The Philadelphia Foundation

What it reported doing in 2024

See schedule o.1. Civic catalyst: as a place-based philanthropic and civic leader, we can invest, partner, lead, and maintain focus over an extended time horizon. Recognizing these strengths, increasingly we are operating proactively in our civic leadership role driving attention to issues and bringing capacity off the sidelines. We align diverse stakeholders (civic, business, nonprofit, governmental) to amplify impact, making the whole greater than the sum of its parts. In 2024, we continued to play a leadership role in the civic coalition to save lives, which seeks to strengthen proven gun violence intervention efforts through sharing vital data; fostering new partnerships; grantmaking; and building a collaborative infrastructure to sustain progress over time. From 2023 to 2024, homicides in philadelphia dropped over 35% saving more than 140 lives. Also in 2024, galvanized by harvard professor raj chetty's sobering finding that the philadelphia metro was last among 50 major metros in 2024 for upward economic mobility, philadelphia foundation's board of managers put a stake in the ground: over the next 10 years, we will work to measurably increase financial and social capital for the most vulnerable in our region.2. Trusted partner: we have an extensive knowledge base and deep connections across the region strengths that matter both when addressing long-standing challenges and responding to new crises. As a result, community members, civic and business sector leaders, and nonprofit organizations turn to us for partnership and collaboration in responding to community needs. The philadelphia foundation addressed urgent needs across the greater philadelphia region in 2024, with nearly $63m in grants from its funds and those of its affiliated supporting organizations. 3. Strategic problem-solver: we are uniquely positioned in the region's philanthropic ecosystem to transform wealth into lasting impact bringing a vision for impact to life. We apply our expertise, resources, and tools to help iterate, develop, and strengthen a donor's concept and then execute on it. Philadelphia foundation stewards over 1,100 charitable funds and awards over 1,000 grants and scholarships each year. In partnering with donors to transform generosity into lasting impact, we seek to ensure that philanthropic dollars remain active in greater philadelphia and aggregate funding to maximize impact.

Financial Efficiency

• Mission deployment rate: 64.6%; rating input score 65
• Program expense ratio: 89.7%; rating input score 90
• Fundraising efficiency: $152.73 raised per $1 spent on fundraising; rating input score 88; 88th percentile among comparable filings

Transparency & Controls

• Consistency checks: 93.8%; rating input score 94; 25th percentile among comparable filings
• Pay-setting controls: 5 of 6 controls in place; rating input score 83
  • Compensation committee: Pass
  • Independent consultant: Pass
  • Other Form 990s reviewed: Pass
  • Written employment contract: Missing
  • Compensation survey or study: Pass
  • Board or committee approval: Pass
• Foreign activity oversight: Scored; rating input score 0
• Grant itemization coverage: 98.4%; rating input score 98; 35th percentile among comparable filings
• Major donor itemization: Yes; rating input score 100
• Related-party transparency: Yes; rating input score 100

Accountability

• Independent voting board: 100%; rating input score 100; 77th percentile among comparable filings
• Governance controls: 8 of 9 controls in place; rating input score 89
  • Conflict-of-interest policy: Pass
  • Whistleblower policy: Pass
  • Document-retention policy: Pass
  • CEO compensation review process: Pass
  • Other executive compensation review process: Fail
  • Form 990 shared with the board: Pass
  • Board meeting minutes documented: Pass
  • Audit committee oversight: Pass
  • Independent financial-statement audit: Pass

Sustainability

• Operating margin: 41.4%; rating input score 95; 95th percentile among comparable filings
• Total-asset coverage ratio: 13.54; rating input score 93; 93rd percentile among comparable filings
• Liabilities to assets ratio: 0.03; rating input score 91; 91st percentile among comparable filings
• Officer compensation ratio: 3.7%; rating input score 29; 29th percentile among comparable filings

Growth

• Program expense growth: 8.7% per year; rating input score 100; 68th percentile among comparable filings
• Revenue growth: 8.6% per year; rating input score 100; 71st percentile among comparable filings
• Asset growth: 6.7% per year; rating input score 100; 49th percentile among comparable filings