2023 Innovation Fund Grantees

The Philadelphia City Fund is pleased to introduce the grantees of the 2023 Innovation Fund – Spring and Fall grant cycles.

The Innovation Fund is an internal City grant opportunity funded by the Philadelphia City Fund and managed by the Public Technology and Innovation Team in the City’s Office of Innovation & Technology. The Innovation Fund hosts two grant cycles per year and exists to help launch pilot initiatives that have the potential to improve the services and functions of municipal government.

Fall Round Grantees

Accessible Signage for Philly Phlush Pilot Locations

Grant Amount: $3,012

The Managing Director’s Office for Health and Human Services team will install innovative and accessible signage for the six “Philly Phlush” sites, the City’s public restroom pilot. The project team will use funding to:

• add signs for the currently unlabeled restroom amenities (handwashing station buttons, menstrual products, sharps container, Naloxone boxes, etc.);
• create an accessible map signage to orient blind/low vision individuals to the restroom and ensure equitable access; and
• replace existing signs that came with the unit that are not high enough contrast for low vision users to more easily read. The team will engage community stakeholders who are blind or low-vision to help inform the sign design and create measures of success to evaluate signage; stakeholders will be invited for site visits after implementation and subsequent focus groups to help inform evaluation.

Financial Support Pilot for Alternative Felony Disposition Program Participants

Grant Amount: $10,000

The Alternative Felony Disposition Program is a pre-trial diversion program for individuals charged with carrying a gun without a license who have no significant criminal history. This financial support pilot will provide discrete and limited financial assistance to help cover small costs for AFD participants that might otherwise become barriers to success and completion of the program (i.e., a fee to enter a GED program, or cost to renew a driver’s license). Additionally, some portion of funding would be used to provide stipends for previous AFD graduates who return to speak with current participants. By removing financial barriers, the pilot aims to show the public that programs like AFD are successful in supporting participants, increasing employment, and reducing recidivism.

Accessible Domestic Violence Resources & Information 

Grant Amount: $8,638

Data shows people with disabilities and those who speak languages other than English (LOTE) experience abuse in relationships at higher rates. There are currently very few resources designed specifically for people with limited English proficiency or people who use ASL. This pilot aims to address the critical information gap for populations significantly impacted and with limited access to services. The project team will create printed resources containing simple images and limited text, along with corresponding videos available in multiple languages and ASL (linked on the printed resources). Feedback and input from the core audience is a key component of this pilot, and a portion of funding will be used to provide compensation for stakeholder participation in three focus groups. In addition to the City of Philadelphia team, two state-level partners are committed to providing resources, time, and technical assistance: PA DHS Office of Developmental Programs, and ASERT (Autism Services, Education, Resources, and Training). ASERT is available to run additional focus groups and has an existing contract with a graphic designer experienced in accessible design. Both groups are willing to share materials across the state in hopes this work can be act as a framework for other communities.

Spring Round Grantees

Sensory Inclusion Project

Grant Amount: $15,750

The Mayor’s Office for People with Disabilities, in partnership with KultureCity, will lead Philadelphia to become the first certified Sensory Inclusive City in the world.  The KultureCity® Sensory Inclusive™ Certification Program has made significant progress on an international scale towards equitable engagement for individuals with sensory needs. This project will be the first municipal effort to train an entire city workforce and certify Philadelphia as the first certified Sensory Inclusive City, along with supplying mobile sensory inclusive spaces and tools that City departments can use for events and meetings upon request.

Sexual Health Education Materials

Grant Amount: $14,250

The Youth Care Team (YCT), part of the City’s Department of Public Health, Maternal, Child, and Family Health Division, will create innovative sexual health education materials that are racially diverse and trans-affirming, and disseminate to city health centers, local healthcare organizations, local youth-serving organizations, and the school district’s Student Health Services at no cost to them. YCT intends to hire a local artist who holds one or more of the target identities (LGBTQ+, Black, person of color, youth/young adult) to create detailed anatomy illustrations of non-white bodies that use trans-inclusive language, as well as other digital illustrations of bodies and body parts that represent the diversity of youth in Philadelphia. The YCT’s youth-led coalition, Revolution4Youth, has continued to report a glaring lack of representation of black and brown bodies and trans bodies in sexual health education materials, and this project will help make racially diverse and trans-affirming sexual health education materials available and accessible to youth and providers in Philadelphia.

OVA Community Investment Mini Grants

Grant Amount: $20,000

Organized Voices for Action (OVA) is a multi-sector action team that includes representatives from the City’s Department of Public Health, Maternal, Child, and Family Health Division. The goal of the OVA is to implement and support innovative citywide interventions that specifically address the leading contributors to maternal mortality in Philadelphia, as identified by Philadelphia’s Maternal Mortality Review Committee. This project will launch a mini-grant program to support community-based organizations (CBOs) led by individuals who tap into their skills, passion, and often shared lived experience to work with families and tackle issues around the Black maternal health crisis. These small-scale grants ($1,000–$2,500) will help Black-led and Black-serving CBOs to cover business expenses, such as conference fees; training and certification; and services geared towards strategic planning and professional and organizational development. These grants aim to fill a funding gap that CBOs currently experience, which may help them to grow their capacity, address pressing maternal health needs, and provide support for their organization’s sustainability.