# William Penn Foundation

William Penn Foundation is an Endowment / Foundation based in Philadelphia, United States.

## Overview

- **Organization type:** Endowment / Foundation
- **Headquarters:** Philadelphia, United States
- **Region:** North America
- **Address:** Two Logan Square, Suite 1100, 100 North 18th Street, Philadelphia, PA 19103, United States
- **Founded:** 1945
- **Assets under management:** 3.3B (Altss estimate)
- **Website:** williampennfoundation.org
- **LinkedIn:** https://www.linkedin.com/company/william-penn-foundation

## Regulatory record

- **Reports private funds:** No

## About

Otto and Phoebe Haas established the William Penn Foundation in 1945. Their descendants continue to occupy key board seats, including Katherine H. Christiano as current Board Chair and several other family members in governance roles. The foundation remains headquartered in Philadelphia and directs nearly all activity toward the surrounding region. The foundation allocates 34 percent of assets to private equity funds and maintains holdings in hedge funds, real asset vehicles, and U.S. government securities. It participates in both fund commitments and direct program-related investments. All capital deployment stays within North America, with the large majority inside the Greater Philadelphia region. The organization employs 46 professionals and retains Commonfund as outsourced investment advisor alongside several other managers. It maintains membership in the Philanthropy Network Greater Philadelphia. In January 2024 the foundation participated as a speaker at the Leading Philanthropy Conference on regional grantmaking strategies. Governance rests with a board composed of Haas family members across multiple generations. This structure keeps investment policy and grant decisions inside a single family-controlled entity rather than delegating to an external multi-family platform or commercial asset manager.

## Sectors

- Arts and Culture
- Children and Families
- Environment and Public Space
- Democracy and Civic Initiatives
- Workforce Training and Services

## People

- Shawn McCaney — Executive Director
- Madoe Htun — Chief Investment Officer
- Katherine H. Christiano — Board Chair

## Questions

### Who runs investment decisions at William Penn Foundation?

Madoe Htun serves as Chief Investment Officer. The board, led by Chair Katherine H. Christiano, sets overall policy.

### Does William Penn Foundation participate in fund commitments or only direct deals?

It holds limited-partner interests in multiple private equity, venture, and hedge funds while also making direct program-related investments.

### What investment stages does William Penn Foundation typically target?

It funds capacity building, capital projects, and program implementation through grants and program-related investments.

### How is William Penn Foundation related to the Haas family?

Multiple fourth-generation family members sit on the board and corporation; the foundation serves as the primary philanthropic vehicle for that branch.

### What is William Penn Foundation's known posture on co-investments alongside external GPs?

It acts primarily as a limited partner in external funds and does not lead direct co-investments with other GPs.

## Related profiles

- [United Church of Christ Pension Boards](https://altss.com/profile/united-church-of-christ-pension-boards-pbucc)
- [Frjálsi lífeyrissjóðurinn](https://altss.com/profile/frj-lsi-l-feyrissj-urinn)

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Last updated: 2026-06-28T01:53:28.510Z

Canonical page: https://altss.com/profile/william-penn-foundation-wpf

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