CONTACT: Jake Goodman, Opportunity Fund Executive Director
jgoodman [at] theopportunityfund.org
PITTSBURGH, PA, November 20, 2024 — Opportunity Fund announces grantmaking support in the total amount of $1,380,500 in the second half of 2024. The foundation reviewed 176 requests for funding, requesting nearly $3.2 million. This cycle, 70 full applications were reviewed by one of the following: an arts community panel, a social & economic justice community panel, or Opportunity Fund’s Board of Directors.
Opportunity Fund’s aspiration is to nurture reciprocal relationships with its partners and community members. Part of this is providing general operating support which is funding that is unrestricted and allows organizations to use it as they best see fit to meet their goals. The majority of this cycle’s grant funding, 72%, provides unrestricted general operating support. Black-led organizations make up 43% of this cycle’s total grant partners, 29% are white-led, and 19% have Asian, Latino/a/e, or multiracial leadership teams. A complete list of awarded grants can be found below.
Since Opportunity Fund’s inception in 2015, the foundation has awarded 1,196 grants totaling nearly $17.5 million. Grant cycles take place two times per year. The deadline to submit an online Letter of Inquiry to be considered for a grant for the next cycle is January 15, 2025. Opportunity Fund encourages organizations focused on the arts and/or social and economic justice to reach out or submit an online Letter of Inquiry by the deadline.
Full information about applying for grants is available in the “For Applicants” area of the foundation’s website.
Grant Partner List:
412 JUSTICE ($10,000) to provide flexible, general operating support. 412 JUSTICE is a multiracial, intergenerational, multi-issue organization that advocates for economic, environmental, and educational justice. They build deep trust and collaboration with impacted people and use their voice to promote strong, healthy communities, and corporate accountability through the redistribution of wealth, power, and resources.
Abolitionist Law Center ($30,000 over two years), acting as fiscal sponsor, to support the work of the Prisoner Justice Campaign (PJC) in its efforts to assist prisoners in solitary confinement and those experiencing human and civil rights violations. With the help of whistleblowers, jailhouse activists, and prison litigators, Prisoner Justice Campaign exposes the human rights violations happening in our jails, state prisons, and immigration detention.
The Allignment Chapter Corporation ($7,500) to provide flexible, general operating support. The Allignment Chapter decreases mental illness and child neglect in low income communities, provides same-day emergency support to low income mothers in need, and offers a free, financially fit literacy program for mothers. The Allignment Chapter helps bridge the gap between low income and middle class mothers.
Amani Christian Community Development Corporation ($10,000) to support the Amani Labor Free Repair Program to provide much-needed home repairs for low-income homeowners in Pittsburgh’s Hill District Neighborhood. Amani facilitates healthy and safe communities by creating programs that educate community residents and nurtures youth, encourages community and economic development, and promotes a livable quality of life.
Autism Urban Connections ($15,000) to provide flexible, general operating support. Autism Urban Connections provides education, support, advocacy, and empowerment, with an emphasis on self-care to families of those diagnosed with autism, with priority placed in African American, minority, and economically disadvantaged communities.
Ayúdate Incorporated ($15,000) to provide flexible, general operating support. Ayúdate increases accessibility of mental health resources in Spanish to the under-served Hispanic population in Western Pennsylvania and beyond with a virtual community of bilingual and culturally competent therapists.
Bethel-Trinity Community Development Corporation (BTCDC) ($15,000) to provide flexible, general operating support after the organization came to an agreement with the Pittsburgh Arena Real Estate Redevelopment LP and the Pittsburgh Penguins Foundation. Funding will support BTCDC as it embarks upon a pre-development process to evaluate options to develop existing real estate assets and/or on a development site in Pittsburgh’s Hill District. BTCDC addresses systemic challenges in Black communities by promoting business ownership, homeownership, financial literacy, and improving generational education.
Bloomfield-Garfield Corporation ($15,000), acting as fiscal sponsor, to support the work of the Steel City Housing Cooperative Initiative (SCHCI) as it builds a platform to expand housing cooperatives in Pittsburgh to address affordable housing needs. Funds will enable SCHCI to hire a consultant to support development of the organizing committee, convene with stakeholders in the housing ecosystem, and develop a strategic plan to launch more demonstration projects.
Braddock Carnegie Library ($10,000) to provide capital support for the final phase of renovations at Andrew Carnegie’s first library in the U.S. The Braddock Carnegie Library provides reliable access to resources that engage compassionate and creative neighbors.
