Cultural Organizations

The Chaplain works in partnership with professional staff from a number of religious communities to serve the religious and spiritual needs of members of the University community.

The Albert M. Greenfield Intercultural Center was established in 1984 and welcomes all students interested in fostering intercultural understanding on campus. The center does this through cross cultural activism, reflection, and dialogue. Some of the many groups that find support at the GIC include the United Minorities Council, the Race Dialogue Project, Natives at Penn, the Assembly of International Students and the Penn Arab Student Society. The GIC, as it is fondly referred to, is also home to popular cultural awareness courses and programs.

The Center for Hispanic Excellence: La Casa Latina is Penn's Latino cultural house. La Casa Latina is a community space designed to serve the needs of all Latino/a students and the Penn communities at-large. While the ARCH Building is being renovated, La Casa Latina is located at 3417 Spruce St, 2nd Floor, Houston Hall.

The Lesbian Gay Bisexual Transgender Center at Penn, one of the oldest and most active programs of its kind in the country, supports Penn lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender students, staff, alumni, and faculty and increases the general Penn community's understanding and acceptance of its sexual and gender minority members. Established in 1982, the Center provides a variety of services throughout the year for and concerning Penn's lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender community.

Makuu Black Cultural Center is a nexus of academic, professional, and personal growth for University of Pennsylvania students interested in Black culture and the African Diaspora. Through advising, leadership development, cultural and social programming, the center expands student access to the University's resources. Makuu, short for Makao Makuu, means "home" or "headquarters" in Kiswahili, an African language used in some East African countries. As the parent center of Umoja, the University of Pennsylvania's coalition of black student activity groups, we advise the student leaders of our many academic, cultural, performance and faith groups on campus. Makuu also provides a space for the University community to engage and learn about the African Diaspora. 

The Pan-Asian American Community House is a hub of academic, personal, and professional growth for University of Pennsylvania students interested in Asian American culture and the Asian American Diaspora. Through advising, leadership development, advocacy, social and cultural programming we expand student access to the University’s resources.

The Penn Women's Center's mission is to understand and address the evolving needs of all women at the University of Pennsylvania, redress gender inequity and, in so doing, support and advance women's personal and professional development and empower them to reach their fullest potential. We sponsor programs on career development, stress management, parenting, sexual violence prevention, health and wellness alongside events highlighting women writers, activists, artists and political and professional leaders. We play an advocacy role regarding issues of gender equity, health, childcare, workplace discrimination, domestic and sexual violence, and mental health.