In 1991, Pew created the Pew Fund for Health and Human Services in Philadelphia (Pew Fund) to serve as the primary vehicle through which it supports health and social service organizations in the Philadelphia region. The program focuses its assistance on organizations that serve some of the most vulnerable members of the community – disadvantaged children and families; adults with multiple, complex issues such as those related to homelessness and mental health problems; and the frail elderly.

Since its inception, Pew Fund has awarded approximately $170 million to more than 300 health and human service nonprofit organizations in Philadelphia and neighboring Bucks, Chester, Delaware and Montgomery counties.

The metropolitan region is home to large numbers of people in need, and the nonprofit organizations that work with these individuals also need strengthening themselves. Pew Fund is partnering with the OMG Center for Collaborative Learning to offer capacity-building support that will help nonprofits become more results-oriented, financially secure and able to adapt to new demands. Several special initiatives are a critical part of the Pew Fund’s efforts. One of these is the Programs Adjusting to a Changing Environment, or PACE, an educational series that helps the program’s grantees understand and adapt to critical trends and policy issues.  

The Pew Fund also identifies targeted policy responses to issues that affect the well-being of individuals and families in the region. For example, to help key stakeholders in Pennsylvania understand the state’s Medicaid program, Pew Fund took the lead in establishing the independent and nonpartisan Pennsylvania Medicaid Policy Center, which has also received support from across the commonwealth. With operating support from Pew, the Pennsylvania Health Law Project spearheads the efforts of the Pennsylvania Assisted Living Consumer Alliance to ensure that the state’s assisted living regulations safeguard consumer health and safety.  And lastly, the Pew Fund is assisting the Community Oversight Board of Philadelphia’s Department of Human Services to independently monitor the department’s implementation of needed reforms in protecting the city’s most vulnerable children.