The nine winners of the $1 million Key to Community Grants have been announced.

As part of the Philadelphia Foundation's Key to Community Grant, the general public throughout the Greater Philadelphia Region were given the opportunity to cast their vote between 15 different nonprofits, between July 8 and July 26. 

Three first place winners received $200,000, three second place winners received $100,000, and three third place winners received $33,000.

The grants were split between three categories: economic prosperity, the opportunity divide, and community and civic engagement. 

These are the organizations that have been named the winners across the grant categories, as chosen by three panels of judges:

Economic Prosperity

• The $200,000 First Place Grant winner goes to HACE, an organization whose mission is to make its core neighborhoods a place of choice for a mixed income, ethnically diverse population. 
• The $100,000 Second Place Grant winner goes to Philabundance, an organization whose mission is to drive hunger from our communities today and end hunger forever.
• The $33,000 Third Place Grant Winner goes to Urban League of Philadelphia, a non-profit organization dedicated to empowering underserved urban communities.

The Opportunity Divide

• The $200,000 First Place Grant Winner goes to Energy Coordinating Agency of Philadelphia, an organization whose mission is to help people conserve energy and to promote a sustainable and socially equitable energy future for all.
• The $100,000 Second Place Grant Winner goes to TechGirlz, a non-profit organization dedicated to reducing the gender gap in the tech world, by focusing on middle school aged girls.
• The $33,000 Third Place Grant Winner goes to Girls Inc. of Greater Philadelphia & Southern N.J., an non-profit organization whose mission is to inspire young girls to be strong, smart, and bold, through direct service and advocacy. 

Community and Civic Engagement

• The $200,000 First Place Grant Winner goes to Philadelphia Youth Basketball, a sports-based youth development organization with a mission of creating opportunities for young people to reach their potential as students, athletes, and positive leaders.
• The $100,000 Second Place Grant Winner goes to Defender Association of Philadelphia, a non-profit organization that provides defense on a court-appointed basis for criminal and delinquency cases.
• The $33,000 Third Place Grant Winner goes to New Leash on Life USA, a non-profit prison-dog training program dedicated to improving the life of inmates and saving the lives of dogs. 

“As the region’s community foundation, we’re very proud of the community’s response to and engagement with the Key to Community grant finalists and winners,” President and CEO of the Philadelphia Foundation, said in a press release. 

“All the contenders did a truly extraordinary job of proposing projects that accelerate or amplify their success, of persuading very experienced judges and of engaging, persuading and activating not only their existing stakeholders but the broader public as well,” he added. 

Leaders from all 15 finalist organizations will be invited to participate in the Philadelphia Foundation's Leadership Institute in the fall of 2019, and will be included in opportunities for targeted leadership development scholarships and expanded professional network building.