Responsive, Accountable Local Government in Philadelphia RFP Grant

The William Penn Foundation's Responsive, Accountable Local Government RFP aims to enhance civic engagement in Philadelphia by fostering a local government that is more responsive to residents' needs. The initiative seeks to build trust and participation among underrepresented communities, addressing the low voter turnout in local elections. By encouraging collaboration between citizens and government, the Foundation hopes to ensure that the voices of Philadelphians are heard, ultimately leading to better governance and accountability.

Background
Through the Democracy and Civic Initiatives program, the William Penn Foundation seeks to build trust and participation, particularly among underrepresented communities, in Pennsylvania’s democratic processes. Trust and confidence grow when people inside and outside of government work together to set policy and advance a shared agenda.
Philadelphians see the impact of local government on their lives every day. Local government determines whether trash gets picked up from the curb each week, how the schools are run, the cost of someone’s property taxes each year, and which local businesses are approved to open on a block. Despite the significant influence of local government on people’s lives, the importance of local government is overlooked when it comes time to participate in local elections, as we often see voter turnout below 35% in Philadelphia when it comes time to vote for Mayor, and it can be even less for other offices like City Controller or District Attorney.
Studies show that voters don’t turn out to vote when they feel like the government doesn’t take their opinions into account when making decisions. Through this opportunity, we hope to help Philadelphians have their voices be better heard by local government.
In this RFP, WPF is focusing on helping people inside and outside of Philadelphia government build a local government that is more responsive to the needs of Philadelphians. WPF plans to track this objective through a periodic survey to understand change over time.
Opportunity Overview
The Foundation seeks to support efforts that help Philadelphia’s local government be responsive to residents’ needs and accountable to constituent priorities.