2026 Grantees
A Culinary Archive of the Americas
A Culinary Archive of the Americas is a bilingual (Spanish-English), community-centered educational project and side-by-side learning environment where Drexel students and Philadelphia community members will engage with ancestral culinary practices from Mexico and Central America. Drexel students, Philadelphia community members, community culinary experts, artists, and educators will collaboratively shape the learning process, with the workshops to be co-taught by community culinary experts and coordinated by local Mexican-American artist Ivonne Pinto Garcia. The project goal is to uphold community-held expertise, strengthen intergenerational knowledge exchange, and foster a sense of belonging while creating accessible educational resources that preserve and share their culinary heritage.
A Culinary Archive of the Americas
Toxic Free Philly
Toxic Free Philly
Toxic Free Philly Drexel is a student-led organization focused on reducing exposure to environmental toxins through community-based intervention, research, and education in both the Drexel University and West Philadelphia communities. Their work addresses key environmental health issues, including carcinogenic synthetic herbicides, lead exposure, and air pollution, that disproportionately affect urban communities and contribute to long-term health risks. Through hands-on initiatives, they aim to both reduce immediate exposure and increase awareness of how environmental toxins impact human and environmental health. By providing free lead filters, donating air purifiers, advocating for safer land care practices, and creating accessible educational opportunities, they aim to foster long-term, community-driven environmental health improvements. Click to learn more.
Campus Quad Community Wellness Event
The Campus Quad Community Wellness Event, led by the Graduate Student Association (GSA), is a collaborative initiative that seeks to address rising stress, burnout, and social isolation among Drexel students by bringing accessible wellness activities and resources into a shared public space. Graduate students, student wellness organizations, Campus Recreation, counseling and mental health partners, Lindy Center–affiliated programs, and community-engaged organizations will work together through a co-design process to plan and facilitate the event. GSA hopes the project will strengthen students’ sense of belonging, increase awareness and use of wellness resources, and support sustained personal and collective well-being beyond the event itself.
Campus Quad Community Wellness Event
Drexel African Student Association Gala
Drexel African Student Association Gala
Drexel African Student Association (DASA) hosted a gala called Sisonke, dedicated to raising awareness about the ongoing humanitarian crises in Sudan and the Democratic Republic of Congo, while also creating space to acknowledge other urgent issues affecting communities across the African continent. Many of these situations remain underreported despite their profound human impact. This event seeks to counter silence with visibility—creating opportunities for education, dialogue, and solidarity rooted in dignity and respect. Through community gathering and storytelling, the gala aims to amplify voices, honor resilience, and encourage informed engagement beyond a single evening.
Eid Toy Drive
The Eid Toy Drive project aims to bring joy to children receiving care at a local children's hospital by collecting and delivering toys and comfort items. This initiative addresses the emotional and financial strain that many families face during extended hospital stays, while also highlighting the lack of community recognition and support for Muslim holidays. Through collaborative problem-solving led by the Drexel Muslim Students Association (DMSA) and supported by student volunteers and community partners, we hope to create a positive experience that supports families, increases exposure for Muslim-led service, and increases campus-community engagement.
Eid Toy Drive
NAACP and NCNW
NAACP and NCNW
Drexel NAACP creates space for Black excellence, engagement, and empowerment. Drexel NCNW empowers Black women on campus through educational, professional, and community-centered programming. As these organizations work together frequently, they will share grant funding to support joint programming for Drexel students that gives people space to celebrate and come together around shared identities. Events include Diaspora Jeopardy and the Black Out Gala.
Dance at the Dornsife
The Dance at Dornsife program was established to introduce and cultivate the physical, artistic, and historical aspects of dance for the Mantua and Powelton-Village communities. Through weekly classes and a culminating performance in the spring, the program aspires to establish a foundation for children to continue their dance journey. With the grant money, the program will purchase rehearsal clothing that participants can borrow for class, ensuring they are comfortable and able to dedicate themselves to learning and enjoying. Click to learn more.
Dance at the Dornsife
Second Story Collective Air Quality Through Plants
Second Story Collective Air Quality Through Plants
Imagine a place where diverse people live and create together, and support and love each other. This is Second Story Collective (2SC), a group of West Philadelphia neighbors, scholars, activists and architects, united by a vision: shared living space and storytelling as a foundation for meaningful cohabitation. Funding will address indoor air quality (IAQ) in participating 2SC homes. Through educational workshops, intentioned planting, and community fostered around shared learning, participants will receive the resources and information to tailor a strategic response to the local IAQ of their home. This initiative creates opportunities for 2SC participants to imagine how their homes can promote holistic wellbeing and come together to share their wins and losses. Click to learn more.
The Giving Bookshelf
The Giving Bookshelf is a nonprofit founded by Drexel student Iyana Sade McEachern dedicated to supporting early childhood literacy, with a particular focus on expanding access to books for Black and Brown children in under-resourced communities. Their mission is to share the joy of reading while increasing opportunities for children who have historically been underserved by educational systems to thrive academically and personally through greater access to books from the earliest stages of life. The organization builds and installs colorful, accessible bookshelves in daycare centers and early learning programs and fills them with carefully curated books that reflect diverse characters, cultures, and experiences. Click to learn more.
The Giving Bookshelf
