[Summary text coming soon.]
Grant Partner List:
Acculturation for Justice, Access, and Peace Outreach (AJAPO) ($15,000) to provide flexible, general operating support. AJAPO provides a continuum of care which empowers refugees and immigrants in Allegheny County to become self-sufficient and integrated into the Greater Pittsburgh Community and Allegheny County.
Afro-American Music Institute, Inc. ($10,000), acting as fiscal sponsor, to support the work of The UHIMWE Alliance in 2025, including the 13th annual Bayard Rustin Festival. UHIMWE offers safe environments for social, cultural, and artistic opportunities that promote and advocate wellness, education, and positive visibility for same gender-loving men.
Allegheny County Bar Foundation ($15,000) to provide flexible, general operating support for the Bar Foundation’s Pro Bono Center. The Center provides free legal services to individuals and families with very low incomes, addressing critical issues like employment, housing, family structure, and immigration status. The Allegheny County Bar Bar Foundation is a driving force in promoting justice for all and works to improve the community with charitable, educational, and pro bono legal services.
Alliance for Global Justice ($20,000), acting as fiscal sponsor, to support the work of the Bukit Bail Fund of Pittsburgh. Bukit Bail Fund is an abolitionist collective working to free individuals incarcerated folks at Allegheny County Jail and support those impacted by the criminal legal system. They work to get people released as quickly as possible and call for an end to cash bail in Pittsburgh and everywhere.
Autism Connection of PA ($10,000) to provide flexible, general operating support. Funds will support organizational capacity to provide access to help via web page, email, social media, phone, and texting services for anyone needing autism support, information, or advocacy. Autism Connection of PA is a lifeline and hub for families and autistic adults, providing support, information, and advocacy.
barebones productions ($45,000 over three years) to provide flexible, general operating support over three seasons. barebones productions is a Pittsburgh-based theater company that facilitates the growth of local theater artists through the production of challenging, entertaining, thought-provoking plays and that attracts new, young audiences by employing minimal production.
Black Liberation Autonomous Collective (BLAC) ($45,000 over three years) to provide flexible, general operating support. Funds will support BLAC to increase its long-term capacity to distribute gender-affirming care kits through its Bawdy Remedies Initiative for local transgender and gender-nonconforming siblings. BLAC builds a community network of gender-expansive youth and allies, serves as a platform for its siblings to construct the change they want to see, and provides for our people’s needs through mutual aid and advocacy efforts.
Black Liberation Autonomous Collective ($15,000), acting as fiscal sponsor, to support the work of Black Youth Organizing Coalition (BYOC). Through mutual support and shared resources, BYOC centers the voices of Black youth in Pittsburgh while fostering a decentralized, youth-led movement that redefines what liberation looks like in our communities.
Bricolage Production Company ($15,000) to provide flexible, general operating support. Bricolage is a company led by artists that expands the boundaries of theater to create transformative experiences. Bricolage embraces ‘what’s at hand’ to cultivate collaborative environments that promote wonder and possibility.
Cave Canem ($10,000) to support the 2025 Cave Canem Retreat and its public programs in Greensburg and Pittsburgh, PA. Cave Canem develops audiences for Black voices that have worked and are working in the craft of poetry.
Chamber Orchestra of Pittsburgh ($15,000) to provide flexible, general operating support during the 2025-2026 season. The Chamber Orchestra of Pittsburgh provides its community with exceptional performances, community enrichment, and related programming by a world-class ensemble.
Children’s Windows to Africa / Darisha La Watoto Kwa Africa (CWTA) ($15,000) to provide flexible, general operating support. Funds will support summer cultural programs and the organization’s expansion to serve all Beverly Jewel Wall Lovelace sites located in Housing Authority communities. CWTA provides children with a deep connection to their African heritage to help them internalize positive communal values and self-identity. Its vision is that all children of African descent will know their value and worth, and that those providing care will be equipped to provide African-centered education.
Civically ($15,000) to provide flexible, general operating support. Civically is a nonprofit social enterprise that focuses on community development by promoting civic and social literacy to instill self-reliance while addressing the immediate needs of the economically under-resourced in the Pittsburgh East End region.
Craft Emergency Relief Fund (CERF+) ($10,000) to provide flexible, general operating support. CERF+ provides craft artists with support and resources for disaster and emergency relief, education programs, and readiness grants to strengthen preparedness. Committing to generosity, inclusion, and care, CERF+ advocates for the thrive-ability of craft artists and craft as an art form.
