in the Southwest Philadelphia, Greater Philadelphia, and Delaware Counties.
Decades of disinvestment in the communities surrounding the center have made it difficult to attract private capital to reverse the decline in its economic well-being and quality of life. The Africa Center, an approximately 41,000 square feet ground-up construction, is expected to spur economic development and attract new families into the community. The building will also be a critical space for welcoming and servicing new Americans immigrating to the area.
Access Community Center: $850,000
A Community Center Established by the Surgent Family for Society
2820 W 7th Street
Chester, PA 19013
A Community Center Established by the Surgent Family for Society (ACCESS), in partnership with the City of Chester, will use this CPF grant to construct a community center that will be a complete, ground-up construction on the former site of the athletic fields of the Pulaski School.
The deterioration of the Pulaski School and its athletic fields has had a rippling effect on the surrounding residential neighborhood. As the school fell into disrepair, it became blighted and a site for illegal dumping. Members of the community have asked the City of Chester to take action on the site, and its redevelopment is a main priority of the city’s comprehensive plan, Chester Vision 2020. The ACCESS Community Center will meet this community goal, providing Chester residents with spaces for meeting and recreation, as well as programming for children, adults, and seniors.
Navy Yard - Quay Wall Reconstruction: $2,000,000
City of Philadelphia
1400 JFK Boulevard
Philadelphia, PA 19107
Project Address:
4500 S Broad Street
Philadelphia, PA 19112
The Quay Wall Reconstruction Project is an $18 million effort by the City of Philadelphia to make critical repairs and upgrades to the portion of Broad Street that connects the city with the Navy Yard, a vibrant area of the city that has become a hub for life sciences, emerging businesses and new hospitality and residential development. The 734-foot section of Broad Street linking the city center to the Navy Yard is constructed on a 120-year-old timber bridge structure that is original to the Navy Yard, and that structure has deteriorated substantially. With funds provided by this CPF request, the City will close its remaining funding gap and move forward with the project. The project will restore all four lanes of traffic on this section of roadway, along with sidewalks and bike lanes, and install streetscape amenities. The completed project will support multi modal transportation and access to the new jobs and workforce training being created at the Navy Yard.
Prison-to-Community Workforce Development Initiative: $1,988,635
County of Delaware
201 W. Front Street, Room 202, Media, PA 19063
Project Address:
George W. Hill Correctional Facility
500 Cheyney Road
Thornton, PA 19373
In April 2022, Delaware County reasserted public control of operations of the only Pennsylvania county prison being run by a for-profit entity, George W. Hill Correctional Facility. The county has the goal of promoting the public interest by reducing recidivism and promoting rehabilitation and opportunities for inmates. Delaware County’s Prison-to-Community Workforce Development Initiative will establish two programs at the prison that will provide direct employment training and support services to justice-impacted people.
The County will partner with two successful existing nonprofit reentry programs to offer skills-based career training services that begin during incarceration and follow individuals upon their release. They will connect individuals to in-community, fair-wage, paid internships and ongoing job and life skills support with community partners who are prepared to work with this population's unique needs. One program, New Leash on Life USA, pairs participants with rescue dogs to teach animal training and caretaking skills. The other program provides skill certification and horticultural training in landscaping through the Pennsylvania Horticultural Society (PHS) and Temple University’s Branching Up program.
Both programs incorporate life skills training into their career-building curriculums to provide incarcerated persons with the tools necessary to obtain work, engage in positive workplace relationships, comply with criminal supervision requirements, navigate transportation, responsibly manage wages, and continue with positive trajectories in their communities. This behind-and-beyond-the-bars model empowers participants with life-long skills while permitting them to demonstrate success in the community through supported internships and individualized plans. These programs will reduce recidivism, increase job placement and retention, improve the carceral environment, and create healthier communities.
