March 2026
Save the Date — Imagination Ball
Join us October 22, 2026, as Please Touch Museum’s Imagination Ball returns—and this year, we’re pulling out all the stops to celebrate a truly extraordinary milestone: our 50th Birthday!
Anne Hamilton and Sue Shea, who served as Host Committee Co-Chairs of the 2008 Gala that celebrated the opening of the Museum at Memorial Hall, have graciously agreed to team up again to lead and inspire us for this fun, experiential evening of play. Be on the lookout for information on sponsorship opportunities and tickets!
Expanding Access for Philadelphia’s Youngest Learners and Their Families
We are thrilled to announce the following major gifts and grants from new and long-time supporters who share the Museum’s commitment to high-quality, accessible programs for young children and their caregivers.
A Transformational Investment from the William Penn Foundation
The William Penn Foundation has recently awarded a three-year grant of just over $2.6 million to sustain and deepen the Museum’s continued participation in the Art-Reach ACCESS program. Through this program, children and caregivers who are income- or disability-eligible can visit the Museum for $2, ensuring accessibility for all. Among the program’s 89 participating organizations, Please Touch Museum has continuously served the most ACCESS visitors, reaching approximately 89,000 children and caregivers in FY25.
Leadership Gifts and Grants Power the Museum
The family of founder Portia Sperr and Otto Sperr — the Museum’s original architect and her late husband — has launched our PlayKeepers Campaign with a most generous contribution in Portia and Otto’s honor. PlayKeepers aims to provide the support necessary to enable all children and caregivers to access the Museum and its learning through play experiences.
Please Touch Museum is committed to the principle that a family’s ability to pay should never be a barrier to their ability to play. As a valued supporter of our mission, please consider making a gift toward the campaign here. Contributions of any amount will support this effort.
Special thanks as well to Alumni Trustees Hallee and David Adelman and Kyle Westphal for bolstering this campaign with leadership gifts — and to everyone who has jumped in as an early supporter of this vital program that safeguards Museum access for every child.
We are also pleased to announce a generous general operating grant of $125,000 from the Arcadia Foundation, as well as a $75,000 contribution from The Albert M. Greenfield Foundation to support the Albert M. Greenfield Makerspace Studio, PTM’s hands-on creative learning environment where children are encouraged to build, tinker, and explore through imaginative, open-ended discovery.
Additionally, the Museum has received a $50,000 general operating grant from the Pennsylvania Historical and Museum Commission. This funding helps us preserve our historic Memorial Hall home, while continuing to deliver high-quality educational exhibits and programs to families across the region.
Sensory-Friendly Play for Children and Families
Thanks to a generous $65,000 grant from the Hamilton Family Charitable Trust, the Museum will expand and enhance Play Without Boundaries—our free, monthly sensory-friendly mornings for children with autism or other sensory processing challenges and their caregivers.
This award will enable the Museum to create translations of online pre-visit materials, raise the number of sensory kits, add new soft seating and other amenities, and increase the number and variety of movement-based, creative, and literacy-focused activities tailored for children with ASD and other sensory processing challenges.
This work is also supported by the Wawa Foundation, the Dolfinger-McMahon Foundation, and the Ladies Aid Society of the Penn Presbyterian Medical Center.
Bringing More Students to the Museum Through EITC
With the support of year-end contributions from Rush Order Tees, Ninja Transfers, Cencora, Chubb, and Board members Timothy Vecchiarelli and Greg Millhauser, Please Touch Museum can provide free school field trips to thousands of students this spring. And we can offer even more if you become an EITC donor.
PTM is an approved Educational Improvement Organization. This means we are eligible to receive contributions through the Pennsylvania Educational Improvement Tax Credit (EITC) Program. Through the program, we can provide free admission for elementary school students in Philadelphia and Southeast Pennsylvania—kids who might not otherwise have the opportunity to visit the Museum.
It’s a win-win: either you or your business can receive up to a 90% state tax credit plus a 10% federal charitable deduction, while supporting the Museum and benefiting our city’s cultural and community fabric.
Our EITC partner, Friends of Education, makes it easy for individuals and non-approved businesses to participate. For more information, visit pataxcredits.org or contact Greg Goldman, Chief Development Officer, at ggoldman@pleasetouchmuseum.org.
Earth Day 2026
Please Touch Museum’s annual Earth Day event, taking place April 18, 2026, has received generous underwriting from Essential Utilities. This year’s theme focuses on water conservation and stewardship, and how children can take immediate steps to protect our planet’s most precious resource.
Welcoming New Board Members
Tracey Santilli, Board Chair, and Gabriel Weissman, Vice Chair, are delighted to announce three recently elected Directors to the Museum’s Board: Matthew Malek (Business Development & CFO, EVP Alliances), Ronald Street (Managing Principal, Cresa), and Julia Tewksbury (VP, Client Partner, Health Union).
We are excited to welcome our new members as we continue to grow our Board, helping to position the Museum to execute its long-term vision, strengthen relationships, and continue expanding access to play-based learning for all children and families.