Community Project Funding Requests

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For Fiscal Year 2024, the following projects were submitted by our office and chosen by the House Appropriations Committee for inclusion in the Omnibus Appropriations Bill.

City of Philadelphia Flood Risk Reduction in Eastwick (Eastwick, PA): $1,383,069
City of Philadelphia

1515 Arch Street, 13th Floor

Philadelphia, PA 19102

Project Address: 

Eastwick

Philadelphia, PA 19153

The City of Philadelphia will use the requested $2,000,000.00 to implement near-term flood risk reduction measures in the Eastwick neighborhood. This includes funding community engagement and empowerment efforts to build Eastwick’s community capacity while the city develops a long-term flood resilience strategy. 

Eastwick faces a complex array of challenges rooted in its historical and social context. Redevelopment in the mid-20th century transformed Eastwick into a place of aggravated environmental risk by constructing low-lying housing units over contaminated soils. Episodes of flooding were then accompanied by exposure to toxins, in addition to damage to property and infrastructure. More frequent and intense storms continue to put this neighborhood at greater and greater risk of flooding events. Despite years of government study and evaluation, the community of Eastwick has yet to receive any flood risk reduction or protection. The City of Philadelphia would use the requested funds to implement a flood barrier near the confluence of the Cobbs and Darby Creeks to reduce riverine flood risk at the most flood-prone portion of Eastwick. This, in turn, will minimize resident exposure to environmental toxins and property damage. 

Darby Borough Sanitary Sewer Improvements (Darby, PA): $657,026

Darby Borough

1020 Ridge Avenue

Darby, PA  19023

Project Address: 

100-300 blocks of Fern Street

Darby, PA  19023

Darby Borough will use the requested $657,025.60 to replace a sanitary sewer collection system on Fern Street, between Fourth Street and Damon’s Lane. Sewer replacement is an extraordinary undertaking for older communities, especially those in  low-to-moderate income brackets. Defective sewers result in backups into residences and overflows, which are punishable by financial penalties for polluting the waters of the Commonwealth. Additionally, broken and leaky systems permit infiltration into the sewer during wet weather events, resulting in additional expenses further down the line. The Fern St. area has the worst identified sanitary sewer condition throughout the Darby Borough collection system. By using this funding to replace the system, the borough will protect groundwater reserves and improve the health of nearby bodies of water, such as Cobbs Creek. This effort is essential to safeguarding the health of residents and ensuring a stable and resilient waste system for the entire area. 

East Lansdowne Borough Sanitary Sewer Collection System Replacement (East Lansdowne, PA): $959,752
East Lansdowne Borough
155 Lexington Avenue
East Lansdowne, PA  19050

Project Address: 

400-1000 blocks of Baltimore Avenue

East Lansdowne, PA  19050

East Lansdowne Borough will use the requested $1,484,384 to replace a sanitary sewer collection system on Baltimore Ave. Sewer replacement is difficult for older, smaller communities like East Lansdowne. Defective sewers result in backups into residences and overflows, which are punishable by financial penalties for polluting the waters of the Commonwealth. Additionally, broken and leaky systems permit infiltration into the sewer during wet weather events, resulting in surcharges at the treatment plant. 

Baltimore Ave is a state highway with residences and businesses connected to the sewer system from side streets. Maintenance on the line has been a consistent financial burden for the borough. By providing CPF funding, the borough can make the critical changes necessary to protect the health of residents and nearby businesses and save money for the borough and taxpayers. 

Christ Lutheran Community Church (CLCC) Childcare Enhancements (Upper Darby, PA): $500,000
Christ Lutheran Community Church
7240 Walnut Street
Upper Darby, PA 19082

Christ Lutheran Community Church (CLCC) proposes to add a free, high-quality afterschool program for children and youth (K-12) administered by Sunrise of Philadelphia, a secular, non-profit out-of-school (OST) resource provider. These funds will be used to renovate CLCC childcare facilities to meet state childcare licensing requirements. There is a critical need for additional services to support children, youth, and families in Upper Darby, PA. More than one-quarter of children under 18 are living below the federal poverty level. Among schools in the immediate vicinity of CLCC, English Language Arts (ELA) and Mathematics proficiency among students lags considerably below the state averages, with less than 10% of students in the middle and elementary schools proficient in Mathematics.