Brew House Arts ($10,000) to provide flexible, general operating support and to support the Fiberart International 2025. Brew House Arts provides space and support for people to connect and expand their relationship with the arts.
Bridge to The Mountains ($10,000) to provide flexible, general operating support. Bridge to the Mountains builds connections with and supports individuals experiencing homelessness. The organization exists to come alongside and accompany individuals living life on the street.
Bunker Projects ($15,000) to provide flexible, general operating support. In May 2024, 700 individual donors helped Bunker Projects become building owners and achieve a permanent future in Pittsburgh’s Garfield neighborhood. Funds will support the organization’s mortgage payments. Bunker Projects is an artist residency and experimental gallery that serves as a platform for emerging artists to develop their practice and create new works for exhibition. Bunker provides a unique environment for artists to advance their careers and build community among peers.
Cafe Momentum Pittsburgh ($10,000) to provide flexible, general operating support across four key areas: workforce development, case management, counseling, and education serving Pittsburgh’s justice-involved youth. Café Momentum is an award-winning restaurant and culinary training facility that aims to transform young lives by equipping Pittsburgh’s justice-involved youth with life skills, education, and employment opportunities to help them achieve their full potential.
Casa San Jose ($20,000), acting as fiscal sponsor, to support Guerrero Glass, a glassblowing school in McKeesport that provides a safe space for BIPOC youth from marginalized communities to express themselves, regardless of gender identity or sexual orientation.
Catapult Greater Pittsburgh ($10,000) to provide flexible, general operating support. Catapult engages in connecting families to emergency resources, peer to peer support, wealth building, trauma informed financial counseling and policy advocacy to ensure that communities can meaningfully achieve economic justice and lead dignified and equitable lives.
Chatham Baroque ($10,000) to provide flexible, general operating support during the 2024/2025 Season. Chatham Baroque connects diverse audiences to the passion and depth of the music of the Middle Ages, Renaissance, Baroque, and Early Classical periods through performing and presenting vivid and compelling programs and educational experiences.
Christian Immigration Advocacy Center (CIAC) ($15,000) to provide flexible, general operating support. Funding will support the hiring of additional legal representatives with emphasis on candidates from other countries. CIAC is a legal aid organization that displays the love of Christ by serving immigrants and refugees of limited means with immigration-related legal help.
City Theatre Company ($30,000 over two years) to provide flexible, general operating support during the company’s 50th Anniversary and 51st seasons. City Theatre Company provides an artistic home for the development and production of contemporary plays that engage and challenge a diverse audience.
Construction Junction ($25,000 over two years), acting as fiscal sponsor, to support The Pillow Project’s 2025 & 2026 seasons and a part-time development professional. Entering its 20th season, the Pillow Project is a performance-based arts organization creating original and diverse mixed-media performances and happenings.
CORNINGWORKS ($45,000 over three years) to provide flexible, general operating support. Funding will support infrastructure, research, and development to produce six performance seasons of programming over the course of three years. CORNINGWORKS is dedicated to creating provocative dance theater addressing issues of relevance to our society
Crop and Kettle ($10,000) to support advancements in the Pre-Apprenticeship Program. Funding will support updating curricula, schedules, and other program materials and technologies in order to meet the advanced compliance requirements for the organization’s state-registered pre-apprenticeship programs. Crop and Kettle is a non-profit social enterprise that utilizes the food system to provide job training and social development to members of our community who are eager to overcome their current obstacles to employment.
CrownKeepers ($15,000), acting as fiscal sponsor, to support The Garfield PGH. Funds will support the transformation of a multi-family home built in Pittsburgh’s historic Hill District into a safe, comfortable, and luxurious short-term housing solution for Black artists and arts workers who are visiting Pittsburgh.
Dreams of Hope (DOH) ($52,500 over three years) to provide flexible, general operating support. DOH advances a forever commitment to the positive development and freedom of LGBTQIA+ youth by providing opportunities, platforms, and resources to help them achieve their goals and succeed in life.Through the power of the arts, DOH provides the region’s LGBTQIA+ youth with a welcoming environment to grow in confidence, express themselves, and develop as leaders.
Filipino American Association of Pittsburgh ($10,000) to provide flexible, general operating support to sustain their year-long cultural dance program. The Filipino American Association of Pittsburgh preserves, promotes, and perpetuates the Filipino heritage among members and the general public through cultural, charitable, and educational activities.
