City of Philadelphia

Sixth cohort of Projects for Progress announced

The 2026 P4P teams will receive up to $100,000 apiece to support access to community service, reproductive health, and clean water in Philadelphia.

2 min. read

From left to right: Justin Wang, Janine Haros, and Eric Lee in a clinical room at the Scheie Eye Institute, holding documents and smiling together

Empowering unhoused patients through comprehensive eye care

Penn fourth-years Eric Lee, Janine Haros, and Justin Wang will use a President’s Engagement Prize to elevate vision health in unhoused individuals across Philadelphia through free eye screenings, tailored care coordination, and interactive patient education.

4 min. read

Two people looking at the flooded highway overpass in Philadelphia after flooding from Hurricane Ida.

When the Schuylkill swallowed the city

New Penn research shows that Hurricane Ida wasn’t a once-in-a-century anomaly but a preview of how climate change, urbanization, and aging infrastructure are rewriting flood risk.

5 min. read

An elementary school student (left) and Penn affiliate (right) are interacting while the student writes in his booklet, in a classroom setting.

Penn’s community engagement progress at the turn of the century

The third installment in the limited series “Chapters of Change” explores how Penn has led community engagement efforts in public education, economic development, and neighborhood prosperity during a time of widespread change in the nation’s cities.

5 min. read

Second-year David Sun examines primary source documents at the Historical Society of Pennsylvania for his Revolutionary Stories project.

History course brings Philadelphia’s ‘Revolutionary Stories’ to life

In a partnership with the Historical Society of Pennsylvania expanding students access to primary source documents, undergraduates examine the lives of regular Revolutionary-era Philadelphians.

4 min. read

Fueling local business growth

Vendor Matt Nam, founder of ViaNexta and Win Win Coffee, counts on Penn support to help sustain and grow his local businesses.

Penn student awarded Truman Scholarship

Third-year Zach McGrath, a political science major in the College, is among 55 students chosen as 2026 Truman Scholars from 48 U.S. colleges and universities.

1 min. read

A person walking past daffodils on Penn’s campus.

A spring outlook on campus

Penn’s tree-lined campus is in bloom, and the community takes advantage of any T-shirt-weather day in the abundance of outdoor spaces for studying, lounging, and some spikeball.