Years after a corruption scandal, the Mayor’s Fund is rebranding as the Philadelphia City Fund

The Mayor’s Fund, a $22 million-per-year nonprofit that accepts philanthropic donations on behalf of the city to boost civic causes, is rebranding as the Philadelphia City Fund.

Jody Greenblatt, the fund’s executive director since 2019, said the name change represents the final step in an effort to move on from a corruption scandal during former Mayor Michael A. Nutter’s administration that led to former City Representative Desiree Peterkin Bell in 2019 pleading guilty to stealing from the nonprofit after being accused of using it to pay for personal expenses including vacations to Florida and Oregon.

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Greenblatt said the fund, which has a staff of four led by her, has reorganized so that it is not headed by a city official, and is “really focused on reestablishing ourselves ... as a transparent and good manager of money.”

“This is the last and final step about entering into a new phase,” Greenblatt said.

The name change was also motivated in part to make it clear that the fund supports a variety of city programs and not just the pet projects of the mayor.

“Our new name more accurately describes the fund’s role as an independent nonprofit that supports innovative city projects,” Greenblatt said as part of a virtual news conference on the new name.

The fund primarily serves as the city’s fiscal sponsor, accepting donations to boost programs from philanthropies that do not issue donations directly to government agencies. Since the start of the coronavirus pandemic, for instance, it has facilitated about $12 million in funding for PHLConnectedED, which helped Philly schoolkids get home internet access to make virtual learning possible.

More recently it accepted $137,000 on behalf of the city from more than 800 donors who wanted to support Philadelphia’s efforts to accommodate migrants who were bused to the city in a political stunt by Texas Gov. Greg Abbott.

It also issues its own grants to community organizations, largely with the proceeds from the Philadelphia Marathon.

The fund, a 501(c)3 federal nonprofit, typically collects a 5% fee on donations that pass through it to pay administrative costs, Greenblatt said.

The City Fund will be the nonprofit’s fourth name. Founded in 1979 as the Council for Progress, it was renamed the Fund for Philadelphia in 1984 during former Mayor W. Wilson Goode’s tenure and the Mayor’s Fund in 2012 under Nutter.

Greenblatt is an attorney and Philadelphia native with extensive experience in local government and nonprofits, including stints with the School District of Philadelphia and the city Law Department.