Glassport Community Development Corporation ($8,000) to support the Glassport Gateway Mosaic, a public art display constructed in partnership with the Pittsburgh Glass Center and residents of Glassport. The mosaic will connect Glassport’s history and future, and is intended to catalyze increased connections to art and public space. The Glassport CDC organizes, directs, and coordinates the economic revitalization and redevelopment of the business districts and public spaces of Glassport, PA.
Greater Pittsburgh Arts Council (GPAC) ($15,000), in partnership with the Kelly Strayhorn Theater (KST), to support the preliminary work of creating the Allegheny County Cultural Plan or cultural investment strategy guide for Pittsburgh and Allegheny County. GPAC and KST will engage Yancey Consulting to advance this initiative. GPAC builds a more resourced, connected, and informed arts sector, empowering artists and arts organizations throughout Southwestern PA.
Hill Dance Academy Theatre (HDAT) ($12,500) to provide flexible, general operating support. HDAT trains and develops professional level dancers centering Black dance traditions, history, culture, knowledge, contributions, and aesthetics that engages and empowers students to pursue concert dance careers to sustain Black dance.
Hill District Consensus Group (HDCG) ($30,000 over three years) to provide flexible, general operating support. HDCG creates effective pathways to help intergenerational residents overcome economic, social, and housing challenges. Through grassroots efforts, HDCG is building a community of hope and solidarity where all residents can have a voice in the matters that are affecting their lives.
Jewish Federation of Greater Pittsburgh ($45,000 over three years) to support the health & human service needs of thousands of low-income families, vulnerable individuals, and seniors across the region. Specifically, funding will support AgeWell Pittsburgh and the Squirrel Hill Food Pantry. Jewish Federation cultivates resources, connects people, and collaborates across the community to live and fulfill Jewish values.
Justice at Work ($10,000) to provide flexible, general operating support. Justice at Work supports low-wage workers as they pursue economic and social justice through the provision of legal services, education, and advocacy.
Kamratōn ($15,000) to provide flexible, general operating support during the 2024-2025 chamber music season. The season includes a new work by Anna Elder and Emily Cook alongside works inspired by Appalachian Folk Music, the annual series, She Scores, celebrating women composers, and the new opera, WE CROSSED THE RIVER, by composer Eric Moe and librettist Angie Cruz which details stories from children’s detention camps at the US border. Both She Scores and the opera will tour to New York City. Kamratōn challenges the boundaries of music performance, expands the contemporary chamber music repertoire, and celebrates the role of women as leaders in the arts.
Kelly Strayhorn Theater ($20,000 over two years), acting as fiscal sponsor to support slowdanger. Funds will support the two year research, development, and Pittsburgh premiere of STORY BALLET, slowdanger’s new multidisciplinary performance work that explores mental health’s intersections with societal stereotypes and how they shape our perceptions. slowdanger brings audiences closer to their own bodies through performance, immersive experiences, and open-level workshops, cultivating kinesthetic and somatic empathy through creating community in transformational embodied experiences.
Kente Arts Alliance ($40,000 over two years) to provide flexible, general operating support. Funds will support two seasons of programming and the ongoing implementation of the organization’s executive succession plan. Kente Arts Alliance is an African American arts organization that presents high-quality art of the African Diaspora. Kente aims to present art with a purpose by presenting programs that entertain, inform, and uplift the residents of underserved communities.
The Larimer Consensus Group ($10,000) to provide flexible, general operating support. The Larimer Consensus Group focuses on enhancing the lives of predominantly African-American, low-income residents through strategic initiatives in affordable housing, economic development, environmental responsibility, social well-being, and public safety, all in adherence to the Larimer Vision to Action Plan.
Lighthouse Arts ($5,000) to support Basement Sessions and the Brilliant Corners lecture/listening series. Lighthouse Arts differentiates itself from other jazz organizations by focusing on the artist and the audience. Lighthouse Arts acknowledges, celebrates, documents, and supports those individuals who creatively represent jazz and enhance the listener’s appreciation of past and current artists performing a wide range of styles.
Manchester Craftsmen’s Guild ($60,000) to provide flexible, general operating support for three MCG Jazz concert seasons. MCG Jazz preserves, presents, and promotes jazz, stimulating intercultural understanding, appreciation, and enhancement of the quality of life for its community.
Michiyaya Dance Company ($7,500) to support the company’s newest multimedia dance work, ‘road to the sky,’ which reflects on the process, challenges, and intentionality of becoming queer parents. ‘road to the sky’ will premiere in Pittsburgh in Winter 2025. MICHIYAYA is a queer-led dance company that pushes boundaries and centers the divine feminine by creating space for multidisciplinary performances and programming.