Delaware County Health Department Health Equity Resource Improvement Initiative: $1,750,000
County of Delaware
201 W. Front Street, Room 202
Media, PA 19063
In April 2022, the Delaware County Health Department (DCHD) received approval to establish a county health department in the largest county in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania that did not provide such critical public services. To meet the challenge of establishing and providing comprehensive public health services, the Department needs to invest in additional equipment and technology. The funds awarded through this CPF will allow the health department to enhance core services and reach by implementing a comprehensive electronic health records system, improving the quality and diversity of diagnostic and treatment services available in its new mobile health unit, and purchasing lead screening equipment to combat high rates of lead toxicity among county residents.
Haverford Township Free Library Redevelopment: $2,000,000
Haverford Township
1014 Darby Road
Havertown, PA 19083
Project Address:
Haverford Township Free Library
1601 Darby Rd
Havertown, PA 19083
Haverford Township, in Delaware County, provides public library services at the Haverford Township Free Library. Unfortunately, the current library is both undersized and underdeveloped, which limits services to not only the Haverford Township community but also the larger regional community of over 180,000 visitors per year.
Using funds provided by this CPF request, Haverford Township will be able to bring its library into the 21st century, expanding the quality and range of services it provides to better serve the ever-changing demographics and needs of the residents of Haverford Township and surrounding communities. The redeveloped library will feature a range of amenities, including a sensory room for the those with autism or other development challenges; a maker space/innovation zone that will support STEM education, workforce development, and entrepreneurship; a youth services floor to build out a safe space for teens and tweens who are looking for books, programs, and a place to study and gather after school; and a dedicated senior space with resources and programs geared toward community and lifelong learning.
Helping Babies, Bellies, and Bottoms Program: $50,000
Individuals Aiding in Emergencies Foundation
2 New Road
Aston, PA 19014
The Individuals Aiding in Emergencies (IAE) Foundation is located in Aston, Delaware County, Pennsylvania. Its mission is to provide essential hygiene products to individuals and families impacted by events resulting in hardship, loss, or suffering. By collaborating with and assisting local organizations--such as county agencies, food pantries, and other nonprofits--IAF bridges gaps in resources and makes real quality of life improvements for the individuals it serves.
During the COVID-19 pandemic, IAE Foundation launched its Helping, Babies, Bellies, and Bottoms Program, which distributed diapers to as many babies and children in need as possible. The program grew and now provides baby diapers, menstrual products, and incontinence products to partner organizations serving their communities. Using the funds awarded through their CPF request, IAE Foundation intends to open the first diaper bank in Delaware County.
Riddle Hospital ICU/Critical Nursing Unit Construction/Equipment: $2,000,000
Main Line Health
240 N Radnor Chester Road
Radnor, PA 19087
Riddle Hospital
1068 W. Baltimore Pike, Media, PA 19063
The funding will assist Riddle Hospital in renovating and improving its ICU and Critical Care Nursing Unit. It is part of Riddle Hospital’s Campus Master Plan that will mark the most significant facility improvement in its existence and is among the largest capital investments in Main Line Health history. Once completed in 2024, the hospital will be equipped with all private patient rooms, contemporary facilities, and advanced technology to support the evolving needs of the community.
The community served by Riddle Hospital is quickly aging. The 65+ population within our surrounding neighborhoods is projected to grow by more than 20% in the years ahead. While the Baby Boom generation is healthier than those before, the oldest members of this generation are beginning to see their needs for healthcare increase and a large threshold will hit that need all at once.
Riddle Hospital provides inpatient and outpatient services to a 21% minority population. Main Line Health is committed to enhancing the health status of the communities we serve, with increased focus on vulnerable and high-risk populations. By creating innovative programs that have a lasting impact on the communities we serve, and by meeting people where they live, work, play and pray, together we are creating a culture of health for generations.
Southwest Philadelphia Birth Center: $1,000,000
Resources for Human Development’s Family Practice and Counseling Network
6100 Woodland Ave
Philadelphia PA 19142
Resources for Human Development (RHD) is a nonprofit organization with more than 50 years of experience providing a variety of programs, with particular emphasis on serving populations with mental illness, substance use disorders, developmental disabilities, and homelessness. Family Practice and Counseling Network (FPCN), a program of RHD, is a network of federally qualified community health centers that uses a nurse-managed, integrated model to deliver primary care, behavioral health, dental, and preventive services, which are co-located at the centers and are designed to holistically treat patients.
