Read on this week for news about community development projects, donation drives, and funding Black art in Pittsburgh.
The Forbes Funds
The Forbes Funds celebrated its 40th anniversary with an event at the Heinz History Center on Nov. 17.
The event was titled “40 Years of Charting the Course for the Nonprofit Sector” and highlighted the organization’s dedication to helping local nonprofits build management capacity and increase collective impact.
Since 2018, under the leadership of current President and CEO Fred Brown, The Forbes Funds has served more than 530 organizations. Brown recently was named to The 2022 Pennsylvania Nonprofit Power 100, recognizing the nonprofit leaders serving the most vulnerable people in the state.
The Forbes Funds is a supporting organization of The Pittsburgh Foundation and was founded in 1982 to support nonprofits facing financial crises. The Forbes Funds supports the region's nonprofit organizations, through local, national and international partnerships. www.forbesfunds.org
Every Child
Tow Truck companies partner with nonprofits for seventh year in a row to help families during the holiday season.
Tows for Tots is an annual event where tow truck companies collect toys for local children in time for the holiday season. The event takes place on Dec. 4. The tow trucks will start a parade at 1 p.m. at Lucky Auto Recovery Towing & Transport Service and drive to the Every Child’s office to deliver the toys for this holiday gift drive.
Every Child Inc. was founded in 1997 and serves birth, foster, and adoptive families. Originally focused on providing care for foster children with significant medical needs, Every Child now has expanded services to provide foster care and adoption services. The organization also offers clinical and therapeutic care to children and families throughout Southwestern Pennsylvania. www.everychildinc.org
Foster Love Project
Foster Love Project was awarded $10,000 from FedEx as one of the three recipients of the FedEx Giving Tuesday Grant Contest.
The FedEx program is an opportunity for employees to nominate and vote on charitable organizations to receive a donation on Giving Tuesday. FedEx granted $50,000 in total to celebrate the company’s upcoming 50th birthday.
Foster Love Project provides goods, services, and support to children impacted by foster and kinship care. The organization gives necessities to foster children through a free shopping center full of clothes, shoes, bedding, toys, and books. The project runs additional programs including Excellent Hair Care, Teen Connection, and Family Support. www.fosterloveproject.org/
Program to AID Citizen Enterprise
PACE kicked off its first round of capacity building programming in Phase II of the Pittsburgh Cultural Treasures Initiative.
PACE considers capacity building to be “the funding and technical assistance to help nonprofits increase specific capacities to deliver stronger programs, take risks, build connections, innovate and iterate." The capacity building program is one of three opportunities for Black led arts and culture organizations in the area to participate and benefit from the work of the PCTI.
The program provides participating organizations with workshops and training, as well as a second round of capacity building to begin in spring 2023. PACE works to strengthen small-to-mid sized community-based nonprofits that can build the assets and support the needs of BIPOC communities. www.pacepgh.org
Advancing Black Arts in Pittsburgh
A joint program from The Pittsburgh Foundation and The Heinz Endowment awards 49 grants totaling $1.61 million, marking the largest annual distribution in the 12-year history of the program.
The funding supports the work of artists and collectives. The funding also provides project, planning, and operating support for art organizations. The grants include a $2 million gift from philanthropist MacKenzie Scott. This donation allowed the program to provide multi-year support for a cohort of Black-led organizations and those serving the Black community.
Since 2010, the Advancing Black Arts in Pittsburgh program has awarded more than $9.4 million. The funding has focused on supporting Black art and expanding community awareness of the Black arts sector. The program supports efforts toward greater collaboration and acknowledgment of the racial disparities within the larger arts ecosystem. pittsburghfoundation.org.
East Liberty Development
East Liberty Development, inc. was awarded $1.5 million for the rehabilitation of Saints Peter and Paul Event Center.
The project is being funded by grants awarded through the Redevelopment Assistance Capital Program, a state-level program that focuses on the acquisition and construction of regional economic, cultural, civic, recreational, and historical improvement projects. RACP awards projects that either increase or maintain current levels of employment, tax revenue, or other measures of economic activity.
Saints Peter and Paul Event Center is a 132-year-old church and was closed in 1992. The building has fallen into disrepair and remains the only blighted building in its neighborhood. The old, unsafe school building will be demolished and the site will be prepared for the construction of a two-story annex structure. The church will also be rehabilitated, including a new roof, lighting, flooring, and mechanicals.
ELDI is a community development organization with a mission of revitalizing the East Liberty community and has been serving the area since 1979. The organization works with community stakeholders to plan, advocate, facilitate, and invest in the community. www.eastliberty.org.
Steel City Squash
Steel City Squash was awarded $500,000 to purchase land and begin building a new athletic program facility.
The project is being funded by grants awarded through the Redevelopment Assistance Capital Program (RACP), a state-level program that focuses on community investment.
The property purchased for the new facility is located in Pittsburgh’s Larimer neighborhood. The facility will include squash courts, classrooms, exercise equipment, and community meeting spaces. The project will cost around $10 million.
Steel City Squash launched in 2015 to provide athletic and academic support to students from underserved communities in order to prepare them for college and graduating. The organization is a member of the Squash and Education Alliance, a national network of organizations serving youths year-round. www.steelcitysquash.org.
Jack and Jill of America
Pittsburgh’s chapter of Jack and Jill of America, Inc. hosts its biennial Jack and Jill presentation ball on Dec. 17 at 5:30 p.m.
Proceeds from the signature fundraising event will benefit two philanthropic organizations, Josh Gibson Foundation and the Jack and Jill Foundation, the national charity of Jack and Jill of America, Inc. The event will take place at the Omni William Penn Hotel in downtown Pittsburgh.
The ball will honor the academic, athletic, and extra-curricular achievements of 16 high school junior and senior students of the organization's Pittsburgh chapter. The theme of this year’s event is “Raised in Resiliency, Grounded in Grace.”
The Pittsburgh Chapter of Jack and Jill of America, Inc. was founded in 1938 and is an organization of mothers focused on developing youth into future leaders through cultural, civic, and social experiences. After a year-long process of workshops, rehearsals, and community service activities are prepared to be presented to the community at the ball. jackandjillpittsburgh.org.