A 2021 analysis conducted by the Pennsylvania Joint State Government Commission determined that every $1 invested in high-quality afterschool programs returned $6.69 of potential societal benefits. The analysis identified specific positive academic outcomes for students, including improved school attendance, engagement, improved test scores, and grades. The $2,000,000 includes environmental study, certificates, permits and fees (130k),  a sprinkler design, a new water system and installation (887k), fire alarm design, installation, and modifications (75k), ADA-compliant room renovations and modifications (335K), HVAC, electrical and plumbing improvements (365k) and commercial kitchen renovations including commercial grade appliances and equipment (208k).

Norristown Family Residence Restoration in Norristown, PA - $1,000,000

The Salvation Army in Eastern Pennsylvania and Delaware

701 N Broad Street

Philadelphia, PA 19123

Project Address: 

533 Swede Street

Norristown, PA 19401

The Norristown Family Residence, operated by the Salvation Army in Eastern Pennsylvania and Delaware, serves as a refuge for those struggling with housing and food insecurity. The requested amount of $1,355,000.00 will be used to renovate and restore the century-old shelter to enhance its housing and community programs. 

The building housing these vital services has fallen into disrepair, and the long-deferred maintenance is now an imminent and critical need. The shelter processed 639 cases of persons facing housing insecurity and housed 383 people in 2022. The facility also serves as Montgomery County’s Code Blue shelter for the Norristown area and has a food pantry that serves over 100 families each month. The Norristown Corps is committed to ensuring that families have safe, secure housing where they can get help with their immediate needs. These renovations will allow the residence to meet the needs of those living and working there more adequately. Improvements to bathroom facilities, increased energy efficiency and associated cost savings from new windows and doors, and general abatement of hazardous materials will allow the shelter to better serve residents. 

Francis J. Myers Recreation Center Athletic Fields Renovation (Philadelphia, PA): $500,000

City of Philadelphia

1515 Arch Street

Philadelphia, PA 19102

Project Address: 

5801 Kingsessing Avenue

Philadelphia, PA 19143

The Francis J. Myers Recreation Center is an important community space in the Kingsessing neighborhood of Southwest Philadelphia. However, years of underinvestment have left the center and its athletic fields in a state of disrepair. The City of Philadelphia’s Rebuilding Community Infrastructure initiative (Rebuild) is working with the Kingsessing community to rehabilitate the center’s recreation building, playground, and basketball and tennis courts. But, because of budget constraints, Rebuild was unable to include the center’s athletic fields in the original project scope. With this federal funding, the Francis J. Myers Recreation Center Athletic Fields Renovation project will construct a new multi-purpose athletic field, renovate an existing baseball field, install lighting, and make irrigation and stormwater improvements. These new athletic fields will provide a safe place for children and youth to play outdoors and participate in team sports. 

FDR Park Community Access Improvements (Philadelphia, PA): $850,000
Fairmount Park Conservancy
Ohio House, 4700 States Drive
Philadelphia, PA 19131

Project Address:

FDR Park

1500 Pattison Avenue

Philadelphia, PA 19145

The 348-acre FDR Park in South Philadelphia is one of the most frequently visited sites in the entire Philadelphia park system. Located by the end of the Broad Street Subway Line, three major sports stadiums, and the rapidly growing Navy Yard, FDR Park draws millions of annual visitors from across the greater Philadelphia area. In 2019, Fairmount Park Conservancy, in partnership with Philadelphia Parks & Recreation, local design firm WRT, and the Friends of FDR Park, completed an 18-month planning process to develop the FDR Park Plan. These organizations engaged 10 City agencies, 20 stakeholder organizations, and nearly 3,000 South Philadelphia residents in the process, producing a plan to rehabilitate and renew the park. The plan has already received over $20 million from the City of Philadelphia, and the plan's Phase 1 projects are currently under construction. 

This Community Project Funding request will be used to begin construction of Phase 2 projects, specifically reinstalling basketball courts that were removed in the 1980s and constructing family gathering sites. These sites include a playground, spray ground, games plaza, and tables, benches, pergolas, and other shelters. These additions were the top two write-in requests expressed by the public during the planning process. This project will provide children and families with new places to play and spend time together while incentivizing park visitors to extend their stay. 