FPCN will use community project funds to improve childbirth and maternal health outcomes in the Philadelphia area by building and opening Philadelphia’s only birth center. The birth center will offer comprehensive midwifery-led reproductive care (including prenatal) and labor and delivery options for women and families who face poor maternal outcomes and high rates of maternal mortality. CPF funds will allow RHD to renovate and outfit the three birthing suites, which will help improve maternal outcomes and revolutionize childbirth and maternal healthcare in an area of great need.
Schuylkill River Trail: Bartram's to Passyunk Phase II Land Acquisition: $2,000,000
Schuylkill River Development Corporation
2401 Walnut Street, Suite 603
Philadelphia, PA 19103
Project Address:
6035 W Passyunk Avenue
Philadelphia, PA 19153
The Schuylkill River Development Corporation (SRDC) is a nonprofit organization working with the City of Philadelphia to revitalize the tidal Schuylkill River corridor into an asset that connects diverse communities to each other and the river. The centerpiece of this effort is the construction, programming, and maintenance of a continuous eight-mile riverfront trail and greenway with associated access points and amenities along the tidal river branded as Schuylkill Banks.
Schuylkill Banks, the southernmost eight miles of the Schuylkill River Trail and part of the Circuit Trails, is a vital recreation and transportation asset used by thousands of individuals each week to safely connect to their destinations and participate in healthy living activities. The completed trail segments improve the quality of life for neighbors, encourage additional investment in the surrounding communities, and are an environmental resource. With the CPF grant, SRDC will acquire the land needed to build a public trail and greenway along approximately 3,400 feet of the tidal Schuylkill River in Southwest Philadelphia and within an area that has not seen this type of investment in decades.
Senior Community Services Schoolhouse Capital Improvements: $2,000,000
Senior Community Services
600 Swarthmore Avenue
Folsom, PA 19033
Senior Community Services (SCS) promotes independent and meaningful living for older adults in Delaware County through direct services and programs in the home and community. Formed in 1977, SCS started as one small center in Darby Township and has grown into a vital, respected community organization that serves a diverse community of more than 20,000 older residents of PA-05 annually.
SCSs include four nationally-accredited Senior Centers that nurture active older adults through a host of programs such as meal delivery, learning centers, long-term care management, caregiver support, medicare navigation support, aging at home programs that preserve the independence and maintain dignity for seniors, a cognitive stimulation program that loans brain fitness kits; and a robust Volunteer Program enlisting more than 400 volunteers who provide 42,000 hours of service.
Senior Community Services (SCS) will use a Community Project Fund grant to renovate and expand Schoolhouse Center, the oldest building in the agency’s real estate portfolio and a critical piece of the agency’s infrastructure, adding an elevator and additional space for activities and programs within the agency’s flagship senior center, which already consistently attracts the greatest annual attendance, houses a kitchen that produces hundreds of meals per day for onsite service and delivery to frail seniors, and contains the agency’s executive offices. This capital improvement project will solidify Schoolhouse Center’s role as a safe and trusted pillar in Greater Ridley.
Delaware County Food Bank Acquisition and Renovation: $2,000,000
Share Food Program
101 Amosland Road
Holmes, PA 19043
Recent data indicates that ten percent of Delaware County’s population lives below the federal poverty line. This means that over 50,000 residents are experiencing food insecurity. Given this need, the Share Food Program (“Share”) was selected last year by the Delaware County Department of Human Services to establish a Delaware County Food Bank. Share works with numerous community partners to provide nutritious food to residents facing food insecurity and has recently acquired an 8,000-square-foot, centrally-located warehouse in Holmes, Ridley Township, to carry out its mission.
