Wyncote Foundation awards $2 million to Philadelphia Film Society

The Philadelphia Film Society — the home of the Philadelphia Film Festival, the Philadelphia Film Center, PFS Bourse, and PFS East — is receiving a $2 million grant from the Wyncote Foundation. The Philadelphia-based foundation, founded in 2009, uses funds from the charitable trusts of the late entrepreneur Otto Haas and his wife, Phoebe.

The foundation has awarded grants to PFS “fairly frequently,” according to PFS executive director and CEO J. Andrew Greenblatt, but the $2 million award is one of the largest grants the Film Society has ever received in its three-decade-long history, per a news statement.

“We’re always in conversation with them about what we are doing and what we’re trying to build,” Greenblatt said. In the process of that ongoing dialog, earlier in the year, the foundation promised a $2 million grant if PFS was able to raise at least $1 million on its own.

The challenge, Greenblatt said, ran from the end of March to the end of April. “Donors to the challenge campaign included the Philadelphia Film Society’s board of directors, who made up a significant portion, as well as many stakeholders, supporters, and patrons of the film society. Nearly 700 people contributed,” he said.

The Wyncote Foundation, its website notes, does not invite proposals from organizations but initiates grants in its interest areas. Back in 2021, the foundation was part of a group that funded a $10 million pandemic relief package to Philadelphia BIPOC arts and culture groups. In January, the foundation awarded a $425,000 grant for the restoration of a 122-year-old pipe organ at the Glen Foerd mansion.

“Film is one of the most diverse and accessible art forms and has a unique power to connect and inspire. By bringing the cinematic experience to broader audiences, PFS is helping to strengthen Philadelphia’s vibrant arts and culture community,” David Haas, Wyncote Foundation board member, said in a statement.

The grant, the statement said, will bolster the “organization’s ability to advance its educational, cultural, and entertainment offerings to the Greater Philadelphia area.”

The Film Society ran the 33rd edition of the Philadelphia Film Festival this year from Oct. 17 to 27. Featuring more than 100 films across genres this year, the festival saw a 160% bump in attendance since 2022, the statement said. The Film Society has also seen a 85% rise in its memberships — from last year’s 2,175 to 3,100 this year.

“This transformational grant is an extraordinary vote of confidence in the Philadelphia Film Society’s vision and mission. We are very grateful to the Wyncote Foundation for their support, and grateful as well for all the valuable contributions made by Board members, film patrons, Society members, and all the film lovers across our area who stepped up when we put out the call for support,” Greenblatt said in a statement.

PFS will use the money to support renovations to the Film Society Center at 1412 Chestnut St. This will include a new entrance and box office, along with an improved lobby with better ADA-compliant accessibility. “New public amenities, and upgraded building systems and infrastructure” are also among planned upgrades.

“We have a lot planned in the next couple of years and to have the building go through its first major renovation in quite a long time is tremendous,” said Greenblatt.

In 2022, just before the 31st Philadelphia Film Festival, PFS took over the lease of Old City’s Ritz East, formerly leased by Landmark Theatres group, and reopened the theater as PFS East with a number of upgrades.

The PFS will continue to screen latest releases — it’s presently showing the Cannes-winning All We Imagine as Light and the Oscar favorite Anora by Sean Baker, among others — and host curated series such as “After Hours” with cult classics and “Film Essentials” with the “most iconic films” from the history of cinema. It also hosts trivia nights and family matinees.