Independence Public Media Foundation Announces $3.6 million in Grants to 32 Organizations and Projects
PHILADELPHIA, August 21, 2025—The Independence Public Media Foundation (IPMF) announces $3.6 million in renewed grants to 32 organizations and projects supporting community-led and owned storytelling and media for movement building throughout the Greater Philadelphia region.
IPMF’s Key Partners grant cycle provides ongoing operation and project support to grantees aligned with the foundation’s strategic vision for a local media ecosystem fueled by historically marginalized and oppressed communities who produce and distribute their own media narratives for liberation, joy, memory, and accountability.
“Our grantee partnerships are not just about funding; they are about holding steady, renewing our belief in what’s possible when we move together, and courageously pursuing our shared vision of a liberatory future, especially in times of opposition,” said IPMF Program Officer, Learning and Networks Samíl Jimenez Magdaleno.
The cycle also includes $50,000 in field-building support for the Philanthropy Network Greater Philadelphia, a leadership and service hub that organizes regional philanthropy to engage in mutual learning, network building, and collective action.
Below is a full listing of the grants:
Community Storytelling
2Puntos Platform
$100,000
For general operating support of 2Puntos, a hyperlocal media outlet connecting Philadelphia's multigenerational Latine communities.
Actívate Stories
$40,000
To preserve the cultural histories of underrepresented Latinx, Black, and multigenerational immigrant artists and cultural workers in the Greater Philadelphia region.
Afro-American Historical Society of Delaware (WHGE-LP 95.3 FM)
$75,000
For general operating support of WHGE-LP, Delaware's first and only Black-owned radio station.
Al-Bustan Seeds of Culture
$100,000
For support of Al-Bustan News Service, covering the cultural life of Southwest Asian and North African (SWANA) peoples of Greater Philadelphia.
BlackStar Projects
$200,000
To support the general operations of Blackstar, which elevates the stories of Black, Brown and Indigenous filmmakers and builds community through independent film.
Centro de Cultura, Arte, Trabajo y Educación (CCATE)
$130,000
To continue strengthening REVARTE media and launch Radio REVARTE, the first community and educational radio station for the Latino and immigrant community in Montgomery County.
cinéSPEAK
$150,000
To support cinema spaces and audiences in Philadelphia by featuring the stories of individuals and communities that are often underrepresented in mainstream cinema.
Comité de Apoyo a los Trabajadores Agrícolas (CATA)
$50,000
To support the radio station of CATA, which seeks to empower farmworkers and immigrant workers.
Communitas Arts + Culture, LLC — Drag Arts Oral History Project
$60,000
For continued support building the archive of oral histories of Philadelphia area drag artists, and activating their existing archive through new multimedia-focused efforts.
DayOneNotDayTwo
$50,000
To support the Community Apprentice Fellowship, which provides community-centered journalism training to residents of North Philadelphia.
G-Town Radio (WGGT-LP 92.9 FM)
$75,000
For operating support of WGGT-LP, a community radio station serving the Germantown neighborhood in Northwest Philadelphia.
Germantown Info Hub
$150,000
For continued support of Germantown Info Hub, a community-led journalism outlet in Germantown.
Institute for the Development of Education in the Arts (IDEA)
$35,000
To change the negative Camden City news ecosystem with positive news stories through a multimedia program, including zines, podcasts and journalism training.
Klein Center for Community Engaged Media
$75,000
For continued support of the Center for Community-Engaged Media, which supports journalism, media, and civic information systems that center communities and encourage dialogue, and care.
Philadelphia Youth Media Collaborative
$45,000
For continued support of the Philadelphia Youth Media Collaborative, a collaborative of member organizations focused on expanding youth media.
PhillyCAM
$500,000
To support the general operations of PhilyCAM, a vital hub for community media in Philadelphia where residents express themselves, learn from each other, and produce and share media reflective of the experiences of everyday people.
Radio MILPA (Movement of Immigrant Leaders in Pennsylvania)
$50,000
For operating support for Radio MILPA, an online radio platform that is shifting narratives about immigrant and working class people.
Scribe Video Center
$500,000
To support the general operations of Scribe Video Center, an important media arts organization in the Philadelphia region that encourages the production and distribution of media that represent diverse communities including novice media makers, experienced filmmakers, community groups and youth.
South Asian American Digital Archive (SAADA)
$100,000
For continued operating support for SAADA, which creates a more inclusive society by documenting, preserving, and sharing stories that represent South Asian Americans' unique and diverse experiences.
South Jersey Information Equity Project
$85,000
To support the South Jersey Information Equity Project to provide mentorship, training, and long-term investment in early career Black journalists in South Jersey.
Taller Puertorriqueño
$60,000
To support media making at Taller Puertorriqueño, including a documentary, youth podcast and the reissue of Batiendo La Olla, an oral history project and curriculum.
Uptown Entertainment Development Corporation (WJYN 98.5 FM)
$75,000
For general operating support of WJYN, a community radio station in North Philadelphia.
We Are the Seeds
$80,000
For continued support of the podcast "From Here with a View," celebrating contemporary Native peoples and sharing a vision for Indigenous futures.
Youth Set the Stage
$75,000
To build a strong network of organizations working in youth media throughout Philadelphia, and provide young media makers with professional development opportunities.
Narrative Shift for Movement Building
Amistad Law Project
$100,000
To create and implement comprehensive distribution and publicity plans for media projects amplifying the voices of incarcerated people and people impacted by a lack of mental health infrastructure.
Free Press
$100,000
To support FreePress to convene the Philly Latine Media Collaborative and complete production around the “Philadelphia Safer Journalism” project.
Just Media
$30,000
For continued support of Just Media, connecting grassroots organizers with media makers to amplify justice-centered narratives.
Making Worlds Bookstore and Social Center
$100,000
To create a gathering center for narrative strategy, community media, and coalition building at Making Worlds Bookstore and Social Center.
Movement Alliance Project
$200,000
To support Movement Alliance Project efforts to strengthen the Alliance for Just Philadelphia and local social justice ecosystem through narrative building, movement media and communications.
Philadelphia Center for Gun Violence Reporting
$100,000
For continued support of ethical, trauma-informed gun violence journalism through public health research, reporter training, and Philadelphia’s survivor community.
Technology Learning Collaborative
$60,000
To strengthen Philadelphia’s digital equity community through capacity building, professional development, collaboration, and advocacy.
Field Building Support
Philanthropy Network Greater Philadelphia
$50,000
For operating support of the Philanthropy Network Greater Philadelphia, a leadership and service hub where regional philanthropy comes together to learn, connect, and take action.
About Independence Public Media Foundation
Formerly known as WYBE Channel 35, Independence Public Media Foundation was founded in 2018 when WYBE sold its broadcast license as part of the Federal Communications Commission’s Broadcast Incentive Auction and received a one-time payment of $131.5 million. With these funds, IPMF supports community-owned and -led media and internet projects in the Greater Philadelphia area. The foundation envisions a local media landscape that truly reflects the diverse and complex lived experiences of its residents by moving resources to communities historically harmed by systems of oppression and media erasure.
Photo Credit: Rachael Warriner for Spiral Q