Share Food Program’s Delaware County Food Bank Acquisition and Renovation Project will support the building out of additional warehouse space so Share can better meet its operational capabilities and ensure that individuals and families struggling with food insecurity have access to the nutritious food they need. Investment in the Delaware County Food Bank’s infrastructure will go toward ensuring that food distribution reaches all 49 municipalities in the county, supporting equitable food access and strengthened capacity in all the county’s pantries, increasing outreach to community members facing food insecurity, and establishing a home food delivery program to those that are homebound.
MusicMan Butterfly Buddy Program Project: $115,000
Upper Darby Arts & Education Foundation
1051 Pontiac Road, #707
Drexel Hill, PA 19026
Upper Darby Arts & Education Foundation (UDAEF) works to enhance educational and cultural opportunities for students in Upper Darby School District, one of the largest and most diverse school districts in the Commonwealth. In July of 2021, UDAEF launched the MusicMan Butterfly Buddy Program, a creative arts camp that brings together therapists, music educators, special education teachers, and students with disabilities to celebrate, succeed, and grow through music and movement.
The program incorporates a strengths-based approach that reinforces and enhances social communication, motor, and cognitive skills with an emphasis on enrichment and fun through creative arts participation. All participants are guided by certified and registered music, art, and dance therapists as well as certified music educators. Sessions have included an inclusive choir where participants and their buddies learn songs as peer partners, creating “family culture” with music, ‘Ukes and You,’ ‘Dynamic Drumming,’ and ‘Mindful Movement’ which uses a colorful parachute and yoga stretching for calming the mind.
Funding from the MusicMan Butterfly Buddy Program Project will allow for the continuation of this program and make it more accessible by allowing children within Upper Darby School District to attend free of charge, offering subsidized transportation opportunities for participants, expanding the program beyond the summer months, and increasing capacity to welcome participants throughout the special needs population. This funding will have a long-lasting impact on the lives of children and families in the community, as creative arts not only provide therapeutic benefits for the neurodiverse, but also helps children develop interpersonal skills, unveil new talents, build confidence, and foster lasting friendships.
Media VFW Post Maintenance: $50,000
Veterans of Foreign Wars Post 3460
11 Hilltop Road
Media, PA 19063
The Media VFW Post 3460 was chartered in 1936 to provide a welcoming, therapeutic, and safe atmosphere for returning veterans and their families and friends. Since then, the Post has provided services to veterans of World War I and II, Korea, Vietnam, Desert Storm, Afghanistan, Iraq, and more. The Post sponsors blood drives, Patriot's Pen essay contests, and Little League Teams, and provides community outreach for various needs, volunteering hundreds of man-hours and tens of thousands of dollars in donations. The Post serves as a meeting place for our veterans, as well as an affordable venue for community gatherings like birthdays, graduation parties, and group dinners.
To stay open, Post 3460 is in need of major repairs, including repairs to its parking lot, fencing, and plumbing. Using funds provided by this CPF request, the project will resurface and recontour the post’s damaged parking lot, completely redo its exterior fencing, and make necessary fixes to the property’s plumbing system.
Lansdowne Y Swimming Pool Rehabilitation: $1,500,000
YMCA of Eastern Delaware County
2110 Garrett Road
Lansdowne, PA 19050
The Lansdowne Y has served the Delaware County community, and specifically Upper Darby and Lansdowne families, for more than sixty years. Throughout that time, it’s been a place where countless kids learn to swim, go to summer camp, and attend early learning programs, as well as where older adults can safely access water and exercise classes. Importantly, as a part of its children’s swimming lessons, instructors at the Lansdowne Y emphasize critical skills such as water safety and self-rescue.
The Lansdowne facility’s pool area has been minimally updated since it was built in 1964, and as a result, many of its systems and structures are outdated and inefficient. The YMCA of Eastern Delaware County’s Lansdowne Y Swimming Pool Rehabilitation Project will make much-needed updates to this important community space, including upgrades to HVAC and ventilation to improve energy efficiency and air quality, pool water filtration, piping, and water heating systems to improve energy efficiency, and pool lights to improve safety. It will also be used to shallow the deep end of the pool to increase the usable swim lesson teaching area. In rehabilitating its pool, the Lansdowne Y will be able to increase its capacity to provide water classes, including life-saving water safety instruction, and recreation to tens of thousands of local children and adults each year. This project will ensure that the Y continues to be a safe place for recreation and a cornerstone of the local community for generations to come.