ACLAMO Community Center Renovation and Accessibility Modification (Norristown, PA): $1,000,000

ACLAMO

512 W Marshall Street

Norristown, PA 19401

Project Address: 

801 W Marshall Street

Norristown, PA 19401

ACLAMO is the only organization in Montgomery County that is focused on meeting the needs of low-income, at-risk Latinos with a full range of social services. Using a mix of donations and federal funds, ACLAMO recently purchased a property to develop into a community center that will provide youth education and workforce development programs, a food pantry, and a health and wellness center. This Community Project Funding request will support the completion of the center’s needed renovations by removing architectural structures that restrict the mobility and accessibility of older adults and people with disabilities; installing ramps, lifts, and an elevator; installing a sprinkler system; and repairing and weatherizing damaged architectural features. These renovations will make the new community center ADA accessible and bring the center into compliance with fire and occupancy codes. 

Navy Yard Lift Bridge Rehabilitation (Philadelphia, PA): $1,666,279

Philadelphia Authority for Industrial Development 

4501 South Broad Street

Philadelphia, PA 19112

Project Address:

26th Street Lift Bridge

Philadelphia, PA 19145

The 26th Street Lift Bridge is one of the main access points to the Philadelphia Navy Yard. The bridge sees over 5,000 unique trips weekly and connects thousands of workers to jobs at some of Philadelphia’s largest employers. Additionally, the bridge provides water access to the Philadelphia Naval Shipyard, which is the Navy's East Coast Naval Inactive Ship Maintenance Facility. The bridge has experienced multiple failures that disrupt transportation access and marine operations, causing traffic backups at shift changes and stranding vessels inside and outside the Reserve Basin. This Community Project Funding request will repair the structural, mechanical, and electrical systems needed to bring the bridge into a state of good repair. 

City of Philadelphia Group Violence Intervention (GVI) Program Expansion (Philadelphia, PA): $615,000

City of Philadelphia - Office of Violence Prevention 

1401 John F. Kennedy Boulevard, Suite 1430 Philadelphia, PA 19102

The City of Philadelphia began implementing its Group Violence Intervention (GVI) strategy in August 2020. The strategy aims to reduce shootings and homicides among high-risk individuals and groups while recognizing that a disproportionately small number of people commit the majority of gun violence. 

In February 2023, the University of Pennsylvania concluded an independent evaluation of the City’s strategy which found in part that “once a group-unit received GVI treatment, on average, it experienced a significant 38.6% reduction in shootings per week. Notably, receiving 2 doses of treatment relative to 0 doses of treatment produced a significant 50.3% reduction in shootings per week for a group-unit.” The study also surveyed Mobile Call-In Team (MCIT) participants and GVI clients, all of whom noted the positive secondary impacts of collaboration between the community and law enforcement.  

The City of Philadelphia's Group Violence Intervention Program Expansion project would enable the City to hire additional staff and leverage its existing Social Service Unit Structure to assign those staff geographically throughout Philadelphia, with a focus on areas most impacted by gun violence. Geographically assigned staff would be responsible for individual case management and community outreach. Their responsibilities would include developing a comprehensive list of resources within their assigned area including education, housing, mental health, and employment-focused resources. 

Family Support Line of Delaware County Law Enforcement Vicarious Trauma Reduction Pilot Program (Delaware County, PA): $300,000 

Family Support Line of Delaware County, Inc. 

100 W. 6th Street, Suite 1, Media, PA 19063

Family Support Line (FSL) addresses the needs of sexually abused children by working collaboratively with over 60 agencies in Delaware County, including all 47 law enforcement agencies and 6 victim services agencies. Over the past few years, FSL has experienced a significant increase in demand for services for children who have been victims of sexual abuse, commercial exploitation, and witness to violent crime. Law enforcement officers (LEOs), social workers, therapists, and case managers can experience vicarious trauma from working with these child victims, which often leads to compassion fatigue, burnout, secondary trauma stress, diminished concentration, cynicism, pessimism, and more. As the number of cases of sexual violence towards children increases, inevitably, vicarious trauma does as well. 

The Reducing Law Enforcement Vicarious Trauma through a Pilot Training and Prevention Program project aims to combat vicarious trauma by training LEOs, social workers, therapists, and case managers on how to gather minimal facts for referring victims to services, lessening their exposure to secondary trauma; reducing the number of victims by providing county-wide evidence-based sexual abuse prevention training programs directly to children, parents, and caregivers; providing psychosocial life skill classes and activities for at-risk children; and providing training on self-care to lessen the effects of vicarious trauma, particularly for LEOs. 

