In June 2020, during a time of national racial reckoning following the murder of George Floyd, The Nelson Foundation pledged to engage in self-reflective work to understand how historically the Foundation has contributed to systems of white supremacy, and to identify how the Foundation can work towards ending America’s structural racism going forward. Included in this work was intensive strategic planning that centered racial equity and social justice.

Today, the Board and Staff are excited to share The Nelson Foundation’s new vision, mission and values. In the next couple of weeks, our grantees and stakeholders will receive a summary of the Foundation’s strategic plan, as well as an invitation to join the Foundation for virtual “open houses” during which we will discuss the plan in more detail and will answer questions.

Vision:
Young people in the Greater Philadelphia Region experience their futures in healthy, thriving, and prosperous communities where systems of racism, inequity, and injustice have been eradicated.

Mission: 
The Nelson Foundation acts to eliminate systemic racial and social inequities by investing for impact with partner organizations in the Greater Philadelphia region that are committed to serving young people, their families and the communities in which they live.

Values:
Accountability: We are accountable to our mission and have an unwavering commitment to young people. We work to be part of the solution.
Equity: We are anti-racist and we are committed to addressing systemic oppression, inequities, and social injustices.
Partnership: We build relationships based on respect, empathy, compassion and dignity, and we hold up trust, collaboration and allyship in our interactions.
Transparency: We maintain trust through open and honest communications
Humility: We approach relationships with a spirit of openness and a willingness to learn and to create solutions with our partners and the communities they serve.

We have a lot of work to do immediately and over the next few years, and are enthused for everything that lies ahead. Thank you to all who contributed to this planning process – we could not do this work without your partnership and support.