To protect against any appearance of self-dealing, Congresswoman Scanlon submitted written certification to the Committee that neither she nor her family had any financial interest in any project submitted. Click here for copies of those disclosure letters.
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For Fiscal Year 2022, the following projects were submitted by our office and chosen by the House Appropriations Committee for inclusion in the Omnibus Appropriations Bill.
Medical Facility Expansion Project to Improve Opioid Use Disorder and Mental Health Treatments in an Underserved Community: $1,000,000
AIDS Care Group
2304 Edgmont Avenue
Chester, PA 19013
Delaware County has one of Pennsylvania's highest instances of STDs and opioid use disorders. It ranks third out of the commonwealth's sixty-seven counties in its number of cumulative cases of HIV. The City of Chester, within Delaware County, has been designated as a medically underserved area by the federal government since 1975. The city is currently seeing a rise in STDs, hepatitis C, opioid use disorders, mental health disorders, and HIV/AIDS among its population. In part, the rise in HIV/AIDS is connected to the opioid addiction crisis, as intravenous drug use increases risk for getting or passing on viral infections including HIV and AIDS.
AIDS Care Group s a community-based provider dedicated to combatting Chester's HIV/AIDS crisis since 1998. This project will help the organization modernize and scale up its original medical care facility in Chester to create a clinical center for opioid use disorder treatment and mental health services. This capital expansion will allow the organization to expand clinical services to chronically underserved populations in Chester and the surrounding communities that need treatment for opioid use disorders. An expanded facility will enable AIDS Care Group to offer desperately needed on-site services, such as medication-assisted treatment, psychological services, and medical treatment.
Community Partnering Program: $475,000
Delaware County
Government Center
201 W. Front Street
Media, PA 19063
The Delaware County Community Partnering Program (CPP) will empower neighborhoods and build community. Likened to the local government version of Kickstarter, this proven model of local investment provides a platform for neighborhood groups to develop, resources, and execute small projects and initiatives that build trust, create capacity, and empower residents. Projects are generated by neighborhood residents and community groups, and can include (but are not limited to) community gardens, pocket parks, bicycle facilities, pedestrian enhancements, elder transport coordination, snow removal for physically restricted persons, or education initiatives such as energy awareness school programs. The CPP is specifically designed to provide outreach to historically underserved communities who have borne the burden of disinvestment for many decades. The program lowers the barriers to accessing community-based improvements and places a high value on participation from residents who would have more agency in local decisions. Through this program, residents of our neighborhoods can work together to take ownership of and enhance the places where they live, work, and play through their participation in locally developed and executed projects.
Community Watershed Education and Freshwater Mussel Hatchery at Bartram s Garden on the Tidal Schuylkill River: $925,000
John Bartram Association (dba Bartram's Garden)
5400 Lindberg Blvd.
Philadelphia, PA 19143
Decades of racist municipal and corporate disinvestment and industrial use perpetrated generations of environmental and health inequities and effectively barred the largely Black neighborhoods in Southwest Philadelphia from accessing the local Schuylkill River. In 2019, a series of community meetings identified community stewardship, STEM-based youth-enrichment opportunities, and watershed health as neighborhood priorities as residents grapple with the long-term economic and health impacts of industrialization and environmental injustice.
Since 2015, Bartram's Garden, a non-profit organization in SW Philly, has invested in free recreation and environmental remediation to increase access to the Schuylkill. Since then, more than 20,000 residents have enjoyed river access; recreation like boating, fishing, and birdwatching; and engagement with environmental education and environmental restoration. The Community Project Funding will allow construction of a watershed education center and a production hatchery for native freshwater mussels, which serve as natural water filters. With more than $4 million already committed towards its design and construction, the CPF funds will allow the project to be completed and help this community access a beautiful natural treasure.
