William Penn Foundation awards $2M for Philadelphia Clef Club jazz space renovation

The William Penn Foundation has awarded a $2 million grant to the Philadelphia Clef Club of Jazz & Performing Arts to support a $4.5 million capital campaign and $2 million renovation of its 19,000-square-foot arts center. The project will modernize the nation’s first purpose-built jazz space while preserving its historic role in Philadelphia’s Black music community. Additional funders include the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, Presser Foundation, McLean Contributionship, and William B. Dietrich Foundation. Renovations will add classrooms, a recording studio and upgraded interiors, with completion targeted for 2027.