In a guest blog post written for Philanthropy Network Greater Philadelphia, staff discussed transparency, why it matters in the work of philanthropy, and how it is manifested at The Presser Foundation. Here, we seek to add another concept related to transparency that has been practiced for the past ten years at the Foundation – having…
By Abby Rolland When I started working at The Presser Foundation two years ago, part of my mission and my responsibility was to increase the level of transparency in the Foundation’s external communications. This work included a great deal of effort at the beginning (and continuous monitoring and updating now). At the time, it involved…
By Baker Purdon Classical music has long been regarded as a cherished cultural tradition, inspiring and captivating audiences for centuries. However, it is no secret that music, particularly classical music, has struggled with diversity, equity, inclusion, access, and belonging (DEIAB) issues throughout its history. In this blog post, I explore the issues of representation in…
Photo of a Musicopia student using GarageBand. Capital funds from the Foundation were used to purchase the iPads, cases, and microphones pictured. By Abby Rolland For years, The Presser Foundation’s Capital Support grantmaking area focused on supporting the construction of new buildings and renovation, repair, or expansion projects to existing buildings. By providing funding for…
The supporting organizations that The Presser Foundation supports. From top left clockwise: Penn Live Arts, Temple Music Prep, Chester Children’s Chorus, Zoellner Arts Center, Rowan Community Music School, WRTI By Abby Rolland The Presser Foundation seeks to serve a number of different types of music organizations creating, performing, presenting, and educating. To do so means…
By Abby Rolland When it comes to foundation work, a great deal of it happens behind closed doors. In this blog post, we seek to be open and transparent about The Presser Foundation’s internal grant application process. For this post, we will be referring to a grant given from one of the Foundation’s regional grantmaking…
By Abby Rolland According to recent statistics, there are approximately 1.54 million nonprofits in the U.S. Nonprofit structure can take many forms. There is, of course, the traditional and well-known 501(c)(3) public charity – in 2016, approximately 2/3 of all registered nonprofits were classified as public charities. Then, there are organizations who are 501(c)(4)s (civic…
By Abby Rolland As part of The Presser Foundation’s goal to best serve our partners, we review and adapt our applications and reports every year based on current circumstances and trends. Research and best practice in the foundation space recommends that applications and reports are simple and straightforward so that nonprofits spend less time answering…
By Abby Rolland “A journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step.” That phrase resonates with The Presser Foundation as we seek to center equity and end systemic inequities. We began our equity journey in 2019 and accelerated it after George Floyd’s murder in May 2020. You can learn more about the “why”…
By Abby Rolland On May 25, 2020, in the early days of the COVID-19 pandemic, George Floyd was murdered by police officers in Minneapolis, Minnesota. While this was not the first (nor unfortunately, the last) brutal murder of an unarmed BIPOC man or woman, it began a national reckoning with systemic racial injustices that have…