Darby Free Library Restoration & Resilience Initiative: $981,562
Darby Library Company
1001 Main St.
PO Box 164
Darby, PA 19023
The Darby Free Library, established in 1743, is the oldest library providing continuous service in the country. A recent inspection, however, revealed that the library needs urgent structural repair to its brick masonry and foundation. This Community Funding Project grant request aims to create a resilient public building that can better serve its community members by renovating this historic structure to meet modern standards. The funding would be used to lower operating costs by installing the energy efficient solar panels, make the library accessible to disabled patrons and repair the failing roof and gutters.
Despite the COVID-19 pandemic, the Darby Library has remained fully open to the public – with strict CDC guidelines in place - and is the only library within Delaware County system to do so. This decision was made because Darby Library patrons need more than just books. The Darby Library offers the only free access to computers, printers and internet in the community. These resources are used daily to connect residents to information such as employment opportunities, government assistance programs, email, and homework - all of which are nearly impossible to complete on a smartphone. The library is located within walking distance of four schools and provides a safe and inclusive environment for community members both young and old.
F. Amedee Bregy Schoolyard Improvement Project: $425,000
The Trust for Public Land
1608 Walnut Street
Philadelphia, PA 19103
Project Address:
The F. Amedee Bregy School
1700 Bigler St.
Philadelphia, PA 19145
The Trust for Public Land, in conjunction with F. Amedee Bregy School, plans to transform a paved, asphalt schoolyard that increases urban heat, flooding, and safety concerns into a climate resilient, community space. The Trust for Public Land engaged students, faculty, families, and the community to envision how this expansive, but neglected, public schoolyard could be reimagined as a park and play space. The Trust then incorporated this input into a concept design for a new community and educational park that would include play equipment, basketball courts, seating, shading, an outdoor classroom, and new greenery.
F. Amedee Bregy School’s student population, which is 100% economically disadvantaged and 85% students of color, represent groups that bear the brunt of the effects of climate change and traditionally have had lower access to play and green space. Close to nine thousand people live within a ten-minute walk of Bregy, and more than a quarter of these nearby households are low-income. These communities, and all of South and Southwest Philadelphia, will benefit from the creation of this essential and accessible public good.
Mobile Crisis Teams: $650,000
Delaware County
Government Center
201 W. Front Street
Media, PA 19063
Delaware County is on the forefront of efforts to address the mental and behavioral health challenges of residents who find themselves in the criminal justice system. The Mobile Crisis Teams would be stationed at the County’s Emergency Services location and be dispatched in conjunction with law enforcement when there is a known or suspected involved person suffering from mental illness. This project will divert these persons into treatment, with a prioritized admission, to properly address their underlying needs. As our national conversation around policing continues, too often a mental health crisis is turned into a law enforcement issue that can have dangerous consequences. This program intends to reverse that trend by providing the community with a mobile crisis team that could quickly and appropriately respond to mental health emergencies.
Philadelphia Navy Yard Workforce Development Initiatives Program: $525,000
PIDC Community Capital
1500 Market Street, Suite 3500
Philadelphia, Pennsylvania 19112
Project Address:
4701 Intrepid Ave.
Philadelphia, PA 19112
PIDC Community Capital, a non-profit organization dedicated to fostering job-creating development in Philadelphia, will work with the West Philadelphia Skills Initiative (WPSI) to identify, train, and connect unemployed and underemployed adults to quality wage employment, increasing stability and economic opportunity for working Philadelphians. The collaborative allows PIDC to replicate key aspects of the WPSI’s nationally recognized and proven model to build talent pipelines in adjacent communities, where 95% of participants are connected to employment upon successful completion of the program with an average starting hourly wage of $17.94/hour and an 84% 12-month job retention rate.
PIDC will work with WPSI to create a program at the Navy Yard, a 1,200-acre redeveloped work community hosting 15,000 employees and 170 employers in South Philadelphia. PIDC has identified jobs that are “future proof” and that will not be eliminated by the rapid acceleration of workforce automation due to the impacts of COVID-19 and are in industries that have remained relatively stable during the pandemic. PIDC has developed several workforce solutions that are based on employers' needs in diverse industries including shipbuilding, manufacturing, life sciences, medical services, and facility/grounds maintenance and focused on connecting Philadelphians to quality jobs.
