The Lenfest Foundation, established in 2000 and headquartered in Valley Forge, Pennsylvania, is a charitable nonprofit organization dedicated to religious, educational, and other charitable philanthropy. As of 2022, the foundation’s executive director Wes Somerville, was committed to supporting initiatives aimed at improving educational opportunities, particularly for students who were either present in or had aged out of the foster care system. ¹

Notable Grants

As of 2022, the Lenfest Foundation’s largest grants included a $1 million grant to Education Works, $1.2 million to Philadelphia Youth Basketball, and $1.3 million to Steppingstone Scholars Inc. ²

As of 2023, Education Works had filed for bankruptcy after owing nearly $5 million to creditors, including $1 million to nearly 250 employees. ³

Philadelphia Futures and Steppingstone Scholars, Philadelphia’s two largest educational nonprofits, announced their merger on November 18, 2022. They renamed the organization “Heights Philadelphia” and claimed to serve more than 3,000 students. Heights Philadelphia further added, “When we give Black, Brown, and first-gen students real opportunities, our city thrives. Heights Philadelphia connects Philly youth to careers and college with a network of people who believe — and invest — in their talents.” ⁴

Activism

As of 2021, the Lenfest Foundation and the Philadelphia Foundation launched the Lenfest Immensitas Scholars Program dedicated to youth both in foster care and aging out of foster care. The organizations claimed the program was “an effort designed to increase college graduation among up to 100 Philadelphians annually.” ⁵

As of March 10, 2022, the Lenfest Foundation provided a $100,000 grant to Chester County Futures for its after school-programs that provided academic and college readiness support to residing high school students. It claims to be “a poverty prevention program providing academic, mentoring and scholarship support for motivated, economically disadvantaged youth” in Chester County. ⁶

Since 2000, the Lenfest Foundation has provided over $360,000 in contributions to Chester County Futures and has continued to have one of their longest partnerships since CCF was founded in 1996. ⁷

1. Lenfest Foundation, Return of a Private Foundation (Form 990-PF), 2022, https://projects.propublica.org/nonprofits/organizations/233031350/202311379349101306/full
2. Lenfest Foundation, Return of a Private Foundation (Form 990-PF), 2022, Part XIV, Line 3 https://projects.propublica.org/nonprofits/organizations/233031350/202311379349101306/full.
3. Reyes, Juliana Feliciano. “EducationWorks, Philadelphia Nonprofit Funded by Public Dollars, Files for Bankruptcy.” https://www.inquirer.com, August 31, 2023. https://www.inquirer.com/news/philadelphia/educationworks-bankruptcy-philadelphia-20230831.html.
4. “Official Site.” Heights Philadelphia, November 3, 2023. https://heights.org/.
5. Jay, Erin Flynn. “Brook J. Lenfest Foundation Partners with Nonprofits to Help Former Foster Kids Go to College.” Generocity, May 11, 2021. https://generocity.org/philly/2021/05/11/funding-brooks-lenfest-foundation-philadelphia-foundation-college-foster-care-students/.
6. Group, For MediaNews. “Lenfest Foundation Donates $100,000 to Aid Academic Support Programs.” Daily Local, March 10, 2022. https://dailylocal.com/2022/03/10/lenfest-foundation-donates-100000-to-aid-academic-support-programs/.
7. Group, For MediaNews. “Lenfest Foundation Donates $100,000 to Aid Academic Support Programs.” Daily Local, March 10, 2022. https://dailylocal.com/2022/03/10/lenfest-foundation-donates-100000-to-aid-academic-support-programs/.