The National Trust for Historic Preservation’s African American Cultural Heritage Action Fund has awarded the West Philadelphia Cultural Alliance (WPCA) a $135,000 grant to hire an Executive Director. This will be the first time in its history that the organization has had a paid leader.

The nonprofit, WPCA, has always relied on volunteers. Its first Executive Director was Founder Frances P. Aulston, who took the group from its infancy in 1984 to the purchase and renovations of a house at 4951 Walnut Street to celebrate the arts and the life of Paul Robeson, Esq.. He lived here with his sister during the last 10 years of his life.

The new executive director will be responsible for the day-to-day operation of the WPCA and the historic Robeson House & Museum, as well as ensure its sustainability.

“I know that hiring a full-time person will take WPCA to a level the likes of which we have never seen before, while helping us to meet the challenges of this new world we are now facing,” said Vernoca L. Michael, Volunteer Acting Executive Director. “We have been able to stabilize the organization, pay off the mortgage and develop new exhibits and programs, while continuing to get the Robeson message out to the community.”

This grant was among the most recent donations to the WPCA.

  • More than $100,000 has been raised through a GoFundMe campaign in conjunction with the Colored Girl Museum in Philadelphia. The funds will be used for some necessary repairs.
  • The WPCA has received a $33,500 grant from Independence Public Media Foundation’s Community Voices Fund to produce a multimedia history and archiving project with reflections of African Americans on the fight for racial justice in Philadelphia.
  • In January, the WPCA held a mortgage-burning ceremony after paying off its mortgage with funds contributed to an online fundraiser over the last two years.

The WPCA will use the funds to alleviate a laundry list of dire structural repairs and renovation projects at the Robeson house and its administrative facility next door. It will also allow us to address the new requirement for public spaces resulting from COVID-19. The grants are designated for specific projects. Like most nonprofits, we are still in need of funding for daily operations and maintenance expenses. We urge the community to continue to support us with their contributions, more now than ever before.

“Our goal remains to build a sustainable revenue base so that our work continues to impact the community and we can share the stories, achievements and liberatory visions of Paul and Eslanda Robeson for future generations,” said WPCA Volunteer Program Director Christopher R. Rogers.

WPCA’s application for the National Trust grant was supported by Philadelphia Council member Jamie Gauthier, the Walnut Hill Community Association and the Preservation Alliance for Greater Philadelphia.

The Robeson House & Museum offers tours to people from all over the world. The House is a go-to space for events by community groups, as well as programs sponsored by the WPCA. The organization partners with the Paul Robeson Chess Club, the University of Pennsylvania and several local high schools.

For additional contributions to WPCA, please go to paulrobesonhouse.org and click on the donation button in the upper left corner, or send a check to WPCA, 4949 Walnut St. Philadelphia, PA 19139.

Read story in Philadelphia Inquirer.