Connelly Foundation

Name

Connelly Foundation

Legal name

Connelly Foundation

Website

https://www.connellyfdn.org

Company type

Private

Operating status

Operating

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Philanthropic Foundation / Private Grantmaking

NAICS

Grantmaking Foundations (813211)

akta.pro primary industry

Private Foundations (BPAGAKAA)

akta.pro secondary industries

Education Grantmaking Foundations (BPAGAKAK), Arts, Culture & Humanities Grantmaking Foundations (BPAGAKAJ), Scholarship & Fellowship Foundations and Trusts (EDADAHAC)

Keywords

• Philanthropic grantmaking
• Private foundation grants
• Catholic education scholarships
• Nonprofit program funding
• Community philanthropy

Headquarters

HQ city

W. Conshohocken

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Others

Revenue model

1. Foundation Grantmaking: The Connelly Foundation operates as a private philanthropic foundation making grants to nonprofit organizations in the Philadelphia region. The Foundation was established in 1955 by John and Josephine Connelly and has made grants totaling more than half a billion dollars over nearly seven decades. In 2024, the Foundation awarded over $15.4 million in grants across education, human services, arts and culture, and civic renewal portfolios.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels2 records

Marketing channels4 records

Core offering

The Connelly Foundation is a private philanthropic foundation that distributes grants to nonprofit organizations in the Philadelphia region across four focus areas — Catholic Education, Human Services, Arts & Culture, and Civic Renewal. It awards unrestricted operating support, program/project grants, and capital grants, and runs its own scholarship programs (Neumann Scholars and Josephine C. Connelly Achievement Awards) plus educational initiatives such as Summer Tech Academy, Math Matters, and the Connelly Access Program. In 2024 it awarded over $15.4 million in grants, bringing cumulative giving since 1955 to more than $500 million.

Product overview

The Connelly Foundation operates as a philanthropic grantmaking organization rather than a technology product company. Its core offerings consist of financial grant programs (General Operating Support, Program/Project Grants, and Capital Grants) across four focus areas: Catholic Education, Human Services, Arts & Culture, and Civic Renewal. The Foundation's major product offerings include scholarship programs (Neumann Scholars Program and Josephine C. Connelly Achievement Awards launched in 1995), educational initiatives (Summer Tech Academy, Math Matters, Connelly Access Program, School Leadership Development, and Bridges for Schools), and the grantmaking portfolio. The Foundation awarded over $15.4 million in grants in 2024, with a total investment of $134M in Catholic education since 1955.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Neumann Scholars Program: Scholarship program initiated in 1995 that identifies academically talented 8th-grade students in the parochial school system and provides four-year scholarships to attend Archdiocesan high schools.
• Josephine C. Connelly Achievement Awards
• Connelly Scholars Program
• Cecilia Fund
• Summer Tech Academy
• Math Matters
• Connelly Access Program (CAP)
• Philadelphia Funder Collaborative for the Semiquincentennial

Products and services

• Neumann Scholars Program A four-year scholarship program for academically talented 8th-grade students in the Archdiocese of Philadelphia, providing tuition support to attend Archdiocesan high schools. To date, 1,232 scholars have been supported with approximately $22 million in tuition awarded.
• Josephine C. Connelly Achievement Awards Four-year tuition grants covering 50% of tuition for students continuing Catholic education at Archdiocesan high schools. Awarded to 8th-grade students demonstrating Catholic values, academic potential, community service, and financial need. To date, 4,115 scholars have been supported with approximately $28 million awarded.
• General Operating Support Grants Unrestricted financial support grants to help advance an organization's overall mission, available to nonprofits in the Foundation's four focus areas within the Philadelphia region.
• Program/Project Grants Grants funding specific initiatives or deliverables within a set timeframe, awarded to nonprofits in the Catholic Education, Human Services, Arts & Culture, or Civic Renewal focus areas.
• Capital Grants

