William Penn Foundation Awards La Salle University
$200,000 Grant to Help Plan Large-Scale Projects
That Will Have Major Impact in NW Philadelphia

The William Penn Foundation has awarded La Salle University a $200,000 grant to help the University, in partnership with the community, plan and develop several large-scale projects that will have a dramatic impact on the quality of life in the neighborhoods surrounding its campus in Northwest Philadelphia.

La Salle will also work closely with the Greater Philadelphia Urban Affairs Coalition and The Reinvestment Fund, both of which will provide technical expertise as consultants to the proposed projects.

"The initiative that is being funded by the William Penn Foundation is a significant part of La Salle’s 10-year Neighborhood Investment Strategy, which our Board of Trustees approved in 2005,” said Br. Michael J. McGinniss, F.S.C., President of La Salle University. “Through this effort, we will engage our community in a new way to build consensus around a plan for broad and lasting neighborhood development. The University is fully committed to the success of this critical endeavor and deeply appreciates the William Penn Foundation's financial commitment."

The purpose of this grant will be manifold and enable the University to accomplish the following: determine the appropriate structure for managing administrative functions that impact the community; create policies and systems that institutionalize La Salle’s efforts to proactively engage the community through regular dialogue and business-related opportunities; create or participate in a community advisory board; create a plan that identifies community leaders and sets a direction for forging future relationships, and develop a revitalization plan/strategy that is widely accepted.

Also, the University is currently involved in the development of a $12 million retail shopping outlet located along Chew Avenue between Wister Street and Church Lane. The complex will be anchored by a 50,000-square foot Fresh Grocer supermarket. Construction is to begin this summer with the stores opening in the fall of 2008. Once completed, these businesses will create more than 300 full- and part-time permanent employment opportunities for area residents.

La Salle has purchased the Germantown Hospital property from the Albert Einstein Healthcare Network. The hospital, along the University’s western border at Wister Street, is comprised of roughly 25 acres and more than 500,000 square feet of office space. The William Penn grant will provide necessary resources to enable La Salle to plan so that its projects will have a beneficial impact on the neighborhoods adjacent to the University.

The University has also acquired another property adjacent to the Germantown Hospital that is currently under-used and in disrepair, creating blight and unsafe conditions.

The Manna Bible Institute, a 4.75-acre site situated just west of the Germantown Hospital property, suffered a fire that has left the property in disrepair, as the abandoned buildings have become sites for smaller fires, dumping and a community eyesore and threat to public safety. La Salle plans to demolish the fire-damaged structures and clear the property of all debris. The William Penn grant will help the University determine a new use for the site.

The University is also undertaking several projects with the Fairmount Park Commission, the Ogontz Avenue Revitalization Corporation, and neighborhood groups to help rehabilitate abandoned properties, plant trees and possibly improve the Wister Avenue Train Station stop.

The William Penn Foundation, founded in 1945 by Otto and Phoebe Haas, is dedicated to improving the quality of life in the Greater Philadelphia region through efforts that foster rich cultural expression, strengthen children’s futures, and deepen connections to nature and community.  In partnership with others, the Foundation works to advance a vital, just, and caring community.  Learn more about the Foundation online at www.williampennfoundation.org.