News
Philly will host 52 parties to celebrate 52 historic firsts in 2026
The weekly, citywide, yearlong celebration, organized by the Philadelphia Historic District 250th Committee, will honor America’s 250th birthday Philadelphia is home to a lot of American firsts. First Slinky. First ice cream soda. First Thanksgiving Day Parade. First Mummer. Totally us. First Zoo. First penitentiary. First children’s hospital. First flower show. First African American Methodist […]
...Artifacts from Frederick Douglass, Martin Luther King, and Gandhi are coming to Philly for America’s 250th
Many of the new artifacts carry the weight of history, but also the freedom stories and intimate histories of the families that long preserved them. Kenneth B. Morris Jr.’s family treasures have always been American treasures. Morris, 62, is the great-great-great-grandson of abolitionist and orator, Frederick Douglass, and great-great-grandson of famed educator and founder of […]
...Can We Still Throw an Epic 250th Birthday Party?
So far, Philadelphia’s schemes to celebrate the nation’s Semiquincentennial have had their fair share of setbacks and doubters. Is it too late to make next year’s celebration of America our best yet? Everyone, no matter who you are — whether you were born here, whether you came here from another country because you were being […]
...announcements
Press Release
The Connelly Foundation, the William Penn Foundation, the Pew Charitable Trusts, and the Neubauer Family Foundation today announced the launch of a philanthropic initiative: the Philadelphia Funder Collaborative for the Semiquincentennial. The four grantmakers have committed $9 million to the Funder Collaborative, which is intended to provide financial support to Philadelphia-region nonprofits as they prepare and implement programs commemorating the 250th birthday of the United States on July 4, 2026.
