Penn's Projects for Progress funds three bold Philadelphia community initiatives

The Office of Social Equity & Community (SEC) at the University of Pennsylvania has revealed the winners of its sixth annual Projects for Progress (P4P) awards. This year’s initiative supports three innovative projects aimed at improving life in Philadelphia. Each team will receive funding of up to $100,000 to bring their ideas to fruition.

The selected projects focus on reproductive healthcare, water safety, and community service connections. A total of 41 teams, made up of 159 Penn students, faculty, and staff, competed for the awards this year.

One winning project, Reproductive Justice on the Street, is a student-run clinic offering low-barrier perinatal care and harm-reduction-informed reproductive health services. The team behind it includes Lee-Or Scarlat, Saisahana Subburaj, Sophie Rust, and Shoshana Aronowitz. Their goal is to expand access to essential healthcare for vulnerable communities in Philadelphia.

Another funded initiative, *Community Art and Science for Safe Watershed Access on the Tidal Schuylkill*, combines water quality monitoring with community engagement. Jazmin Ricks, Medini Annavajhala, Jessica Varner, and Sarah Willig lead the project, which seeks to bridge water science with local art and education. The third winning team, Maya Moritz, Ethan Lowens, and Maria Cuellar, developed *A Whole Community*, a website linking court-mandated community service with meaningful volunteer opportunities. The platform aims to create stronger connections between individuals fulfilling service requirements and local organisations in need of support.

The P4P awards continue to fund projects that address pressing needs in Philadelphia. This year’s recipients will use their grants to improve healthcare access, environmental safety, and community engagement. The SEC’s ongoing support highlights the university’s commitment to fostering positive change through student-led initiatives.