The Wawa Foundation has announced the details and timeline of the 2025 Wawa Foundation Hero Award, which is presented during the annual Wawa Welcome America Festival.
The Wawa Foundation Hero Award honors a non-profit organization and its volunteers serving Philadelphia by providing services that build stronger communities through preserving independence, protecting safety and mentoring and inspiring youth.
Submissions will be accepted for the award from now until May 25. The community voting period stretches from June 13-27, with the award announcement coming on July 4.
To submit an entry, qualified non-profit organizations can share a story or video about their impact on the Philadelphia community, including mission, purpose and services, through The Wawa Foundation website. The four most compelling stories will be selected for voting by the public.
The organization receiving the highest number of votes will be submitted to The Wawa Foundation Hero Award Panel for confirmation. Once confirmed, they will then be recognized with The Wawa Foundation Hero Award on July 4.
The Wawa Foundation Hero Award recipient will be announced during the July 4th Celebration of Freedom Ceremony with The Wawa Foundation Hero Award winner receiving a $50,000 grant, and the runners up each receiving $10,000 grants. In honor of The Wawa Foundation’s 10th Anniversary of the program, an additional $20,000 will be awarded to hand-selected charities serving Philadelphia and announced at the July 4th Celebration of Freedom Ceremony.
The Wawa Foundation is a registered non-profit corporation founded by Wawa, Inc. to support the company’s charitable giving and philanthropic activities. The Wawa Foundation focuses its support on organizations committed to health, hunger and everyday heroes through local, regional and national grants and in-store fundraising.