More Unity Inc ($10,000), acting as fiscal sponsor, to support the work of The African Healing Garden. The African Healing Garden, the realized vision of longtime Larimer resident, Ms. Betty Lane, exists to be a peaceful space where the community can experience serenity, engage in social and spiritual interaction, gain knowledge, and continue to evolve.
Mwanakuche Farm ($30,000 over two years) to provide flexible, general operating support. Mwanakuche Farm educates and provides a reliable, healthy, culturally appropriate, and in-demand food source for immigrant communities, which is integrated into American society while maintaining its unique cultural heritage and identity.
The Neighborhood Resilience Project ($7,500) to support the transformation and healing of communities in the Mon Valley through micro-community interventions. Rooted in the Gospel and teachings of the Orthodox Church, inspired by the Civil Rights Movement, the Neighborhood Resilience Project supports the transformation of neighborhoods from trauma-affected communities to resilient healing and healthy communities through trauma-informed community development.
New Sun Rising ($10,000), acting as fiscal sponsor, to provide flexible general operating support for Pittonkatonk. Pittonkatonk’s annual May Day Celebration serves as a platform for local performers and social justice groups from the region to come together and showcase their talents alongside international performers from the African diaspora and Latin America. Pittonkatonk empowers people through music in diverse practices to engage the world around them and advance fair and just relations between people and society.
New Sun Rising ($15,000), acting as fiscal sponsor, to support the work of Artist Talk Mental Health‘s Therapeutic Spaces. Flexible funds support staff salaries and build stability while the organization delivers its three programs: Black Therapy 101, Therapeutic Spaces, and the Performance Series. Artist Talk creates safe spaces for artists to learn and grow in their professional artistry while developing skills and acquiring tools to maintain and take care of their mental health.
North Side Christian Health Center (NSCHC) ($15,000) to provide flexible general operating support and to advance the work of the board-directed Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion committee. A Federally Qualified Health Center, NSCHC provides whole-person primary health care to underserved persons on the Northside and surrounding neighborhoods, and envisions a community where people of all backgrounds are actively engaged in maintaining a healthy lifestyle.
Pennsylvania Innocence Project ($10,000) to provide flexible, general operating support. Funds will build the capacity of the Pittsburgh office, enhance reentry support for freed and exonerated people, and help the organization to leverage available resources. The Pennsylvania Innocence Project exonerates those convicted of crimes they did not commit, prevents innocent people from being prosecuted and convicted, and helps those wrongfully convicted transition to freedom.
The Pittsburgh Camerata ($7,500) to provide flexible, general operating support. The Pittsburgh Camerata is a professional vocal ensemble committed to presenting imaginative and inspiring choral programs.
Pittsburgh International Classic Theatre (PICT) ($6,500) to provide flexible, general operating support during the 2024-2025 season, in which PICT will bring two international playwrights to Pittsburgh for two U.S. Premieres: “Miss Julie” adapted by Amy Ng, and “First Lady” by Sedef Ecer. PICT engages with, entertains, and serves the Pittsburgh community by examining current social issues through the lens of classic text.
Pittsburgh Public Media’s WZUM ($15,000) to provide flexible, general operating support. WZUM, also known as “the Pittsburgh Jazz Channel,” increases and sustains the public’s appreciation for past and present jazz performers, and creates a sustainable future for the next generation of jazz creators and community through public media.
Pittsburgh Scholar House ($60,000 over three years) to support the Wayfinders Housing Program, a residential housing program with holistic programming with the goal of fostering two-generational enrichment through workshops and family development based on the Self-Sufficiency Matrix and protective factors. The Pittsburgh Scholar House partners with highly-motivated single parents to create a better quality of life for themselves and their children by providing equitable access to higher education opportunities, social capital development, and early learning access to ignite a positive cycle of generational prosperity.
Pittsburgh United ($15,000) to provide flexible, general operating support. Pittsburgh United is a coalition of community, labor, faith, and environmental organizations committed to advancing the vision of a community and economy that works for all people.
Pittsburghers for Public Transit (PPT) ($60,000 over three years) to provide flexible, general operating support. PPT is a grassroots union of transit riders, workers and neighbors who, together, organize for an expanded, affordable and accessible public transit system that meets all needs, with no communities left behind.
Producer Hub Inc. ($15,000), acting as fiscal sponsor, to provide flexible, general operating support for DNAWORKS. DNAWORKS promotes social justice, racial equity, community healing, and liberation through its award-winning programming and performances, promoting dialogue-based social justice action and community building, with arts, educational, and community organizations in 39 states and 18 countries. The organization believes that art = ritual = healing = community and that this philosophy and practice lead to a more peaceful world.