Disability Pride PA ($6,500), acting as fiscal sponsor, to support the work of Access Mob Pittsburgh with flexible, operating support. Access Mob Pittsburgh is a disability-led organization that brings the entire Pittsburgh community together to promote social advancement through positive change.
Doctors Without Borders / Medecins Sans Frontieres (MSF) ($30,000 over three years) to provide flexible, general operating support. MSF is an international medical humanitarian organization that provides impartial medical relief to the victims of war, disease, and natural or man-made disaster, without regard to race, religion, or political affiliation. MSF reaches people without other access to medical care and humanitarian aid, filling gaps and meeting the urgent needs of especially vulnerable people.
Education Law Center – PA (ELC) ($10,000) to support the Education Helpline, which provides direct legal services and advocacy to help families address educational barriers experienced by their children and exercise their rights. ELC prioritizes support for children and families most impacted by social injustice, including Black and Brown families, multilingual families, children with disabilities, youth in the juvenile justice and foster care systems, LGBTQ+ youth, and others.
ELC ensures access to a quality public education for all children in Pennsylvania.
Faith United Methodist Church ($12,500) to support Roots of Faith in its ongoing efforts to alleviate poverty and improve the quality of life for residents of Sharpsburg and nearby communities. Roots of Faith brings people together by providing a continuum of services designed to improve our resident’s social, physical, mental, financial, and spiritual well-being.
Flamenco Pittsburgh ($10,000) to provide flexible, general operating support. Funds will support the development of the organization’s administrative infrastructure, marketing/PR capabilities, and equipment resources as it produces its first season as a 501(c)(3) organization. Founded in 2002, Flamenco Pittsburgh creates awareness and appreciation for flamenco music, song, and dance through classes, performances, and education outreach in Western Pennsylvania, Western New York, and Eastern Ohio.
Fractured Atlas ($2,700), acting as fiscal sponsor, to support the work of New Product Company’s production of Rejection, a theatrical adaptation of Tony Tulathimutte’s hit novel. New Product Company is a Pittsburgh-based avant-garde theatre company investigating the tension between IRL and URL, producing multimedia performances examining internet culture and the digital world.
Garden Home Ministries ($10,000) to provide flexible, operating support for the Sunflower House, a certified recovery home for any woman sexually exploited through substance use coercion. The Sunflower House is a haven for survivors who have broken free from trafficking through sheer force of will. While residing within the Sunflower House, women experience a supportive peer community and access to trauma informed care, life skills education, creative wellness, and direct connections to relevant program support.
The Global Switchboard ($15,000), acting as fiscal sponsor, to support the work of the Pittsburgh Human Rights City Alliance. Funds will support a leadership and strategic planning retreat, as well as travel for a delegation of local organizers to the United Nations in Geneva for the Universal Periodic Review of the United States’ human rights record in November 2025. Pittsburgh Human Rights City Alliance is a grassroots network dedicated to advancing and protecting human rights in our region.
Grounded Strategies ($10,000) to provide flexible, general operating support. Grounded Strategies improves the social, economic, and environmental health of distressed and transitional communities by building capacity to reclaim vacant and underutilized land.
Handmade Arcade ($10,000) to provide flexible, general operating support. Funds will support expanding programs and services for makers and artists, including a market booth scholarship program for makers from historically marginalized backgrounds, a maker affinity cohort, a maker mentorship program, and an evergreen online maker directory. Handmade Arcade empowers makers of all ages by providing them with professional development and connections to customers.
Harambee Ujima Black Arts and Culture Association ($15,000) to provide flexible, general operating support. Harambee Ujima works to re-establish cultural unification, dialogue and communications among people in this area that are of Afrikan descent. Funds will support events that support the process of Afrikans reclaiming pride and dignity, including Harambee Ujima’s Black Arts Festival in 2025.
Health GAP (Global Access Project) ($15,000) to provide flexible, general operating support. Health GAP is a network of AIDS and human rights activists, people living with HIV, and public health advocates campaigning against policies that deny access to lifesaving HIV treatments. They hold local, national, and global duty bearers accountable for ensuring access to quality and accessible HIV treatment and prevention, reproductive healthcare, and other essential medical technologies.