Eddystone Police Department Improving Police Accountability Project (Eddystone, PA): $100,000

Eddystone Police Department 

1300 East 12th Street. Eddystone, PA 19022

The Eddystone Police Department, the first borough department in Delaware County, PA to be accredited by the Pennsylvania Chiefs of Police Association, is tasked with providing effective, fair, and professional law enforcement services to the community of Eddystone Borough, PA. 

In pursuit of further bolstering its service to the public, the Improving Police Accountability in Eddystone Borough project would assist the Eddystone Police Department in purchasing and developing a body-worn camera program for its officers and upgrading its record management system. 

Mirmont Treatment Center Certified Recovery Specialist Mobile Team (Media, PA): $560,000

Mirmont Treatment Center

100 Yearsley Mill Road, Media, PA 19063

Mirmont Treatment Center, part of Main Line Health, has been providing treatment to patients struggling with substance use disorders and/or mental health disorders. This project will fund a Certified Recovery Specialist mobile team to work with emergency personnel in Delaware County to connect individuals to resources and to eliminate barriers to an individual accessing care for their substance use or mental health needs. This program aims to improve access to and coverage of services and supports in the community and to implement care delivery models that recognize the unique needs of individuals struggling with substance use disorders. With this mobile program, Mirmont Treatment Center (MTC) intends to attract and provide access to services to those in the Delaware County community. 

With this funding, MTC plans to employ a team of four Certified Recovery Specialists (CRS) and two case managers to deploy out in the community to screen and assess patients for substance abuse and mental health disorders. These screenings and assessments reduce barriers to accessing care in their community based on their needs, whether it be at the detox and residential levels of care or at the outpatient level of care. The case management team would work with the identified patients ensuring they stay connected to services to help provide more successful outcomes. Additionally, because Mirmont Treatment Center is part of a larger healthcare system, the connections and referral relationships are already established, allowing for the implementation of this program to be smoother and more effective.

Grace Manor Housing Development (Chester, PA): $1,000,000

Grace Manor Housing Development

1 Fourth Street, Chester, PA 19013

Project Address: 

2900 West 7th Street, Chester, PA 19013

The Grace Manor housing development is in the City of Chester on the site of the former Pulaski School that had been abandoned for over 20 years. The Chester Economic Development Authority (CEDA) was able to remediate and demolish the structure leaving a two-acre vacant parcel. The Chester Community Improvement Project (CCIP) was selected as a developer based on their decades of affordable housing production experience, their expertise in housing counseling, and their commitment to the community. 

Grace Manor will consist of approximately 20 homes constructed in at least two phases; the first phase for which funding is requested consists of 10 units. The units will be priced affordably for households at or below 80% of the area median income. 

In addition to offering a newly constructed quality home that cannot be found on the private market, Grace Manor will also include energy efficiency features that will reduce ongoing operating costs. 

Grace Manor is part of a larger revitalization effort to address neighborhood conditions and make connections to the Chester waterfront. The new housing will complement the recently completed ACCESS Community Center as well as a façade improvement project that will address the exterior condition of adjacent homeownership properties. 

Project funds will be used to bridge the gap between total development costs and the market values at which these homes can be sold. Infrastructure costs, including separating combined stormwater and sanitary sewer lines, increase project costs well beyond the amount of HOME funds allocated to Chester. As such, CEDA is requesting support to assist development.

Upper Chichester Library and Community Resource Center (Upper Chichester, PA): $500,000

Upper Chichester Library

3374 Chichester Avenue Suite #19, Upper Chichester, PA, 19061

Project Address: 

Kingsman Road, Upper Chichester, PA, 19061

This funding will be used to build an Upper Chichester Library and Community Resource Center. For the past 22 years, the library has served more than 25,000 patrons a year while operating from its tiny, 1,500-square-foot home in a strip mall. It is the only library serving Upper Chichester Township’s 17,000 residents and 400 businesses. The current space is inadequate and forces the library to regularly turn away those wishing to participate in its popular programs. The current Upper Chichester Library is already a significant staple in the community; however, the new Upper Chichester Library and Community Resource Center will improve the township’s civic, cultural, and recreational facilities in several critical ways. 

The new building will be fully ADA-compliant, allowing all visitors to access the center’s resources and programs. The new library will be a state-of-the-art building with a large children’s area and three study rooms to serve the community’s youth. It will be situated in the center of town, walkable from schools, businesses, apartment communities, and senior living communities. Its designated location is a park-like atmosphere with a playground and outdoor pavilion for all to enjoy. The new library will also have an immense impact on the Chichester School District. The library is open after the school libraries have closed, on weekends, and all summer to provide children with books and resources. Library staff help students with homework and projects and teach children to read, write, use computers, apply for jobs, and much more. 

