Connelly Foundation


The Connelly Foundation is a Philadelphia philanthropic organization based in West Conshohocken, Pennsylvania. The organization was founded in 1955 by businessman and entrepreneur John F. Connelly. Connelly headed the foundation until his death in 1990, and his wife Josephine led until her death in 1999.
The foundation is arguably best well known in the Delaware Valley for its charitable giving and general financial support to the Archdiocese of Philadelphia. In 2006, the foundation gave over to Catholic education in the Philadelphia area.

Mission

History

John F. Connelly founded The Connelly Foundation in 1955 while maintaining his position as head of Connelly Containers. During his lifetime, Connelly saw the foundation award over $74 million in grants to both religious and secular organizations in education, health and human services and cultural activities.
Josephine C. Mandeville, a daughter of the founders, took on the role of President upon Connelly's death in 1990 and held this role until 2018 when Tom Riley succeeded her. Mandeville remained with the Foundation as Chairman. Riley had previously served as vice president for strategic planning for the Foundation since 2012.

Activities and programs

The Connelly Foundation has awarded over $300 million in grants since its inception in 1955, mostly within the Philadelphia area. The organization maintains a detailed breakdown of to whom grants are awarded on a yearly basis on their website.
In 1993, the Foundation enacted a tuition credit program, known as the Josephine C. Connelly Achievement Award and initially amounting to per year for four years, to encourage Philadelphia parochial school students to continue their education in Catholic high schools. To provide perspective, annual Catholic high school tuition for the 1993-1994 school year was.
Also in 1993, the Foundation provided grant support to Allentown College for their purchase of Brisson Seminary, required to accommodate expanding enrollment. In 1999, the College dedicated their chapel as Connelly Chapel in recognition of this support.

The Connelly-Delouvrier Scholars Program

The Connelly-Delouvrier Scholars Program was established at Villanova University in 1999 and is designed to provide financial assistance for one semester for a "select group of academically talented students" to study abroad. According to Villanova University's website, "The Connelly-Delouvrier International Scholarship is open to students in good standing in the University Honors Program and to students who are Presidential Scholarship recipients."