Hebrew Free Loan Association of Pittsburgh (HFLA) ($10,000) to provide flexible, general operating support as the organization strives to professionalize operations and honor its 138-year legacy of providing life changing microloans – especially to those who often face barriers, including women, people of color, immigrants, refugees, Jewish people and people of other religious minorities. The HFLA of Pittsburgh supports financial stability and advances opportunities for people in our region by providing interest-free loans.
Honest Works of Art ($10,000) to provide flexible, general operating support to aid the continued elevation of BIPOC art and artists. Honest Work creates inclusive, high-quality art exhibitions that showcase the work of BIPOC artists as and promote art sales.
Human Services Center Mon Valley (HSCMV) ($10,000) to provide flexible, general operating funds to support programs that help Mon Valley residents build pathways out of poverty. Programs like the Volunteer Income Tax Assistance program, the Emerging Leaders Program, Supports for Success, and HSCMV’s food pantry provide critical safety net resources and training opportunities to help clients towards achieving economic independence. HSCMV exists to improve the quality of life for children, adults, and families in the Mon Valley area.
Instituto Cimarrón ($15,000) to provide flexible, general operating support to promote programming, research, and education that centers the artistic and cultural works of marginalized communities of color. One flagship program, The Afro-Latinx Song & Opera Project, addresses the exclusion of Afro-Latinx composers and performers from the classical music canon. Instituto Cimarrón harnesses the transformative power of artistic expression and cultural research to empower communities, celebrate our distinct heritages, and foster a society where culture is synonymous with freedom.
Ìyá Pittsburgh Project ($10,000) to provide flexible, general operating support. The team of midwives, doulas, social workers, and program leads provide equitable perinatal and reproductive care. Beyond reducing perinatal mortality, Ìyá Pittsburgh provides funding for BIPOC, queer, and transgender people to access perinatal care, education, and training. Ìyá Pittsburgh Project envisions a world where opportunity, safety, options, and dignity are the perinatal experience, not limited by socio-economic status, race, or gender.
Jazz Workshop, Inc. ($10,000) to provide flexible, general operating support. Specifically, funds will support live musical performances, interactive assemblies at schools and other community organizations, teaching music, big band clinics, and the “Jazz Workshop, Inc. Town Hall Concert Series” which highlights and records the legacy of musical artists from Pittsburgh. The Jazz Workshop teaches music and preserves jazz as an art form, while nurturing the artistry, legacy, and well-being of jazz enthusiasts.
Jewish Assistance Fund ($20,000 over two years) to provide flexible, general operating support. The Jewish Assistance Fund provides immediate financial assistance, without expectation of repayment, to Jewish people in western Pennsylvania who have limited resources and are in need of emergency support for food, clothing, housing, utilities, transportation and medical necessities.
Jewish Family and Community Services of Pittsburgh (JFCS) ($20,000) to expand culturally-competent immigration legal services to individuals resettling in western Pennsylvania who are most at risk. Funding will support JFCS to build on the infrastructure it has created in the region to rapidly adapt immigration legal services in response to new needs and demands created by the dramatic and far-reaching policy and funding changes created on the federal level. JFCS supports people through life’s changes and challenges.
Kelly Strayhorn Theater ($14,289), acting as fiscal sponsor, to support Greater Good Productions’ development of The Adventures of Pussy Jones in Pittsburgh and at the Women in Theatre Festival in New York City in June of 2025. The play explores the theme of “The Politics of Femininity” through a storyline involving AI, literary figures, and novelist Edith Wharton. Greater Good Productions devises ensemble-driven theater productions, using physical theater techniques and a years-long developmental period, to make an essential and important contribution to the performing arts.
Kelly Strayhorn Theater ($15,000), acting as fiscal sponsor, to support the work of East of Liberty toward the Pittsburgh For Grenfell June 14th Project, a day-long advocacy event bringing the Grenfell Tower survivors and leaders to Pittsburgh to educate Pittsburgh on the city’s connection to the second most tragic event in the United Kingdom’s history: The Grenfell Tower fire. East of Liberty creates social justice documentaries and video installations that challenge how communities and cities are led by centering and protecting those impacted by harm and displacement.
