About Us

Marsha I. Cohen, Executive Director

Marsha is the executive director of the van Ameringen Foundation, a role she assumed in August 2022, bringing with her over 25 years of leadership, management, and strategic growth experience in the nonprofit sector. Throughout her career, Marsha has focused on advancing equity, access, and justice for underserved populations.

From 1997 to 2020, she served as the executive director of Philadelphia’s Homeless Advocacy Project (HAP), where she significantly expanded the organization’s size, scope, and impact. Under her leadership, HAP became a national model for delivering pro bono legal services to people experiencing homelessness. During her tenure, HAP provided free legal aid to more than 55,000 individuals and families in Philadelphia.

A lawyer by training, Marsha has been a tireless advocate for policy change at the city and state levels. Notable accomplishments include leading a successful federal lawsuit (HAP v. NYC) that forced New York City to change its procedures for issuing birth certificates, and lobbying Pennsylvania to waive fees for homeless individuals seeking birth certificates (2019) and state-issued photo IDs (2020). She also personally represented over 200 families seeking emergency shelter.

Marsha earned her BA from Wesleyan University and her JD from the George Washington University Law School. She lives in the West Mt. Airy neighborhood of Philadelphia with her husband Peter, their two college-age sons, and puppy Sadie.