UNCF Philadelphia Names The Philadelphia Orchestra and Kimmel Cultural Campus “Community Champion”

The Philadelphia Orchestra and Kimmel Cultural Campus is proud to be named the 2024 Corporate/Community Champion by the United Negro College Fund Philadelphia (UNCF). The award will be presented at the 12th annual Mayor’s Masked Ball, which will take place on Saturday, March 23, 2024, at the Philadelphia Downtown Marriott. Founded in 1944, this event will celebrate UNCF’s 80th Anniversary.  

The Philadelphia Orchestra and Kimmel Cultural Campus partnered with The United Negro College Fund in the presentation of two performances: Drumline Live! and Disney’s Black Panther with The Philadelphia Orchestra playing the movie soundtrack live. Proceeds from ticket sales benefited scholarships for Historically Black Colleges and Universities and UNCF partner schools.  

The Philadelphia Orchestra and Kimmel Cultural Campus is proud to stand with the other honorees: Bridgette M. Battles (Director, Economic Inclusion/Thomas Jefferson University and Jefferson Health), Ric Harris (President & CEO/NBC10, Telemundo62, NBC Sports Philadelphia), and AYLA Awardee, David Gould (Chief Diversity Officer/The Philadelphia 76ers). 

The real winners are the thousands of students UNCF helps annually. A mind truly is a terrible thing to waste.

The United Negro College Fund is a non-profit organization that seeks to provide under-represented students with equal opportunities to become highly qualified college graduates. For more than seven decades, UNCF has helped more than 500,000 students to not just attend college, but “thrive, graduate, and become leaders.” They achieve this through a three-pronged approach that includes awarding over $100 million in scholarships every year, provide financial support to 37 historically Black colleges and universities (HBCUs), and by serving as the nation’s leading advocate for the importance of minority education and community engagement. Since 1944, UNCF has helped to double the number of minorities attending college.  

“Both DRUMLine, which brings the HBCU marching band experience to the stage, and the groundbreaking Marvel Studios’ Black Panther starring the late Chadwick Boseman, an HBCU graduate, are presentations that embody Black artistry,” said Matías Tarnopolsky, president and CEO of The Philadelphia Orchestra and Kimmel Center, Inc. “We were delighted to partner with UNCF to help drive awareness of their mission and to support their important work through these artistic presentations.” 

By joining forces with UNCF, The Philadelphia Orchestra and Kimmel Cultural Campus hope to drive awareness of this organization’s important mission and help benefit under-represented students across the Philadelphia region. To learn more about the United Negro College Fund, visit their website at uncf.org and uncf.org/Philadelphia.