The nonprofit PhilaSoup hopes to bring creative ideas to life in local classrooms through microgrant-giving. So far, the organization has raised more than $19,000 to make 35-plus education projects a reality.
One of the last microgrants given was used to help publish students' fairy-tale retellings so that the children could visualize the power of writing. Another recent microgrant was used to create a sensory room for 22 children with autism.
PhilaSoup hosts dinners, or brunches, to help teachers fund their classroom needs. Each meal costs $15 to attend, and while dining, attendees listen to three-minute proposals and then vote on which one they believe deserves the largest chunk of the money raised.
Each teacher who presents an idea receives a share of the grant, however, and PhilaSoup matches a portion of the night's sales as well.
The next brunch is on Sunday, Feb. 21, at Slought Gallery on Walnut Street. Four teachers, chosen from a January proposal write-in, will present their classroom ideas.
PhilaSoup: Winter Soup Brunch
Sunday, Feb. 21
11 a.m. to 1 p.m. | $15 per person
Slought Gallery
4017 Walnut St.