The library is a safe haven for students after school, and the new building will be able to accommodate more patrons. The Upper Chichester Library and Community Resource Center will be a central gathering place and hub of learning for the local community. It will create jobs to support its expanded hours and services and boost the local economy by attracting additional visitors to the area.

To protect against any appearance of self-dealing, Congresswoman Scanlon submitted written certification to the Committee that neither she nor her family had any financial interest in any project submitted. Click here for copies of those disclosure letters.


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For Fiscal Year 2023, the following projects were submitted by our office and chosen by the House Appropriations Committee for inclusion in the Omnibus Appropriations Bill.

The Africa Center: $2,000,000

African Cultural Alliance of North America, Inc.

5530 Chester Avenue

Philadelphia, PA 19143

Project Address: 

5432-36 Chester Avenue

Philadelphia, PA 19143

The African Cultural Alliance of North America (ACANA) is a non-profit organization in Southwest Philadelphia that aids immigrants, refugees, and asylees in their resettlement and adjustment process. The Africa Center will be a multi-use building that will be a new anchor of economic and community development in Southwest Philadelphia. The building will accommodate a community center, pre-school, retail spaces, and health services offices and is expected to serve members of the African diaspora and communities in the Southwest Philadelphia, Greater Philadelphia, and Delaware Counties.

Decades of disinvestment in the communities surrounding the center have made it difficult to attract private capital to reverse the decline in its economic well-being and quality of life. The Africa Center, an approximately 41,000 square feet ground-up construction, is expected to spur economic development and attract new families into the community. The building will also be a critical space for welcoming and servicing new Americans immigrating to the area.

Access Community Center: $850,000

A Community Center Established by the Surgent Family for Society

2820 W 7th Street

Chester, PA 19013

A Community Center Established by the Surgent Family for Society (ACCESS), in partnership with the City of Chester, will use this CPF grant to construct a community center that will be a complete, ground-up construction on the former site of the athletic fields of the Pulaski School. 

The deterioration of the Pulaski School and its athletic fields has had a rippling effect on the surrounding residential neighborhood. As the school fell into disrepair, it became blighted and a site for illegal dumping. Members of the community have asked the City of Chester to take action on the site, and its redevelopment is a main priority of the city’s comprehensive plan, Chester Vision 2020. The ACCESS Community Center will meet this community goal, providing Chester residents with spaces for meeting and recreation, as well as programming for children, adults, and seniors. 

Navy Yard - Quay Wall Reconstruction: $2,000,000

City of Philadelphia

1400 JFK Boulevard

Philadelphia, PA 19107

Project Address: 

4500 S Broad Street

Philadelphia, PA 19112

The Quay Wall Reconstruction Project is an $18 million effort by the City of Philadelphia to make critical repairs and upgrades to the portion of Broad Street that connects the city with the Navy Yard, a vibrant area of the city that has become a hub for life sciences, emerging businesses and new hospitality and residential development. The 734-foot section of Broad Street linking the city center to the Navy Yard is constructed on a 120-year-old timber bridge structure that is original to the Navy Yard, and that structure has deteriorated substantially. With funds provided by this CPF request, the City will close its remaining funding gap and move forward with the project. The project will restore all four lanes of traffic on this section of roadway, along with sidewalks and bike lanes, and install streetscape amenities. The completed project will support multi modal transportation and access to the new jobs and workforce training  being created at the Navy Yard. 

Prison-to-Community Workforce Development Initiative: $1,988,635

County of Delaware

201 W. Front Street, Room 202, Media, PA 19063

Project Address: 

George W. Hill Correctional Facility

500 Cheyney Road

Thornton, PA 19373 

In April 2022, Delaware County reasserted public control of operations of the only Pennsylvania county prison being run by a for-profit entity, George W. Hill Correctional Facility. The county has the goal of promoting the public interest by reducing recidivism and promoting rehabilitation and opportunities for inmates. Delaware County’s Prison-to-Community Workforce Development Initiative will establish two programs at the prison that will provide direct employment training and support services to justice-impacted people.

The County will partner with two successful existing nonprofit reentry programs to offer skills-based career training services that begin during incarceration and follow individuals upon their release. They will connect individuals to in-community, fair-wage, paid internships and ongoing job and life skills support with community partners who are prepared to work with this population's unique needs. One program, New Leash on Life USA, pairs participants with rescue dogs to teach animal training and caretaking skills. The other program provides skill certification and horticultural training in landscaping through the Pennsylvania Horticultural Society (PHS) and Temple University’s Branching Up program. 

