New Day Chester ignites growth through the arts
The Untours Foundation hasn’t ever made a loan to a museum, but it is invested in an exciting new arts project in the struggling city of Chester, Pa. New Day Chester is inspiring artistic expression and using it as fuel for social renewal and much-needed economic development. With multi-talented artist and entrepreneur, Devon Walls, at […]
Videos from the UnGala!
Enjoy short videos of two presentations at our recent UnGala event celebrating the Foundation’s 25th Anniversary: Rachel Faller, founder of the Fair Trade clothing business, tonlé, who won our UnDreamed of Award for social vision, economic justice, and environmental transformation in business; and Devon Walls of New Day Chester, a Foundation investee who is leading an arts […]
UnGala Gratitude
The Untours Foundation held its second annual UnGala on Saturday, April 1, 2017 at the gorgeous home of Bart and Chrissy Houlahan outside of Philadelphia. We are so grateful for everything about this event: our generous hosts, our wonderful community of supporters, our inspiring investees, and our hardworking volunteers. The celebration brought out nearly 100 of […]
A Town-and-Country Company
Lancaster Food Company, one of the Untours Foundation’s recent investees, is definitely a “town and country” company. Located in Lancaster, Pa, this organic bakery straddles two worlds—a city with a population of half-a-million and a county that is home to some of America’s most idyllic countryside. It’s the perfect place for a business that […]
Ties that bind: Knotty Tie and the Refugee Crisis
What if U.S. communities embraced the gifts that international refugees have to offer and partnered with them to rebuild our economy through innovative business models? And what if those business models reinvigorated old industries with fresh ideas and a responsive approach? That is exactly what Knotty Tie, an entrepreneurial and visionary business in Denver, Colorado, […]
Thanksgiving Feast and a Straw Bale Community Center at Standing Rock
Huffington Post blog by Untours Foundation Director Elizabeth Killough A Wopila feast – Lakota for Thank You – is being prepared for the Protectors at Standing Rock on Thanksgiving Day thanks to the spark and energy of Judy Wicks and 60 of her friends and fans. Judy is a household name in Philadelphia for her […]
Hal & Me
My dear friend Hal passed away yesterday. I was so incredibly lucky to work with Hal for a decade. What a man, what a character, what an inspiration. He walked his talk with joy in his heart and a good dose of mischief around the edges.
The first-ever Untours Ungala
On October 3rd, Untours — the foundation and business together — hosted the first-ever Ungala, in celebration of 40 years of Untours and 23 years of the foundation. We brought together staff, board members, Untourists and donors, investees and community partners into a board member’s home for a cozy evening of socializing. We’ve always been about blurring the lines between business and philanthropy (a word Hal disliked), but bringing all these folks together was perhaps the first time we had literally mixed it ALL up in person.
That’s some bake sale!
One of the Untours Foundations’ early investments was a small credit union in North Carolina called Self-Help. Small Beginnings Self-Help Credit Union had just about the smallest beginning you can imagine — with $77 in bake sale proceeds! Since 1984, it has grown to 17 branches all over North Carolina. True to its roots and mission, it gives back […]
Cora
Elizabeth and I had a wonderful visit this week from Molly Hayward, founder of Cora. Molly is a passionate young entrepreneur from the Philadelphia area who really believes in changing how capitalism works. She calls Cora a “for-profit and for-purpose” social business. As Elizabeth remarked to Molly, “Hal will love you!” The service and mission […]