Latino Community Center (LCC) ($20,000) to provide flexible, general operating support. Funds will support LCC to bolster security measures, provide staff training on responding to potential threats of violence, and equip the team to navigate shifting immigration policies, ensuring culturally responsive, trauma-informed services for Latine families in Allegheny County. LCC provides our Latine children, youth, and families the tools and opportunities needed to reach their full potential through educational programming, family support, and community building.
Legacy Arts Project ($30,000 over two years) to provide flexible, general operating support. Legacy Arts Project preserves the history and traditions of African art as represented throughout the Diaspora through performance, education, and interaction.
Literacy Council of Southwestern PA (LCSWPA) ($10,000) to support adult literacy and family resettlement services across southwestern Pennsylvania. LCSWPA empowers adults and families with literacy skills that enable them to lead successful, fulfilled lives as members of our communities.
MAYA Organization ($15,000) to provide flexible, general operating support for the administrative functions that undergird MAYA’s programs and services, as well as its systems change work in the area of maternal health. MAYA empowers BIPOC and marginalized birthing people and birthworkers, and creates positive change in the systems that impact them.
Mothers of Incarcerated Sons (MIS) ($10,000) to provide flexible, general operating support. MIS’s efforts are designed to build community power, defray the costs of reentering society for returning citizens, foster a better community, and create a more reflective democracy. MIS endeavors to amplify the voices of the Invisible Prisoners and serve the needs of incarcerated individuals and others adversely affected by the incarceration of their loved ones.
Mystic Mamas ($2,500) to provide flexible, general operating support. Located in the Allentown neighborhood on Pittsburgh’s Southside, Mystic Mamas promotes the holistic well-being of women by building communities that share resources, knowledge, and opportunities in the interests of agricultural accessibility, economic advancement, creative expression, mental health awareness and international mobility in an overall interest of dismantling patriarchal systems.
New Sun Rising ($10,000), acting as fiscal sponsor, to support Anthropology of Motherhood’s first annual Deaf & Disabled Arts Exhibit in Pittsburgh. Anthropology of Motherhood fosters an inclusive and supportive environment that uplifts artists and caregivers by celebrating the intersection of art, caregiving, and cultural engagement. Through innovative exhibitions, meaningful programs, and collaborative opportunities, Anthropology of Motherhood champions Deaf and disability arts, maternal feminism, and caregiving narratives.
New Sun Rising ($15,000) to provide flexible, general operating support during the organization’s 20th anniversary year. Funds will be used to strengthen grassroots projects and advocate for social, environmental, and economic justice at a time where these core values are under threat. New Sun Rising collaborates with communities to build capacity, access funding, and embrace data-informed approaches towards their own vibrant future.
New Sun Rising ($10,000), acting as fiscal sponsor, to provide flexible, general operating support for the third season of Gallery Closed’s exhibition program. Located in Pittsburgh’s Troy Hill neighborhood, Gallery Closed is a unique art space whose exhibits are designed for and viewable only from the street through two windows. Gallery Closed exhibits site-specific artwork that is deeply integrated into the day-to-day life of an urban neighborhood. Open 24 hours a day, seven days a week, Gallery Closed produces intellectually stimulating, site-specific artworks primarily aimed toward the general passing public.
New Sun Rising ($10,000), acting as fiscal sponsor, to support the work of The Birthing Hut. The Birthing Hut is a birth worker ecosystem designed to empower Black birth workers through culturally centered training, employment, and mentorship, creating lasting impact within the community. The Birthing Hut establishes a communal scope of practice and elevates the standard of practice within the birth worker profession.
Open Hand Ministries ($15,000) to provide flexible, general operating support as it builds community, teaches financial wellness, rehabs vacant properties, and matches mortgage-prepared families with homes for purchase. Open Hand Ministries exists to provide paths to financial wellness (including a way to build equity through affordable homeownership) to low- to middle-income families who want to remain in their neighborhoods and be financially secure.
Patients for Affordable Drugs (P4AD) ($10,000) to provide flexible, general operating support. P4AD fights for and defends bold systems-level change to the drug pricing system so that everyone in the US has access to the medication they need at prices they can afford; prioritizing Black, Brown and historically underserved people who are disproportionately harmed by high drug prices.
PERSAD Center ($15,000) to provide flexible, general operating support. Persad Center improves the mental health well-being of the LGBTQ+ community and people affected by HIV/AIDS. Through counseling, prevention, outreach, training & advocacy, Persad builds stronger, safer and healthier communities.
