“Our job, the job of mankind, is to so organize our world that we can live together without fears and without hatred of each other.”
— Samuel S. Fels
The Samuel S. Fels Fund is a private independent foundation with a commitment to improving conditions and opportunities for communities that are marginalized and/or historically excluded within the City of Philadelphia.
We are a social justice funder providing general operating grants to organizations engaged in movement building in pursuit of a more just, equitable and inclusive city while aligning our with our mission and values. Meet the 2024-2027 Movement Building Cohort.
The Samuel S. Fels Fund was incorporated as a Pennsylvania nonprofit corporation on December 17, 1935. Our founder was Samuel S. Fels, Philadelphia philanthropist and civic leader who was president of Fels & Company, manufacturer of Fels Naptha, a vastly popular household soap. Samuel Fels was born in Yanceyville, North Carolina in 1860 and died in Philadelphia on June 23, 1950.
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Movement Building