The Philadelphia Ethical Society was established in 1885 as a congregation committed to Ethical Culture, a non-theist religious and educational movement founded by Felix Adler in 1877. The mission of the Society is to cultivate character; promote the study, application and teaching of ethical principles; and engage in such community works as are inspired by these principles. The Society owns a gracious, historical building on Rittenhouse Square, where it holds regular Sunday "Platform" meetings, as well as other educational, cultural and community programs. It has a proud tradition of initiating and supporting programs to address community needs - especially programs which enable members of marginalized groups to achieve their human potential. Its primary social action project is Camp Linden, a summer environmental education and swimming program for low-income urban children which the Society operates on a property it owns in rural Chester County.
The Philadelphia Ethical Society is organized as a 501(c)(3) not-for-profit corporation. It is not required to file an IRS Form 990 because it is classified by IRS as a church. It has approximately 70 members, a volunteer committee structure and governing Board of Trustees elected by the membership. It is a member of the American Ethical Union, the national organization of Ethical Societies. The Society employs a part-time clergyperson ("Leader") who delivers Platform addresses twice a month; a part-time administrator; a part-time community liaison; a part-time event coordinator; a part-time custodian, and a classical pianist who performs at most Platforms. The Society has a budget of $261,750, not including Camp Linden, which is operated through a restricted fund.
The objective of this capstone project is to develop a plan for establishing, within the Society's existing event rental program, a "Forum for Arts and Ideas", which would foster, promote and publicize artistic, educational and issue-oriented programing presented in the Ethical Society Building.
The Ethical Society Building at 1906 South Rittenhouse Square includes a first-floor auditorium with a stage and Steinway concert grand piano, a large second-floor social room with attached kitchen, two second-floor meeting rooms overlooking Rittenhouse Square, and meeting rooms in the basement and on the third floor. These spaces are available for rent at relatively economical rates when the Society is not using them. The Ethical Society Building often serves as a venue for public programs sponsored by outside organizations, ticketed or free, featuring a variety of cultural, intellectual and/or issue-oriented presentations. We want to build on the attraction of our venue to nonprofit organizations.
The "Forum for Arts and Ideas" is intended to have the general characteristics of a community art center, combining performing and visual arts with educational and issue-oriented programing. Instead of occupying its own building, it would share the Ethical Society Building. The Forum will have to be at least revenue neutral, which means that existing event rental income will be fully replaced. Grants will be required to support start-up costs and subsidize worthy programs which cannot cover their share of the expenses. Identifying a path for successful fundraising will be an important outcome of the plan.
The Forum may be structured as a program of the Philadelphia Ethical Society with restricted funding (like Camp Linden) or set up as a separate non-profit corporation.
The Forum will share the Society's commitment to diversity and inclusivity by prioritizing programs and partnerships which serve to amplify underrepresented voices and celebrate the cultural heritage of marginalized groups. Establishing a program of events sponsored by outside organizations which is responsive to the Society's social goals would require a comprehensive planning process. We are submitting this proposal in the hope of securing Fels students’ work and expertise to help produce a plan we will be able to implement.
The project will initially be guided by a Steering Committee composed of interested Society members and staff. As we identify additional sources of support or expertise, individuals who are not Society members may be added to the Steering Committee or invited to participate as advisors.
The project will involve the following steps:
(1) Survey and/or interview leaders of the Society's current and past public event presenters to determine whether they would be interested in participating in the proposed Forum. Report the nature of each program, and its response, as well as any comments and suggestions.
(2) Design a marketing plan to encourage presenters of arts, educational and issue-oriented programs to consider holding events at the Ethical Society Building.
(3) Identify organizations which present programs focusing on the culture or creative expression of members of marginalized groups and/or critical topics such as racial justice and the environment, to determine whether they would be interested in participating in the Forum.
(4) Develop a marketing plan which includes mechanisms to keep potential patrons informed about events scheduled at the Ethical Society Building, as well as advertising targeting relevant segments of the community.
(5) Create a budget and draft a narrative to be incorporated in funding proposals.
(6) Identify likely funding sources and note their application deadlines and other requirements.
(7) Draft a final report.
Step 1 deliverable: Report of survey/interview results.
Step 2 deliverable: Plan to market participation in the Forum to program presenters.
Step 3 deliverable: List of programs not previously presenting at the Ethical Society Building which meet the priority criteria, and their responses when contacted.
Step 4 deliverable: Plan to market Forum events to potential patrons.
Step 5 deliverable: Budget and narrative for funding proposals.
Step 6 deliverable: List of likely funding sources, their application deadlines and other requirements.
These items will be delivered upon completion, to the extent that they are necessary for subsequent steps. They will be incorporated in the Final Report.
Step 8 deliverable: Final Report. The Final Report will present the outcome of the planning process. It will describe in detail the proposed “Forum for Arts and Ideas” and provide step-by-step instructions on how to proceed to implement the program. If appropriate, it may include a discussion of the relative merits of various options.
2024-2025
