Philadelphia

A Better Chance – National *
Grades: 4-9
A Better Chance seeks to increase substantially the number of well-educated young people of color who are capable of assuming positions of responsibility and leadership in American society. This is done by facilitating their entry into independent college preparatory schools. Through its network of member schools, A Better Chance is able to leverage an estimated $20+ million per year in financial aid for talented, economically disadvantaged youth of color. More than 96% of A Better Chance's graduates go on to college directly after high school, a majority entering our country's most selective colleges.

African Cultural Alliance of North America (ACANA)
All ages
ACANA provides a variety of programs such as arts and culture programs and job training, but also runs a series of programs aimed specifically for children and adolescents, which allow them the opportunity to engage in positive interaction and development.

Directory of After School Programs in Philadelphia
Grades: K-12
ASAP/After School Activities Partnerships was created in 2002 at the request of City leaders to bring to public awareness the dangers of the afternoon hours for unsupervised youth in Philadelphia. Since its inception, it has rallied the Greater Philadelphia community to recruit volunteers, teachers and organizations to lead enrichment clubs across the city, with an emphasis on areas with high rates of poverty, crime, and truancy.

Ed Snider Youth Hockey Foundation
All ages
Snider Hockey is a cutting edge program that uses the sport of hockey coupled with a rigorous off-ice life skills curriculum and supplemental educational services to build character and academic skills for high-risk inner-city boys and girls from Philadelphia and Camden, NJ.

EducationWorks
All ages
EducationWorks provides comprehensive support for economically disadvantaged communities in Philadelphia and Chester, PA, and Camden and Trenton, NJ. Our goal is to provide educational programs and services that enrich the lives of children, youth and families. By tackling core issues like literacy, graduation rates, safety and social awareness we are equipping individuals with the tools they need to stay safe, finish school, make better choices and become more productive members of their communities. From in-school programs to after-school and summer programs and beyond, we serve children as young as 6 weeks all the way through to adulthood.

Girls Inc. of Philadelphia and Southern New Jersey – National
Ages: 6-18
Girls Incorporated of Greater Philadelphia and Southern New Jersey is a nonprofit organization whose mission is to inspire all girls to be strong, smart, and bold. We achieve this mission by addressing the unique needs of girls through advocacy, education, and direct services, including the development of mentoring relationships. These programs focus on leadership and community service, science, technology and math, as well as financial literacy, sports, culture/heritage, promoting a healthy lifestyle, decision making, and media literacy.

Girls' Leadership Camp
Ages: 8-17
We are a nonprofit leadership program for Philadelphia girls. Our program focuses on team-building, leadership development, creative arts, and appreciation of nature. We offer girls the chance to get out of the city for a one-week sleep away camp experience, and then to get involved in our year-round mentoring, service projects, creative arts, and leadership activities.

Legacy: Youth, Tennis and Education
Grades: K-12
Our mission is to prepare young people, especially those from under-resourced families and communities, for success as individuals and as active, responsible citizens through innovative tennis, education, life skills, and leadership development programming.

Mighty Writers
Ages: 7-17
Mighty Writers' mission is to teach Philadelphia kids (ages 7 to 17) to think and write with clarity so they can achieve success at school, at work and in life. We offer a daily afterschool Academy, plus long- and short-term writing classes at night and on the weekends. We also have a Mighty Teen Scholars program, mentorships, intensive SAT Prep courses and college essay writing classes.

Mural Arts Program
Ages: 10-22
The Art Education Department at Mural Arts offers year-round art instruction at no cost to Philadelphia youth ages 10 to 22. Our program invites you to take risks in your art, give voice to your experiences, and illustrate the world as you see it. At one of 16 sites across the city, our team of teaching artists will connect you to Mural Arts’ major public art projects through class projects that range from independent small-scale pieces to large-scale collaborations.

Norris Square Neighborhood Project
All ages
Norris Square Neighborhood Project is a community-driven, bilingual learning center in North Philadelphia that offers innovative youth and community programming including after school programs, arts and media programs, urban gardening and a year round CSA for Latino youth.

Say Yes to Education – National
Grades: K-12
Say Yes to Education, Inc. is a national non-profit committed to dramatically increasing high school and college graduation rates for our nation’s inner-city youth. We provide comprehensive supports, including the promise of a tuition scholarship, aligned with what research indicates is needed to enable every child to achieve his or her potential.

SquashSmarts
Grades: 5-12
SquashSmarts works with 5th-12th grade students who are selected based on commitment, effort and attitude, not athletic or academic ability. Operating out of two facilities, the Lenfest Center (North Philadelphia) and Drexel’s Daskalakis Athletic Center (West Philadelphia), students attend practices three days each week focusing on SquashSmarts’ Five Pillars: (1) Academic Support, (2) Squash Instruction, (3) Fitness and Nutrition, (4) Personal Achievement, and (5) Leadership. Students also participate in competitive squash opportunities, community service projects, cultural outings, and special events.

Starfinder
Ages: 6-18
Starfinder pairs athletic instruction with a range of educational and enrichment programs, delivered after school during the academic year and at summer camps. Programs take place in our 30,000 square foot indoor soccer and education facility as well as at schools and recreation centers around the region.

The Steppingstone Scholars *
Grades: 4-12
The Steppingstone Scholars program prepares motivated schoolchildren for acceptance and success at college preparatory schools. These schools include public, independent and parochial schools in the Philadelphia area. Students are accepted into the Scholars Program in fourth grade, begin the 14-month academic preparation component during the summer before fifth grade, and begin attending their new schools in the sixth grade. The Scholars Program comprises every phase of the Scholars' progression through the program, from admission in the fourth grade to graduation from college.

Summer Engineering Experience for Kids (SEEK)
Grades: 3-8
The Summer Engineering Experience for Kids program (SEEK) is the National Society of Black Engineers’ (NSBE) premiere solution to the underrepresentation of African American students in the Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math (STEM) fields. The free, three week program is a STEM pipeline designed to expose African American children to STEM fields as early as the third grade and through the twelfth grade. In addition, this exposure will be provided by utilizing NSBE members, who are young, Black, collegiate students, majoring in STEM fields.

United Communities Southeast Philadelphia
All ages
United Communities Southeast Philadelphia has a long and rich tradition of service to children, adults and families residing in Southeast Philadelphia. Youth services include summer activities, internships, after-school enrichment, academic support, entrepreneurship, and more.