Both programs incorporate life skills training into their career-building curriculums to provide incarcerated persons with the tools necessary to obtain work, engage in positive workplace relationships, comply with criminal supervision requirements, navigate transportation, responsibly manage wages, and continue with positive trajectories in their communities. This behind-and-beyond-the-bars model empowers participants with life-long skills while permitting them to demonstrate success in the community through supported internships and individualized plans. These programs will reduce recidivism, increase job placement and retention, improve the carceral environment, and create healthier communities. 

Delaware County Health Department Health Equity Resource Improvement Initiative: $1,750,000

County of Delaware

201 W. Front Street, Room 202

Media, PA 19063

In April 2022, the Delaware County Health Department (DCHD) received approval to establish a county health department in the largest county in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania that did not provide such critical public services. To meet the challenge of establishing and providing comprehensive public health services, the Department needs to invest in additional equipment and technology. The funds awarded through this CPF will allow the health department to enhance core services and reach by implementing a comprehensive electronic health records system, improving the quality and diversity of diagnostic and treatment services available in its new mobile health unit, and purchasing lead screening equipment to combat high rates of lead toxicity among county residents.

Haverford Township Free Library Redevelopment: $2,000,000

Haverford Township

1014 Darby Road

Havertown, PA  19083

Project Address: 

Haverford Township Free Library

1601 Darby Rd

Havertown, PA 19083

Haverford Township, in Delaware County, provides public library services at the Haverford Township Free Library. Unfortunately, the current library is both undersized and underdeveloped, which limits services to not only the Haverford Township community but also the larger regional community of over 180,000 visitors per year.

Using funds provided by this CPF request, Haverford Township will be able to bring its library into the 21st century, expanding the quality and range of services it provides to better serve the ever-changing demographics and needs of the residents of Haverford Township and surrounding communities. The redeveloped library will feature a range of amenities, including a sensory room for the those with autism or other development challenges; a maker space/innovation zone that will support STEM education, workforce development, and entrepreneurship; a youth services floor to build out a safe space for teens and tweens who are looking for books, programs, and a place to study and gather after school; and a dedicated senior space with resources and programs geared toward community and lifelong learning.   

Helping Babies, Bellies, and Bottoms Program: $50,000

Individuals Aiding in Emergencies Foundation

2 New Road

Aston, PA 19014

The Individuals Aiding in Emergencies (IAE) Foundation is located in Aston, Delaware County, Pennsylvania. Its mission is to provide essential hygiene products to individuals and families impacted by events resulting in hardship, loss, or suffering. By collaborating with and assisting local organizations--such as county agencies, food pantries, and other nonprofits--IAF bridges gaps in resources and makes real quality of life improvements for the individuals it serves. 

During the COVID-19 pandemic, IAE Foundation launched its Helping, Babies, Bellies, and Bottoms Program, which distributed diapers to as many babies and children in need as possible. The program grew and now provides baby diapers, menstrual products, and incontinence products to partner organizations serving their communities. Using the funds awarded through their CPF request, IAE Foundation intends to open the first diaper bank in Delaware County.

Riddle Hospital ICU/Critical Nursing Unit Construction/Equipment: $1,000,000

Main Line Health

240 N Radnor Chester Road

Radnor, PA 19087

Riddle Hospital
1068 W. Baltimore Pike, Media, PA 19063

The funding will assist Riddle Hospital in renovating and improving its ICU and Critical Care Nursing Unit. It is part of Riddle Hospital’s Campus Master Plan that will mark the most significant facility improvement in its existence and is among the largest capital investments in Main Line Health history. Once completed in 2024, the hospital will be equipped with all private patient rooms, contemporary facilities, and advanced technology to support the evolving needs of the community.

The community served by Riddle Hospital is quickly aging. The 65+ population within our surrounding neighborhoods is projected to grow by more than 20% in the years ahead. While the Baby Boom generation is healthier than those before, the oldest members of this generation are beginning to see their needs for healthcare increase and a large threshold will hit that need all at once.

Riddle Hospital provides inpatient and outpatient services to a 21% minority population. Main Line Health is committed to enhancing the health status of the communities we serve, with increased focus on vulnerable and high-risk populations. By creating innovative programs that have a lasting impact on the communities we serve, and by meeting people where they live, work, play and pray, together we are creating a culture of health for generations.