The Public Interest Law Center ($15,000) to support work to protect every Pennsylvanian citizen’s right to vote and ensure their vote counts including, challenging barriers to mail-in voting. The Public Interest Law Center uses high-impact legal strategies to advance the civil, social, and economic rights of communities in the Philadelphia region facing discrimination, inequality, and poverty.
Quantum Theatre ($60,000 over three years) to provide flexible, general operating support. Funds will support three seasons of artistic and educational programming. Quantum Theatre is a company of progressive, professional artists dedicated to producing intimate and sophisticated theatrical experiences in uncommon settings, exploring universal themes of truth, beauty, and human relationships in unexpected ways.
Rainbow Serpent ($15,000) to provide flexible, general operating support. Rainbow Serpent advances Black LGBTQ culture through multimedia art, emerging technologies, innovative healing protocols, and traditional African cosmologies. The organization promotes and celebrates the diversity and richness of Black LGBTQ culture while advancing healing and empowerment within the community. Rainbow Serpent’s largest aim is to create a new radiant reality, one as resplendent and diverse as the Rainbow and as fertile and enduring as the Serpent.
RealTime Arts ($10,000) to provide flexible, general operating support. RealTime Arts creates unique theatrical works that celebrate real people and real places—works that emphasize the interconnectedness of all human beings. As a community-fueled theater company, RealTime’s projects are co-created by a diverse constellation of individuals with knowledge and experience reaching well beyond the arts, united by the story we’re telling together.
Reimagine Reentry ($15,000) to provide flexible, general operating support. Reimagine Reentry is a reentry program for men and women returning home from incarceration to Allegheny County. Utilizing a strengths-based approach, Reimagine Reentry provides opportunities, reduces barriers, and supports returning citizens and works to highlight and harness those characteristics to empower positive change for each individual and their community.
Resonance Works ($20,000) to provide flexible, general operating support for the 2024-25 season. Resonance Works empowers artists and inspires audiences with genre-defying, impactful productions that utilize a mix of evocative new pieces, underperformed masterworks, and timeless classics, challenging traditional assumptions about classical music, engaging audiences, sparking conversations, and creating community through shared experiences.
Ronald McDonald House Charities of Pittsburgh and Morgantown (RMHC) ($5,000) to support the creation and distribution of multilingual literature for the Ronald McDonald Care Mobile to better serve diverse communities and ensure equitable access to healthcare resources. RMHC Pittsburgh and Morgantown provides a way for families to stay close to their children receiving medical care, and is committed to helping the families lead happier, healthier and more productive lives.
SEE CLEAR ($15,000) to provide capital support for the completion of the first floor of SEE CLEAR’s new center for creativity, innovation, and economic empowerment in McKeesport. SEE CLEAR empowers economically disadvantaged youth and adults by helping them to reach their true potential while serving as a catalyst for economic growth and change in the community.
Shared Interest ($30,000 over three years) to provide flexible, general operating support for an organization that works to close the financing gap for Black women entrepreneurs. Shared Interest mobilizes the resources for Southern Africa’s economically disenfranchised communities to sustain themselves and build equitable nations.
Tech 25 ($15,000) to provide flexible, general operating support for the organization, as well as support of the Carrick Community Pavilion. Tech 25 provides youth and adults with career opportunities in the event production and broadcast industry through classes, workshops, and hands-on mentoring. The work promotes diversity in the entertainment and event technology industry through providing entry into jobs that pay a living wage and lead to fulfilling careers.
Three Rivers Young Peoples Orchestras (TRYPO) ($10,000) to support the 2024-25 10th Anniversary season of the Youth Chamber Connection program, which provides chamber music education and performance opportunities for beginner, intermediate, and advanced music students in the Greater Pittsburgh metropolitan area. TRYPO creates a dynamic, inclusive community where young people are inspired to pursue a lifelong passion for music.
Touchstone Center for Crafts ($15,000) to provide flexible, general operating support. Touchstone Center for Crafts advances excellence in the arts and crafts by educating and encouraging individuals to develop technical skills, good design, and innovative expression. Touchstone Center for Crafts offers classes, exhibitions, lectures, demonstrations, and other creative, educational programming throughout the year for people of all ages and levels of expertise.
