Great news for some local schools and lots of arts and culture organizations, which recently received grants and monetary awards for their achievements, continuous service to the community and to support some new projects:

• The West Philly Coalition for Neighborhood Schools (WPCNS) received a $20,000 grant for the Greening Lea project from the TD Green Streets program. A collaboration between the Arbor Day Foundation and TD Bank, this Green Streets grant was one just of 10 awarded to communities across the country. The grant will be used towards planting a large shade tree area over the green stormwater management system to be installed at the Lea play yard this year. Please also check our post on the Greening Lea naming campaign, where local residents and businesses are encouraged to participate. 

• St. Rose of Lima, an urban Catholic school located in the Carroll Park neighborhood received a Community Impact Award from the Catholic Foundation of Greater Philadelphia for its commitment to its students, their families, and the community they serve. The $500 award, which was presented to the school this morning, will be used to purchase reading textbooks for Grades 1 and 2.

Al-Bustan Seeds of Culture executive director Hazami Sayed receiving the grant from the Philadelphia Cultural Fund.

• The Philadelphia Cultural Fund has recently awarded general operating grants totaling $2.49 million to 285 arts and culture organizations citywide. Thirty-five of those organizations are located in Council District 3, which includes the neighborhoods of University City and other portions of West Philadelphia. Here are just some of the grant recipients, well-known to many locals: Annenberg Center for the Performing Arts, Bushfire Theatre of Performing Arts, Crossroads Music, International House Philadelphia, Philadelphia Folklore Project, Play On, Philly!, Scribe Video Center, Shakespeare in Clark Park, University City Arts League, Woodlands Trust for Historic Preservation, and the Philadelphia Zoo.

One other well-known West Philly-based organization benefiting from this grant is Al-Bustan Seeds of Culture which is dedicated to presenting and teaching Arab culture through the arts and language. “Al-Bustan,” Arabic for “The Garden,” offers structured exposure to the language, art, music, dance, literature, and natural environment of the Arab world and promotes cross-cultural understanding among youth and adults of all ethnic, religious, and socio-economic backgrounds. Please go to the organization’s website for more information.