Michelle Currica's Contact Details

Michelle Currica's Company Details

Fels Fund

Philadelphia, PA, US • 5 - 9 Employees
Non-Profit

The Samuel S. Fels Fund was founded in 1935 by Samuel S. Fels, a Philadelphia philanthropist who made his money in the manufacture of Fels Naptha, a popular household soap. We are a private independent foundation with broad interests in community programs, education and the arts.The general purpose of the Fund, as stated in the Charter, is "to initiate and to assist any activities or projects of a scientific, educational or charitable nature which tend to improve human daily life and to bring to the average person greater health, happiness, and a fuller understanding of the meaning and purposes of life."To this end the Fund makes grants in the categories of Arts and Humanities, Education, and Community Programs, all in the city of Philadelphia. The ideal proposal to Fels is one that addresses positive social change. We also mean to be useful to organizations at points of particular need such as expansion, experimentation, or reorganization or in times of particular need for advocacy. The Fund is unable to make grants to individuals and accepts proposals only from organizations which are designated tax-exempt (501-c-3) by the Internal Revenue Service. The Fund does not make grants for conferences, scholarships, fellowships or travel. Ordinarily, the Fund also avoids making grants for major programs of large institutions, capital and equipment, endowment, and the routine or direct services of social service agencies. Individual day care and after school care programs and computer centers cannot be accommodated, although agencies that serve these fields may apply.The Fund also runs an annual program, the Fels Internships in Community Service for recent grantees. Organizations are invited to submit descriptions of projects that could be done by graduate students over the course of ten weeks in the summer. The program is a way to draw talent to the not-for-profit sector and to carry out serious work on the community's behalf.