True T Pittsburgh ($15,000) to provide flexible, general operating support. True T PGH celebrates queer people of color through creative art, community wellness, and social activism. The organization provides holistic wrap-around services to improve the quality of life for the communities served, and operates a community studio and health services through their space in the Uptown neighborhood that promotes wellness through art and entertainment.
Union Project ($30,000 over two years) to provide flexible, general operating support. Union Project uses the arts to bridge gaps between communities. It is a dynamic arts enterprise, and events center – a community hub and common ground for Pittsburgh’s neighborhoods and residents.
University of Pittsburgh ($15,000) to bolster the work of The P.R.I.D.E. Program (Positive Racial Identity Development in Early Education). The P.R.I.D.E. Program is a division in the Office of Child Development with the goal of supporting the positive racial identity development of young Black children. P.R.I.D.E. support the important adults in children’s lives by providing them with knowledge, skills, and resources to enable them to help children understand race, themselves, their history, and their culture. P.R.I.D.E. also helps parents, teachers, and the broader community learn from the research and from hands-on practice, ways in which to help children make sense of race and other differences, and better understand the ways children are impacted by race and racism in America.
Western Pennsylvania Fund for Choice ($60,000 over three years) to provide flexible, general operating support. The Western Pennsylvania Fund for Choice ensures that money is not a barrier to accessing abortion care. They provide financial assistance to people throughout Central and Western Pennsylvania, Ohio, and West Virginia seeking abortion care at Allegheny Reproductive Health Center, Pittsburgh’s independent clinic.
Willissae’s Agency for Vision and Empowerment (WAVE) ($10,000) to support the Residential Readiness and Eviction Prevention Program. This program fosters housing stabilization and rental readiness for low to moderate-income families with the aim of preventing persistent homelessness and avoiding common pitfalls that lead to rental payment delinquency or other lease infractions resulting in eviction. WAVE creates housing and economic stability for at-risk individuals in low-income communities through personal empowerment, skill set development, problem solving and wealth building.
Za’kiyah House ($10,000) to provide flexible, general operating support. Funds will support the staff, administrative, and development costs of the organization’s residential, referral, and outreach services. Za’kiyah House reduces homelessness, recidivism, and addiction.
Discretionary Grants
ABFE (A Philanthropic Partnership for Black Communities) ($5,000) to support the Racial Equity Advancement and Defense Initiative (READI) in partnership with racial equity partners. This initiative includes the development of a resource bank, aimed to equip the philanthropic and nonprofit sectors with essential tools for navigating legal frameworks while passionately advocating for racial justice. ABFE leads transformative initiatives that promote equity, justice, and empowerment, especially in today’s challenging social and political climate.
Chamber Music Pittsburgh ($10,000) to support the hiring of an accountant as CMP’s new executive director focuses on organizational stewardship. Chamber Music Pittsburgh presents world-class chamber music ensembles and soloists, promising emerging artists, and innovative programs; and fosters an appreciation for chamber music in the Pittsburgh community by offering educational programs and experiences.
Community Partners ($5,000), acting as fiscal sponsor, to support The Revolutionary Love Project’s Revolutionary Love Project Bus Tour. Founded and led by Valarie Kaur, a Sikh American civil rights leader, The Revolutionary Love Project reclaims love as a force for justice and social change and gives people tools to be brave with their grief, harness their rage, return to wonder, reimagine our institutions, and fight for our humanity from a place of love.
The Embodiment Institute (TEI) ($5,000) to provide flexible, general operating support. To support Black-Led Movement Work, TEI changes the conversation, practice and politics of healing through strategic training and interventions at interpersonal, organizational, cultural, and environmental scales.
Hill Dance Academy Theatre ($5,000), acting as fiscal sponsor, to support “A Black Bead Story”. Funds will enable Black wombyn artists from New Orleans working in the realm of female Afro-Atlantic world masquerades to host a panel for the 2025 screening of designer and dancer Celeta Hickman’s short films at the August Wilson House.
New Sun Rising ($5,000), acting as fiscal sponsor, to support “Be Gay [Do Crime]: The End of Pride Spectacular,” an annual performance to mark the end of Pride Month at the Mr. Smalls venue. Be Gay [Do Crime] creates safe, fun spaces for 18+ queer collegiate youth within the city of Pittsburgh.
New Sun Rising ($5,000), acting as fiscal sponsor, to support for the #notwhite collective. The #notwhite collective is a group of 13 women artists who use non-individualistic, multi-disciplinary art to make their stories visible as they relate, connect, and belong to the Global Majority. Collective members use their arts practice singularly and collectively to excavate histories, expose realities, and exorcise oppression.
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