Tigris Foundation 2025!
We’re thrilled to share our current projects this year! Our dream is to support these initiatives for years to come, helping our nonprofit partners make a real difference in the lives of the young people they serve. We’d love for you to join us on this journey as we work together to create something truly special!
In a vibrant collaboration with the Boys & Girls Club in Ambler, Spring Garden Studio is bringing together junior and high school students to design and execute a stunning indoor mural. This project is more than just art; it’s a journey of creativity, teamwork, and community building. As students take the lead in brainstorming ideas and sketching concepts, they’ll develop essential skills in communication and collaboration, learning to build on each other’s strengths. The finished mural will transform the Club’s space into an inviting atmosphere that inspires creativity and positivity, serving as a cultural landmark that celebrates the diversity and imagination of the community.
Boys & Girls Club
The Black Farmers Coop is launching an exciting initiative at Southwest Leadership Academy in Philadelphia: the Urban Bloom Gardening Ambassadors Program. This innovative project empowers students to transform their school grounds into a thriving garden, guided by experienced Master Farmers who will share their expertise and mentorship. As students nurture their garden, they will harvest a variety of fruits and vegetables, which they will then sell at a local Farmers’ Market. This hands-on experience not only fosters a deeper connection with nature but also cultivates entrepreneurial skills, teaching students the value of hard work, sustainability, and community engagement.
Urban Bloom Gardening
Cosmic Writers is launching an innovative initiative to empower rural and small libraries with the tools they need to spark a love of creative writing in their communities. The Rural Library Partner Toolkit is a comprehensive package featuring engaging activity books, tailored lesson plans, promotional materials, and customized resources designed to help librarians bring vibrant creative writing workshops to life. To ensure librarians feel confident and equipped, Cosmic Writers will offer professional development through interactive virtual training sessions. These sessions are complemented by dedicated virtual office hours, where librarians can access expert guidance, share best practices, and connect with a supportive community of peers. This collaborative approach not only fosters a culture of creativity but also builds a network of librarians passionate about nurturing young writers.
Cosmic Writers
Our Partner Libraries:
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New Ipswich Library in New Ipswich, NH
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Pickaway County Library in Circleville, OH
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Montgomery City Public Library in Montgomery City, MO
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Howe Library in Hanover, NH
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Fremont County Library in Riverton, WY
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Pillsbury Free Library in Warner, NH
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Philbrick James Library in Deerfield, NH
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Brownwood Community Library in Brownwood, TX
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Josiah Carpenter Library in Pittsfield, NH
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Andover NH Libraries in Andover, NH
The Tigris Foundation was pleased to sponsor a trip to the Elmwood Park Zoo with the Wissahickon Valley Boys & Girls Club kids and staff! From feeding giraffes, learning about reptiles, to petting goats, the club kids gained an educational experience they will never forget!
Elmwood Park Zoo Trip
In an exciting new partnership, the Tigris Foundation has teamed up with The Community Grocer, William C. Bryant Academy, and the Power of Paint Academy to bring the grocer's new building to life!
The Community Grocer is a reimagined and upcoming grocery store located in West Philadelphia, providing affordable, healthy, and local produce and meals to community members with the possibility of leveraging their food stamps. The first of its kind, the grocer intends to provide nutritional assistance through an accompanied resource center with space for community programming and empowerment!
In partnership with W.C. Bryant Academy, 4th grade students will co-create and design a mural for the exterior entrance of The Community Center attached to The Community Grocer. In this work students will discuss food, community, and art in this iterative process.
Community Grocer Mural
In an upcoming partnership, the Tigris Foundation is pleased to support frequent meet ups for younger transgender and gender-creative kids and their caregivers through the Eastern PA Trans Equity Project! This program will be focused on providing support and information to parents and family members of transgender youth and helping foster a community that can share their knowledge and wisdom with new members.
Eastern PA Trans Equity Project
The Tigris Foundation is delighted to support The Resilience Resource Center (RRC) as they implement a three-month Art for Resilience project from August through October to support 2SLGBTQIA+ youth through therapeutic creative expression! The project integrates art and therapy techniques with community-building activities to offer participants a safe, affirming space to explore their identities, process emotions, and build resilience skills.
Each month will feature two guided workshops led by 2SLGBTQIA+ artists and licensed mental health professionals. These workshops will utilize diverse media—painting, drawing, creative writing, collage, and mixed-media—to encourage self-expression and emotional growth. Additionally, they will offer weekly open-studio time so participants can drop in outside of formal sessions to create, connect with peers, and continue working on personal pieces.
This short-term project will culminate in a community art showcase and sale in late October, where participants will publicly display their work and personal narratives. This event will celebrate their creative journeys, amplify 2SLGBTQIA+ youth voices, and increase visibility in the local arts scene. Proceeds from art sales will go directly to participants, creating a sense of accomplishment and financial empowerment.
Resilience Resource Center
Discovery Space GLOW
With support from the Tigris Foundation, the Discovery Space science center will host GLOW, an afterschool program that provides career-relevant training and essential exposure to STEM skills for middle school students in rural Central PA school districts. By providing experiential learning opportunities specifically for self-identified
girls and nonbinary students, the GLOW program staff focus on creating a safe and welcoming environment for underrepresented genders in STEM and in the trades.
A single afterschool GLOW program takes place over 2-3 weekly sessions and serves between 8-12 students in grades 5-8. The project theme is rooted in a specific STEM career and most often focuses on skills that program participants are often less encouraged to try: wood working, metal working, soldering, and digital design, as examples. To remove common barriers, students are bussed from their schools to The Rivet for the program, fed dinner during a break in the program, and then bussed back to their school for parent pick up.
GLOW emphasizes the importance of STEM role models. Each program connects students with mentors in related STEM careers who share similar backgrounds and are often
from nearby neighborhoods as the students themselves. By forming these connections, GLOW provides relatability and inspiration while breaking down the barriers of gender and socioeconomic background as students explore STEM careers for themselves.
Rebel Ventures
Rebel Ventures (RV) is a youth-driven nonprofit organization based in Philadelphia, dedicated to improving the school food system by developing and promoting healthy, youth-created food options. Founded with the mission to empower young people to create real-world solutions to food insecurity, RV operates as a 501(c)(3) organization that integrates leadership development, business skills, and culinary education into its core programming. RV is closely connected with Penn’s Netter Center for Community Partnerships and operates within Netter's University Assisted Community Schools.
At the heart of RV’s mission is the belief that youth have the creativity, ingenuity, and passion needed to drive positive change in their communities. Rebel Ventures hires high school students as ‘crewmembers’ to lead our entrepreneurial nonprofit.
During the academic year, Rebel Ventures works with HS students three days a week after-school, and four days a week during the summer. With the support of the Tigris Foundation, Rebel Ventures aims to expand their student team to between 6-10 students for the 25/26 school year.
Drag Queen Story Time
Drag Queen Story Time is a literacy program designed to make reading fun for children of all ages with stories focusing on self love, diversity, and acceptance. With support from the Tigris Foundation. Drag Queen Story Time plans to implement 13 readings for children ages 3+.
By strengthening existing partnerships with local libraries, building new connections with 2SLGBTQQIA+ safe spaces, and providing developmental resources for story time participants, we can foster pride and community for queer youth in the Philadelphia area.