Quantifiable outcome

• Over $15.4 million in grants awarded in 2024
• +3 more outcomes

Named customers5 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles5 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Nine partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Historical Society of PennsylvaniacoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2024The Connelly Foundation partnered with the Historical Society of Pennsylvania to host National History Day Philadelphia competition at the National Constitution Center. The Foundation committed $50,000 for the 2024 and 2025 competitions. Nearly 200 students participated in 2024.
• Chester County Historical SocietycoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2024The Connelly Foundation partnered with the Chester County Historical Society for the National History Day competition serving Chester and Delaware counties. Combined commitment of $50,000 with the Historical Society of Pennsylvania for 2024-2025 competitions.
• Crimsonbridge FoundationminorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2023The Connelly Foundation partnered with Crimsonbridge Foundation in 2023 to offer the Bridges for Schools Program supporting Archdiocese of Philadelphia schools that participated in the University of Notre Dame's Latino Enrollment Institute. To date, 13 participating schools have received support.
• University of Notre Dame - Alliance for Catholic EducationcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2023The Foundation partners with the University of Notre Dame's Alliance for Catholic Education (ACE) to provide leadership development programs for Philadelphia-area Catholic school staff. The Foundation also supports the Latino Enrollment Institute (LEI) and has funded the Leadership Impact Grant initiative.
• Philadelphia Academy of School LeaderscoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2023The Connelly Foundation partners with Philadelphia Academy of School Leaders to provide leadership development programming for Philadelphia-area Catholic school principals and leaders through grants.
• HopeworkscoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2022The Foundation provided $300,000 grant in August 2022 to support Hopeworks' expansion from Camden to Kensington, Philadelphia. Also made a two-year, $80,000 commitment to serve individuals on the waiting list. Hopeworks provides technical training and employment opportunities to young adults, with graduates earning over $43,000 annually.
• Woodmere Art MuseumcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2021The Foundation awarded $400,000 in 2021 to support Woodmere's purchase of the adjacent St. Michael's Hall estate, and an additional $100,000 capstone grant in late 2024 for continuing renovations. The space was renamed Frances M. Maguire Hall for Art and Education.
• Father Judge High SchoolcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2019The Foundation provided $200,000 in 2019 for lab construction and $1 million for the Career Pathways Academy building at Father Judge High School. The school launched CTE programs in welding, automotive technician, and HVAC with Foundation support.
• Archdiocese of PhiladelphiacoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2010The Connelly Foundation partners with the Archdiocese of Philadelphia on multiple initiatives including Math Matters (launched 2010), Summer Tech Academy (developed 2009), Connelly Access Program (CAP), and school leadership development programs. The Foundation has invested over $134 million in Catholic Education since 1955.

Scale indicators12 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• The Lenfest Foundation: Philadelphia-area private family foundation focused on education, culture, and community. Closely comparable in mission scope, geographic concentration, and family-legacy governance model.
• The Annenberg Foundation: Large private family foundation with significant Philadelphia footprint and comparable multi-decade scale of giving. Operates with a similarly focused portfolio across education, arts, and civic causes, often through signature place-based initiatives.
• The Kresge Foundation: Large private U.S. foundation making multi-sector grants across education, health, arts, and community development. Comparable in sustaining perpetual family-foundation status with multi-state operating reach and broad programmatic portfolio.
• The Pew Charitable Trusts: Philadelphia-headquartered national/international grantmaking organization with comparable scale and a multi-decade operating history. Provides a benchmark for staff and program sophistication at the Foundation's aspirational scale.
• The William Penn Foundation: Philadelphia-based private foundation making place-based grants in education, arts/culture, and human services across the same five-county region that anchors Connelly's giving. Most direct geographic peer for the Foundation's regional focus.

Others

• National Philanthropic Trust: Donor-advised fund and philanthropic infrastructure provider that holds the $4M Connelly Foundation commitment for the Semiquincentennial. Comparable as an ecosystem enabler rather than a direct grantmaking competitor.

Emerging players

• Jack Kent Cooke Foundation: Education-focused private foundation supporting high-achieving students with scholarships and grants. Directly comparable in its scholarship-program DNA and Catholic/non-public-school student focus.

Regional players

• The McCune Foundation: Pennsylvania-rooted private foundation with grantmaking in education, human services, and arts. Comparable in mission mix and family-foundation operating model but anchored to southwestern Pennsylvania.
• The Heinz Endowments / Henry L. Hillman Foundation: Pittsburgh-based family foundation with grantmaking across education, human services, arts, and civic life. Comparable operating model and sector mix, but operating in a different metro/region than Connelly.

Broad incumbents

• The Walton Family Foundation: Large multigenerational family foundation with significant K-12 education and arts/culture grantmaking. Comparable family-stewardship governance and long-horizon perpetual giving model at substantially larger scale.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles11 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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M&A

Investments1 record

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Frequently asked questions about Connelly Foundation