Southwest Philadelphia Birth Center: $1,000,000

Resources for Human Development’s Family Practice and Counseling Network

6100 Woodland Ave

Philadelphia PA 19142

Resources for Human Development (RHD) is a nonprofit organization with more than 50 years of experience providing a variety of programs, with particular emphasis on serving populations with mental illness, substance use disorders, developmental disabilities, and homelessness. Family Practice and Counseling Network (FPCN), a program of RHD, is a network of federally qualified community health centers that uses a nurse-managed, integrated model to deliver primary care, behavioral health, dental, and preventive services, which are co-located at the centers and are designed to holistically treat patients. 

FPCN will use community project funds to improve childbirth and maternal health outcomes in the Philadelphia area by building and opening Philadelphia’s only birth center. The birth center will offer comprehensive midwifery-led reproductive care (including prenatal) and labor and delivery options for women and families who face poor maternal outcomes and high rates of maternal mortality. CPF funds will allow RHD to renovate and outfit the three birthing suites, which will help improve maternal outcomes and revolutionize childbirth and maternal healthcare in an area of great need. 

Schuylkill River Trail: Bartram's to Passyunk Phase II Land Acquisition: $2,000,000

Schuylkill River Development Corporation

2401 Walnut Street, Suite 603

Philadelphia, PA 19103

Project Address: 

6035 W Passyunk Avenue

Philadelphia, PA 19153

The Schuylkill River Development Corporation (SRDC) is a nonprofit organization working with the City of Philadelphia to revitalize the tidal Schuylkill River corridor into an asset that connects diverse communities to each other and the river. The centerpiece of this effort is the construction, programming, and maintenance of a continuous eight-mile riverfront trail and greenway with associated access points and amenities along the tidal river branded as Schuylkill Banks.

Schuylkill Banks, the southernmost eight miles of the Schuylkill River Trail and part of the Circuit Trails, is a vital recreation and transportation asset used by thousands of individuals each week to safely connect to their destinations and participate in healthy living activities. The completed trail segments improve the quality of life for neighbors, encourage additional investment in the surrounding communities, and are an environmental resource.  With the CPF grant, SRDC will acquire the land needed to build a public trail and greenway along approximately 3,400 feet of the tidal Schuylkill River in Southwest Philadelphia and within an area that has not seen this type of investment in decades. 

Senior Community Services Schoolhouse Capital Improvements: $2,000,000

Senior Community Services

600 Swarthmore Avenue

Folsom, PA 19033 

Senior Community Services (SCS) promotes independent and meaningful living for older adults in Delaware County through direct services and programs in the home and community. Formed in 1977, SCS started as one small center in Darby Township and has grown into a vital, respected community organization that serves a diverse community of more than 20,000 older residents of PA-05 annually.

SCSs include four nationally-accredited Senior Centers that nurture active older adults through a host of programs such as meal delivery, learning centers, long-term care management, caregiver support, medicare navigation support, aging at home programs that preserve the independence and maintain dignity for seniors, a cognitive stimulation program that loans brain fitness kits; and a robust Volunteer Program enlisting more than 400 volunteers who provide 42,000 hours of service.

Senior Community Services (SCS) will use a Community Project Fund grant to renovate and expand Schoolhouse Center, the oldest building in the agency’s real estate portfolio and a critical piece of the agency’s infrastructure, adding an elevator and additional space for activities and programs within the agency’s flagship senior center, which already consistently attracts the greatest annual attendance, houses a kitchen that produces hundreds of meals per day for onsite service and delivery to frail seniors, and contains the agency’s executive offices. This capital improvement project will solidify Schoolhouse Center’s role as a safe and trusted pillar in Greater Ridley.

Delaware County Food Bank Acquisition and Renovation: $2,000,000

Share Food Program

101 Amosland Road

Holmes, PA 19043

Recent data indicates that ten percent of Delaware County’s population lives below the federal poverty line. This means that over 50,000 residents are experiencing food insecurity. Given this need, the Share Food Program (“Share”) was selected last year by the Delaware County Department of Human Services to establish a Delaware County Food Bank. Share works with numerous community partners to provide nutritious food to residents facing food insecurity and has recently acquired an 8,000-square-foot, centrally-located warehouse in Holmes, Ridley Township, to carry out its mission. 

