Free Library of Philadelphia Community Humanities Endowment

FAIN: CH-233791-16

Free Library of Philadelphia (Philadelphia, PA 19103-1187)
Siobhan A. Reardon (Project Director: May 2015 to June 2017)
Andrew Nurkin (Project Director: June 2017 to December 2021)
Christine D. Caputo (Project Director: December 2021 to present)

A Community Humanities Endowment to engage grassroots Philadelphia community partners in collaborative projects and a modest amount for fundraising activities.

The Free Library of Philadelphia Foundation proposes establishing a $1 million Community Humanities Endowment that will foster the creation of new work in the humanities by people and organizations who have not had an adequate public platform for doing so. In a divided city, the Free Library of Philadelphia serves as a connecting point for both the city’s new and established communities – a place where experiences are shared, commonalities are found, and new identities are built. By working with partners at the grassroots level to create programs for all, we hope to build a stronger sense of shared civic identity, connect separated communities, and reinforce the status of the Library as the place where all of the city’s stories can be written and shared. We will support the work of community partners by using Library collections and resources, creating new humanities programs in library locations, and building a lasting legacy by adding these projects to the Library’s collections.

Associated Products

Miriam Spector Endowment for the Humanities (Center)
Name: Miriam Spector Endowment for the Humanities
Abstract: This grant helped establish an endowment to support the Free Library of Philadelphia's collaborative community-based projects, now called the Miriam Spector Endowment for the Humanities. It is administered under the library's Division of Cultural and Civic Engagement led by Andrew Nurkin (also the project director for this grant). Although it is not a stand-alone center, it operates similarly by funding these collaborative projects through an endowment.
Director: Andrew Nurkin
Year: 2017
Primary URL: https://libwww.freelibrary.org/assets/pdf/support/flp-foundation-fy20-development-report.pdf
Primary URL Description: This links to the Free Library of Philadelphia's FY2020 Annual Report. Pages 12 & 13 of the report offer information on the Miriam Spector Endowment for the Humanities which was partially funded through this grant.

---