PhilaWorks Workforce Training for Formerly Incarcerated Philadelphians: $1,000,000
Philadelphia Works, Inc.
1617 John F. Kennedy Boulevard
Philadelphia, PA 19103
Project Address:
3144 Passyunk Ave.
Philadelphia, PA 19145
PhilaWorks will work with CEO Works Philadelphia to train and give job experience to the formerly incarcerated who need a second chance to get back on their feet. This transitional work experience will provide participants with the knowledge, experience, and training necessary to build lasting attachments to the workforce and become permanently employed.
The project will provide 125-150 formerly incarcerated Philadelphians with immediate employment upon release from incarceration working at the site of the now shuttered PES oil refinery in the heart of southwest Philadelphia. The participants will assist with the clearing of the blighted refinery land, performing litter abatement, graffiti removal, and landscaping services to produce a fully green, eco-friendly space. Each day, participants receive feedback on their work performance using CEO’s proprietary performance assessment tool “Passport to Success” to help participants transition back to the world of employment. Participants in this program will have access to employment services and a network for career opportunities such as advanced training and credentialing.
This innovative and evidence-based program transforms a first job out of prison into a practice field for changing habits that would otherwise perpetuate involvement in the justice system. CEO Works model has undergone rigorous evaluation and demonstrate statistically significant impacts on both recidivism and long-term employment. In a randomized control trial evaluation conducted by the independent research firm MDRC, CEO Works was found to reduce rearrests, reconviction, and re-incarceration of recently released individuals by statistically significant margins of 16-25% in the three years following release from prison.
Restoration of the Historic Lansdowne Theater: $1,500,000
Lansdowne Theater Corporation
31 N. Lansdowne Ave.
Lansdowne, PA 19050
This Community Project Fund grant would be used to rehabilitate the 1927 Lansdowne Theater in Lansdowne, PA into a regional concert hall and spur investment in this historic inner ring suburb just west of Philadelphia. Long suffering the effects of disinvestment, this is the largest economic development project in the community’s history. The $13.5 million of the $15 million needed to complete the project has been raised from individuals, foundations, and local and state sources, showing great community support. With the CPF funds, the project will be ready to start immediately and will implement capital repairs, replacement of mechanical and HVAC systems, roof repairs, restrooms, rainwater runoff system, theater seating, restoration of historic finishes and related equipment, labor and materials within an historic theater and proposed one-story addition.
The project is anticipated to create 51 jobs in the operation of the theater, 100 permanent jobs in businesses nearby in addition to over 100 jobs for the trades during construction. Once completed, the theater will create opportunities for students in the local school district for enhanced educational programs through internships and access to myriad genres of music. This transformational investment is integral to wider commitments among local, county and state government, as well as the area community, to create an anchor to restore, enhance and spur economic activity in this blighted urban commercial corridor surrounded by low-income communities, disproportionately of color.
Upper Darby Community Center Green Roof: $975,000
Upper Darby Township
100 Garrett Road
Upper Darby, PA 19082
The new Upper Darby Community Center Green Roof will transform a completely paved corner parcel of a densely suburban area into much needed green space. The Community Center, which will host this green roof, is a multi-story structure that will be utilized for recreation, learning, and community events. This center will service residents of all ages within the community and is within walking distance to a large portion of the population. The multi-leveled green roof will be the focal point of the center and will serve as an educational tool, community event space, and climate resiliency project. The first level will include an area for children to learn gardening and basic horticulture. The larger second level will incorporate an outdoor passive recreation and event space. This will include outdoor seating, a council ring fire pit, a stormwater management rain garden, and a shade structure.
To protect against any appearance of self-dealing, Congresswoman Scanlon submitted written certification to the Committee that neither she nor her family had any financial interest in any project submitted. Click here for copies of those disclosure letters.