Share Food Program’s Delaware County Food Bank Acquisition and Renovation Project will support the building out of additional warehouse space so Share can better meet its operational capabilities and ensure that individuals and families struggling with food insecurity have access to the nutritious food they need. Investment in the Delaware County Food Bank’s infrastructure will go toward ensuring that food distribution reaches all 49 municipalities in the county, supporting equitable food access and strengthened capacity in all the county’s pantries, increasing outreach to community members facing food insecurity, and establishing a home food delivery program to those that are homebound. 

MusicMan Butterfly Buddy Program Project: $115,000 

Upper Darby Arts & Education Foundation

1051 Pontiac Road, #707

Drexel Hill, PA 19026

Upper Darby Arts & Education Foundation (UDAEF) works to enhance educational and cultural opportunities for students in Upper Darby School District, one of the largest and most diverse school districts in the Commonwealth. In July of 2021, UDAEF launched the MusicMan Butterfly Buddy Program, a creative arts camp that brings together therapists, music educators, special education teachers, and students with disabilities to celebrate, succeed, and grow through music and movement. 

The program incorporates a strengths-based approach that reinforces and enhances social communication, motor, and cognitive skills with an emphasis on enrichment and fun through creative arts participation. All participants are guided by certified and registered music, art, and dance therapists as well as certified music educators. Sessions have included an inclusive choir where participants and their buddies learn songs as peer partners, creating “family culture” with music, ‘Ukes and You,’ ‘Dynamic Drumming,’ and ‘Mindful Movement’ which uses a colorful parachute and yoga stretching for calming the mind. 

Funding from the MusicMan Butterfly Buddy Program Project will allow for the continuation of this program and make it more accessible by allowing children within Upper Darby School District to attend free of charge, offering subsidized transportation opportunities for participants, expanding the program beyond the summer months, and increasing capacity to welcome participants throughout the special needs population. This funding will have a long-lasting impact on the lives of children and families in the community, as creative arts not only provide therapeutic benefits for the neurodiverse, but also helps children develop interpersonal skills, unveil new talents, build confidence, and foster lasting friendships. 

Media VFW Post Maintenance: $50,000

Veterans of Foreign Wars Post 3460

11 Hilltop Road

Media, PA 19063

The Media VFW Post 3460 was chartered in 1936 to provide a welcoming, therapeutic, and safe atmosphere for returning veterans and their families and friends. Since then, the Post has provided services to veterans of World War I and II, Korea, Vietnam, Desert Storm, Afghanistan, Iraq, and more. The Post sponsors blood drives, Patriot's Pen essay contests, and Little League Teams, and provides community outreach for various needs, volunteering hundreds of man-hours and tens of thousands of dollars in donations. The Post serves as a meeting place for our veterans, as well as an affordable venue for community gatherings like birthdays, graduation parties, and group dinners. 

To stay open, Post 3460 is in need of major repairs, including repairs to its parking lot, fencing, and plumbing. Using funds provided by this CPF request, the project will resurface and recontour the post’s damaged parking lot, completely redo its exterior fencing, and make necessary fixes to the property’s plumbing system. 

Lansdowne Y Swimming Pool Rehabilitation: $1,500,000

YMCA of Eastern Delaware County

2110 Garrett Road

Lansdowne, PA 19050

The Lansdowne Y has served the Delaware County community, and specifically Upper Darby and Lansdowne families, for more than sixty years. Throughout that time, it’s been a place where countless kids learn to swim, go to summer camp, and attend early learning programs, as well as where older adults can safely access water and exercise classes. Importantly, as a part of its children’s swimming lessons, instructors at the Lansdowne Y emphasize critical skills such as water safety and self-rescue. 

The Lansdowne facility’s pool area has been minimally updated since it was built in 1964, and as a result, many of its systems and structures are outdated and inefficient. The YMCA of Eastern Delaware County’s Lansdowne Y Swimming Pool Rehabilitation Project will make much-needed updates to this important community space, including upgrades to HVAC and ventilation to improve energy efficiency and air quality, pool water filtration, piping, and water heating systems to improve energy efficiency, and pool lights to improve safety. It will also be used to shallow the deep end of the pool to increase the usable swim lesson teaching area. In rehabilitating its pool, the Lansdowne Y will be able to increase its capacity to provide water classes, including life-saving water safety instruction, and recreation to tens of thousands of local children and adults each year. This project will ensure that the Y continues to be a safe place for recreation and a cornerstone of the local community for generations to come.