City Council approves $45M for 250th anniversary celebrations
The funding represents the most robust investment the city has made for celebrations of America's 250th anniversary next year.
City Council on Thursday approved $45 million in funding to help pay for Philadelphia’s commemoration of the 250th anniversary of America next year, the most robust investment the city has made yet for the fast-approaching milestone, also known as the Semiquincentennial.
“2026 will be a historic moment for Philadelphia, and if we fund and prepare properly, we will see that return for years,” said at-large Councilmember Isaiah Thomas, a key planner for Philly’s 250th celebrations. “Today is the first step in that direction.”
Mayor Cherelle L. Parker had presented City Council with an initial $40 million funding proposal for 2026 celebrations earlier this month. Some council members argued her plan provided far more funding for operational costs, like security and equipment, than actual Semiquincentennial programming.
Passed as part of a midyear transfer ordinance — and coming after weeks of closed-door negotiations — Thursday’s legislation was amended to include $17 million in funding for nearly a dozen organizations planning large-scale celebrations, neighborhood initiatives, and beautification efforts for the Semiquincentennial.
Michael Newmuis, the city’s 2026 director, said the midyear funding was just one step, and that the mayor will propose additional funding for 2026 celebrations in her annual budget, to be presented to City Council next month.
“We fully anticipate discussing additional resources,” he said.
Organizers praised the funding jolt.
“It’s a game changer,” said Kathryn Ott Lovell, president and CEO of the Philadelphia Visitor Center Corp. and the head of Philadelphia 250, a nonprofit chaired by former Pennsylvania Gov. Ed Rendell to help plan the Semiquincentennial. “All eyes will be on our city in 2026. The resources committed today will allow Philadelphia’s cultural, historical, and community partners to bring their ambitious plans to life.”
The visitor center and Philadelphia 250 received a combined $2 million for planning and programming and grants to support smaller 2026 groups. The initial funding will also fund expanded marketing campaigns meant to draw visitors from all over to America’s birthplace in 2026.
“I am thrilled with how today went,” said Angela Val, president and CEO of Visit Philadelphia, the nonprofit that serves as the city’s official leisure tourism-marketing agency, which received $3 million for 2026 efforts. “This gives us an opportunity to get out of the gate this year to start building momentum toward 2026.”
The city action comes after Gov. Josh Shapiro recently proposed nearly $65 million in funding for Pennsylvania’s Semiquincentennial celebration. The divided state legislature has until June 30 to approve that funding. Much of that money would go toward Philly’s big-ticket items scheduled in 2026, including six FIFA World Cup matches, the MLB All-Star Game, and a pumped-up Fourth of July concert. The city has already invested $3.5 million in a revitalization of Lemon Hill in Fairmount Park for a World Cup Fan Festival, plus an additional $6.5 million for other World Cup costs.
At a November preparedness meeting, a cadre of city tourism and cultural leaders, who are in large part helming the 2026 celebration efforts, warned that the clock was ticking on the 250th. Philly’s preparations for the big event had lost momentum amid COVID and other challenges, they said, adding that the city can still meet the moment with a yearlong celebration that could boost long-term tourism, investment, and the city’s national and global image.
They’ve since pressed for roughly $100 million from city and state coffers to support the $15 million that local philanthropic groups have raised for 2026 programming and planning.
City Council’s move comes just days after President Donald Trump’s plan to cut the size of federal government reached into Philly when two probationary employees were terminated at Independence National Historical Park. That agency is already operating with at least 30 unfilled openings. (Roughly 400 probationary employees of the Internal Revenue Service office at 30th and Market Streets were also expected to receive their termination notices Thursday.)
The firings and rising fears come as a reminder that Philly can only depend on itself for success in 2026, Thomas said.
“I think today is the beginning of a legacy moment,” he said. “I think someone is going to look back in 50 years and say, ‘this is where we started to get 2026 right.’”