About
In the spirit of its benefactor, Dr. William M. King (1927–2007), The William M. King Charitable Foundation supports organizations, programs, and causes that seek to enrich the quality of life for African Americans and other
underserved audiences. Established in Pennsylvania in 1994, the Foundation is especially interested in organizations and programs that promote meaningful social change through education — both formal and informal — and that
offer opportunities for learning through arts and cultural experiences. The Foundation supports the initiatives of both well-established and grass roots organizations, with a special focus on Philadelphia-based institutions.
Foundation Governance
The Foundation’s activities are directed jointly by its three trustees:
- Theresa King, President
- Mira Zergani, Secretary
- Lamont King, Treasurer
The Trustees meet quarterly and as necessary to make funding decisions and to review the progress of current grants.
Founder
William M. King, D.O.
Dr. William M. King (1927-2007) was born in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.
He spent his formative years in South Philadelphia with his parents and
eight siblings. Dr. King was educated in the public school system and
graduated from Central High School in 1945. Subsequently, he enrolled
at the University of Michigan, where he received a Phi Beta Kappa key
and earned a Bachelor’s degree with honors in mathematics, chemistry,
and physics. He graduated from the Philadelphia College of Osteopathic
Medicine in 1962.
Dr. King distinguished himself as a practitioner of community-based,
family medicine and established his general practice in the Germantown
section of Philadelphia. Later, he expanded the horizons of his practice,
rendering much needed primary care services to hundreds of
Philadelphians as Medical Director of the Gemedco (1976) and City
Avenue (1986) Medical Centers.
Dr. King was always willing to support innovative educational and
cultural programs that enriched the quality of life of deserving members
of his Philadelphia community. To that end, he established The William
M. King Charitable Foundation in 1994.
Grants
The William M. King Charitable Foundation supports organizations and programs that promote meaningful social change
through education — both formal and informal — and that offer opportunities
for learning through arts and cultural experiences. Grantees include both well-established and grass roots
organizations, with a special focus on Philadelphia-based institutions. The Foundation makes contributions of general
operating support and also supports programs and projects that extend and exemplify the mission of the grantee
institution. With few exceptions, the Foundation typically makes grants totaling between $5,000 and $25,000, depending
on the extent to which the nature of the organization and the purpose of the grant dovetail with the Foundation’s
primary areas of interest.
Restrictions
The Foundation will not provide grants to individuals, political organizations, or to political campaigns. No grants are made to underwrite fund-raising activities such as benefits, dinners, theater, or sporting events. The Foundation
generally will not make grants to organizations that are based outside of the Greater Philadelphia Region.
Application Procedure
The Foundation will only consider requests from qualified tax-exempt, non-profit 501(c)(3) organizations. Applications may be submitted at any time and should include the following:
A brief letter (2–3 pages) that includes:
- A description of the organization and its mission
- Amount of grant request
- A description of the project for which funds are being requested (if the request is for operating or annual support, please provide a general description of the organization’s ongoing activities).
Applicants are also asked to append the following:
- If the grant request is for a project or program, please provide the total project budget
- The organization’s current operating budget
- A list of the organization’s Board of Directors and their professional affiliations
- A copy of the organization’s 501(c)(3) determination letter
- The organization may also include ONE publication or brochure of their choice (no CD’s or videos)
Please direct questions to:
Theresa A. King
tking@wmkingfoundation.org
Or to:
Mira Zergani
mzergani@wmkingfoundation.org
Proposals (20MB maximum attachment size) must be submitted to:
proposals@wmkingfoundation.org
The Trustees will review each request, and if further information is required, the Foundation will contact the applicant to request the additional information or to arrange a site visit. Most funding decisions will be made within six
months. The Foundation is not able to provide notification to every applicant, and therefore will only notify applicants who are approved for funding.
The William M. King Foundation’s fiscal year runs from January 1 through December 31. Most funding decisions are made in the earlier part of the year (January–April). While there are no deadlines, the Foundation encourages you to
submit your proposal as early in the year as possible. In some cases, if your proposal is submitted after all of the fiscal year’s funding has been awarded, the Foundation may elect to consider your request in the next fiscal year. In
those cases the Foundation will contact the applicant directly.