The Pittsburgh Contingency ($15,000), acting as fiscal sponsor to support the work of The Wellness Collective and its merger with Rise and Thrive Development. The Wellness Collective empowers communities from Metro Detroit to Southwest PA through mutual aid, trauma-informed care, and prosocial programming that addresses housing insecurity, resource access, and economic stability. Rooted in care and collective power, The Wellness Collective reimagines what is possible when people—not systems—are at the center, strengthening communities where everyone has the chance to thrive.
Pittsburgh Glass Center ($20,000) to provide flexible, general operating support. Pittsburgh Glass Center cultivates an inclusive and welcoming environment that encourages everyone, from the casually curious to the master artist, to learn, create, and be inspired by glass. The Glass Center promotes glass art creation and appreciation.
Pittsburgh Playwrights Theatre Company (PPTCO) ($40,000 over two years) to provide flexible, general operating support over two seasons of plays and audience development initiatives. Rooted in the African American community, PPTCO promotes local playwrights and the stories they tell, and uses the stage to explore the histories and intersectionalities of Pittsburgh’s communities. PPTCO encourages new playwriting, directing, acting, and designing, especially among people who may not have the opportunity to see their work produced.
Pittsburgh Shakespeare in the Parks ($15,000) to provide flexible, general operating support for the company’s 2025 production of “MacBeth”. Pittsburgh Shakespeare in the Parks provides free and accessible Shakespeare and classical theatre to the residents of Pittsburgh in public parks and outdoor spaces.
POISE Foundation ($45,000 over three years), acting as fiscal sponsor, to support the work of The YVAC Power Fund. Funds will support the growth of Black youth-led organizing in Pittsburgh and Allegheny County as YVAC focuses on building the next generation of leaders, activists, and artists. The YVAC Power Fund defends, resources, and uplifts Black youth in the face of systems designed to harm.
Prototype PGH ($10,000), acting as fiscal sponsor, to support the work of The Auto(nomous) Body Shop. Funding supports the reproductive freedom, sexual health, and bodily autonomy of folks by mobile distribution of free informational resources and practical supplies. The Auto(nomous) Body Shop empowers individuals to be the go-to support resource/friend for sexual & reproductive health, abortion care, and harm reduction within their communities and friend networks.
Radiant Hall ($15,000) to provide flexible, general operating support. Radiant Hall empowers artists to sustain thriving studio practices by creating and preserving access to space, shared resources, programs, and a supportive community of peers.
Shiftworks Community + Public Arts ($15,000) to provide flexible, general operating support. Shiftworks Community + Public Arts envisions a region in which the creative practices of artists are fully engaged to collaboratively shape the public realm and catalyze community-led change. Shiftworks builds capacity for this work through civically engaged public art, artist resources, public programming, and technical assistance.
Texture Contemporary Ballet ($10,000) to provide flexible, general operating support during the 2025-2026 season of dance programming. Texture Contemporary Ballet inspires an appreciation of dance through dynamic and captivating performances, creative choreography, shared passion, and exceptional dance training.
Women of Visions ($15,000) to provide flexible, general operating support. Women of Visions promotes the arts, culture, and history of women of African descent by helping each other to excel as artists and to grow professionally through exhibitions, community collaboration, educational programming, and other progressive opportunities.
Xliberator Network Inc. ($10,000), acting as fiscal sponsor, to support The Future Is Black’s “Creative Fellowship” business accelerator program. Over eight months, the Creative Fellowship will empower 20 creatives and craftspeople via 12 sessions and platforming opportunities designed to enhance participants’ visibility while equipping them with the administrative and business skills necessary to transition from emerging artists to advancing artists.
Zellous Hope Project ($10,000), to provide general operating support. Zellous Hope Project provides a bridge over the holes on the road to living better by working together with existing organizations to create the change we all want to see in the lives of the people they serve. This grant is shared in honor of Ms. Denise Zellous, may her memory be for a blessing.
DISCRETIONARY GRANTS
City of Asylum Pittsburgh ($5,000) to support the Bridges – City of Asylum Pittsburgh Creative Summit from May 21-23, 2025, organized in collaboration with ICORN, the International Cities of Refuge Network. The Summit brings together colleagues and artists, experts, and partner organizations from across the U.S. and European network to gather for panels, one-on-one conversations, plenaries, working sessions, cultural events, and peer-to-peer exchanges.