The project is organized by Philadelphia Mural Arts Program[1] and spearheaded by the Dutch artist duo Haas&Hahn.

[15] After moving to North Philadelphia, Haas&Hahn spent 8 months to hire and train people and contact with the store owners to bring them on board.

[20][21] The City’s Department of Commerce,[22] Bank of America, and The Village of Arts and Humanities also provided funding for Philly Painting.

Other entities that supported the project include Philadelphia Planning Commission, Interface Studio and NET Neighborhood Enrichment and Transformation CDC.

The idea of team T-shirts originated when the Haas&Hahn were working in Rio de Janeiro under Favela Painting project.

When the work on the project started, Fred Bernstein of The New York Times wrote, "From the Barnes Foundation's new building in downtown Philadelphia, it's three miles to the 2600 block of Germantown Avenue, a shabby commercial strip that is turning out to be another stellar place to look at painting".

[29] Inga Saffron with The Philadelphia Inquirer wrote about the Philly Painting, "As a composition, there is much to admire about Haas & Hahn's luminously colored mural.

It recalls the famous grid paintings by their 20th century compatriot, the Dutch artist Piet Mondrian, whose jazz-inspired work also celebrates the city.

[32] Filmmakers Jon Kaufman and El Sawyer made a documentary with Mural Arts Executive Director Jane Golden and Haas&Hahn in 2012.