opportunity-fund | Opportunity Fund

OPPORTUNITY FUND PROVIDES $1,340,501 IN GRANTS TO THE ARTS AND SOCIAL & ECONOMIC JUSTICE

By opportunity-fund
November 20, 2023
Arts,Opportunity Fund,Social and Economic Justice

CONTACT: Jake Goodman, Opportunity Fund Executive Director, jgoodman [at] theopportunityfund.org

PITTSBURGH, PA, November 22, 2023 — Opportunity Fund announces grantmaking support in the total amount of $1,340,501 through 71 grants in the second half of the foundation’s ninth year. The foundation reviewed 147 requests for funding, requesting a total of $3,024,397. This cycle, each of the 70 full applications were reviewed by one of the following: an arts community panel, a social & economic justice community panel, or the Opportunity Fund’s Board of Directors who review both arts and social & economic justice applications.

Opportunity Fund’s aspiration is to nurture reciprocal relationships with its partners and community members. Trust is key to building strong relationships and, in turn, being in community. General operating support is a type of funding that is unrestricted and allows organizations to use it as they best see fit to meet their goals. The majority of this year’s grant funding, 82%, is unrestricted general operating support. Black-led organizations make up 51% of this year’s total grant partners, 32% are white-led, and 17% have Asian, Latinx, and/or Native leadership teams. A complete list of awarded grants can be found below.

Support Black-Led Organizations

By opportunity-fund
July 6, 2022
Arts,Opportunity Fund,Social and Economic Justice

Many of us want to support groups who are rising up to meet this moment in powerful ways — but don’t know where to look. Or who to trust. Below is a list of Black-led groups who know what this moment demands of us. We encourage you to flow your resources to them as we do.

_{Please note that some of the entities listed below are 501(c)(3) nonprofit organizations, and some are not.}

OPPORTUNITY FUND PROVIDES $934,879 IN GRANTS TO THE ARTS AND SOCIAL & ECONOMIC JUSTICE

By opportunity-fund
May 26, 2022
Arts,Opportunity Fund,Social and Economic Justice

CONTACT: Jake Goodman, Executive Director, jgoodman [at] theopportunityfund.org

PITTSBURGH, PA, May 31, 2022 — The Opportunity Fund announces support totaling $934,879 in the foundation’s eighth year of grantmaking. The Board of Directors, along with two community panels, funded 73 out of 106 requests that sought a total of $1,798,679. The majority of this funding, 72%, is for unrestricted general operating support that can be used flexibly, as needed. 47% of grant partners are BIPOC-led organizations or organizations with multi-racial leadership teams; 32% are Black-led organizations. A complete list of awarded grants can be found below.

Including this current grant cycle, the foundation has awarded 833 grants totaling over $11.4 million since its inception in 2015. Grant cycles take place twice a year. Letter of Inquiry deadlines are January 15 and July 15 each year. Full information about applying for grants is available in the “For Applicants” area of our website.

Opportunity Fund Stands in Solidarity with Coalition Calling Upon Colcom to Stop Funding Anti-Immigrant Political Work

By opportunity-fund
February 28, 2022
Opportunity Fund,Social and Economic Justice

A broad coalition of organizations and agencies, being convened by several of our grant partners, is asking Pittsburgh-based Colcom Foundation to stop funding white nationalist political work around the U.S.

We stand in solidarity with this coalition by signing the open letter to call on Colcom to stop funding the network of anti-immigrant groups it has long supported. We advocate for the legal rights of immigrants and refugees to stay in the U.S. without fear and believe in the humanity of those who face enormous harm due, in no small part, to Colcom’s funding.

