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A Message from Our President: Keeping Freedom's Promise Within Reach

Dear Friends, Community Members and Partners,


America has celebrated its 250th anniversary, and Philadelphia stands at the center of that celebration. This is the birthplace of America, the city where liberty was declared and a nation began.


Yet beyond the tall buildings and the well established tourism scene, Philadelphia is too often a forgotten city. The living conditions and setbacks faced by families in our neighborhoods rarely make it into the anniversary story: rising food prices, housing costs, and childcare expenses stretching household budgets to the breaking point. For families already living paycheck to paycheck, summer often brings even greater financial pressure.

That is why I am asking for your support today.


At the Urban League of Greater Philadelphia, we believe freedom means more than possibility. It means real access to the opportunities that let families build stable, secure futures: a good job, a first home, a thriving business, a healthy community. For more than a century, we have moved people from cradle to career to capital to community across our 10-county region.


With generosity from supporters like you, our work made a real difference this past year:


  • More than 3,450 households reached through housing counseling and financial assistance, with 900 families connected to home purchases and over $4.1 million administered in first-time homebuyer grant funding

  • 910 entrepreneurs served through our Entrepreneurship Center, securing $5.5 million in contracts, creating 243 jobs, and launching 14 new businesses

  • The launch of our Community Development Financial Institution, providing capital directly to homeowners and small business owners historically excluded from traditional lending

  • More than 480 scholarships awarded since 2003, including $160,000 to 32 graduating seniors this year alone

  • 239 justice-impacted neighbors supported through trauma-informed reentry programs as they rebuild their lives


These numbers represent real people in our region: new graduates, new homeowners, new business owners, and families creating better futures for themselves and their children.

But progress is not guaranteed.


In the city where America's promise was first written, we must keep investing in the work that makes that promise real for the neighbors who need it most.


Please make your gift today and help ensure that freedom and opportunity remain within reach for every family in our region.


Thank you for standing with us in this work.



Dr. Darrin W. Anderson Sr., Ph.D., MS President and CEO, Urban League of Greater Philadelphia



P.S. Summer brings added costs and urgent pressure for families already stretched thin. Please make your gift today to help more of our neighbors access the opportunities they need now.


Momentum Newsletter: July 2026 | Issue 7 | Civil Rights & Civic Inclusion



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