The Philadelphia nonprofit USA250 was established in 2011.
USA250 was created to lobby for federal support for the United States semiquincentennial and to promote Philadelphia as a host city for anniversary events. Philadelphia has a central place in the nation’s founding story because the Second Continental Congress met there and adopted the Declaration of Independence in 1776.
The organization predates the federal United States Semiquincentennial Commission, which Congress established in 2016. That distinction is important: USA250 was a nonprofit advocacy and planning effort, while the later commission was created by federal law to coordinate national commemorative work.
Philadelphia continued to be associated with America250 planning because of its Revolutionary-era sites, including Independence Hall and the Liberty Bell. The city was also one of several leading locations identified for major anniversary activities rather than the sole national venue.