Innovation Grants Program to serve Philadelphia youth – Sep 18

Posted by Seybert Foundation on August 18, 2026

Does your organization have an idea that you know could create big change for children and youth in Philadelphia, but you haven’t had the time or resources to test its viability? An idea your team is excited to talk about, and has mapped out, but the results are still unproven so you don’t include it in a grant application? A solution that seems so novel you’re surprised it hasn’t been implemented yet? If so, the Seybert Foundation would like to hear about it.

The Seybert Foundation, an independent foundation dedicated to providing support to nonprofit organizations serving children and youth in the City of Philadelphia, is now accepting proposals for our 2026 Innovation Grants Program.

Seybert Foundation’s Innovation Grants Program will provide one-time grants for proof-of-concept purposes, intended for emergent or existing Philadelphia-youth-serving nonprofit organizations and fiscally sponsored projects wishing to either test a bold new approach OR pursue a time-sensitive opportunity that could lead to significant change.

Applications will be accepted until September 18, 2026, 8:00 PM EDT.

Individual grants will range in size from $20,000-$60,000. Historically, these grants have been highly competitive with only 6% of applications being funded.

Eligibility: The proposed innovation should focus on serving Philadelphia youth as the primary target population. Seybert defines “primary” to mean that more than 50% of the overall target population must be Philadelphia youth (up to age 24).

Priorities: Priority will be given to those projects or initiatives that, theoretically, could help an organization dramatically increase the impact of its services to Philadelphia youth, whether by altering an existing model or by testing a new model.

The deadline to apply for the spring cycle is Friday, September 18, 2026, at 8:00 PM EDT.

Visit the Innovation Grants Program page of the Seybert Foundation website to access the proposal form and for complete program guidelines and instructions: https://www.seybertfoundation.org/innovation-grants-program

If you have any questions, please contact me at theresa@seybertfoundation.org.