Choreographer Staycee R. Pearl, musician INEZ named Carol R. Brown Creative Achievement Award honorees

By opportunity-fund
December 14, 2021
Arts,Opportunity Fund

The Heinz Endowments, The Pittsburgh Foundation and Opportunity Fund

PITTSBURGH, DEC. 13, 2021 – The Carol R. Brown Creative Achievement Awards honored six artists at tonight’s virtual ceremony, including choreographer and visual artist Staycee R. Pearl, named Established Artist, and multi-faceted musician Danielle “INEZ” Walker, named Emerging Artist. Chosen from a field of 170 public nominations, the Established and Emerging artists will each receive an unrestricted award of $20,000.

To Advance Racial Justice, a Foundation Tries Leaving the Room

By opportunity-fund
December 7, 2021
Arts,Opportunity Fund,Social and Economic Justice

CONTACT: Jake Goodman, Executive Director, jgoodman [at] theopportunityfund.org

PITTSBURGH, PA, December 7, 2021 – For some, the uprisings for racial justice in the summer of 2020 came and went. But for the Opportunity Fund and its Executive Director, Jake Goodman, the energy of that time offered “a precious moment of potential.” This moment “revealed the anti-Blackness that is baked into American life, which results in an ever-evolving and systematic devaluation of Black life that is designed to protect and grow the standing of white people. Once exposed, it is vulnerable.”

A subsequent evolution occurred within the Opportunity Fund, beginning with a recognition that, every grant cycle, proposals flow in to address problems existing within systems: housing, transportation, human services, criminal justice, social services. The vast majority of applicants report that these systems create the very worst outcomes for Black people. “If we truly do not accept the current status quo of many Black people living and dying under worse conditions than almost everybody else,” says Goodman, “then we need to change the way we generally go about business at the Opportunity Fund. Otherwise, we are tacitly accepting that status quo.”

OPPORTUNITY FUND PROVIDES $1,112,500 IN GRANTS TO THE ARTS AND SOCIAL & ECONOMIC JUSTICE

By opportunity-fund
June 8, 2021
Opportunity Fund

CONTACT: Jake Goodman, Executive Director, jgoodman [at] theopportunityfund.org

PITTSBURGH, PA, June 8, 2021 — The Opportunity Fund announces support totaling $1,112,500 in its seventh year of grantmaking. The increased amount awarded is a result of the Board of Directors’ decision to release funds at rate of 6% of its net assets annually, rather than the minimum of 5% that private foundations are required to payout.

The Board, along with two community panels, funded 70 out of 114 requests that were seeking a total of $1,807,926. A complete list of awarded grants can be found below.

Including this current grant cycle, the foundation has awarded 667 grants totaling over $8.7 million since its inception in 2015. Grant cycles take place twice a year. Letter of Inquiry deadlines are January 15 and July 15 each year. Full information about applying for grants is available in the “For Applicants” area of our website.

By opportunity-fund
June 18, 2020
Arts,Opportunity Fund,Social and Economic Justice

To Our Community,

The thing about a moment is that it comes and goes. We have seen moments when the hope of racial justice seemed within reach and, every time, we have seen them go.

We are now in a precious moment of potential. The racism, white supremacy, and anti-Blackness that is baked and caked in/onto American life—and that results in an ever-evolving but systemic devaluation of Black life, meant to protect and grow the standing of white people—is, for growing masses of us, exposed. And vulnerable.

Honoring Our Commitments to You

By opportunity-fund
April 30, 2020
Arts,COVID-19,Opportunity Fund,Social and Economic Justice

To Our Community,

Just as we were beginning to get a sense of how profoundly COVID-19 would disrupt our lives, we wrote to you. We said, “This is a time for foundations to listen, to remove barriers, to increase support, and to act quickly.” We said we were accountable to you. We made commitments to you.

A month has passed. What have we done to honor our commitments?

2020 COVID-19 RESPONSE GRANTS

By opportunity-fund
April 30, 2020
Arts,COVID-19,Opportunity Fund,Social and Economic Justice

CONTACT: Jake Goodman, Executive Director, 412-362-1300, jgoodman [at] theopportunityfund.org

PITTSBURGH, PA; APRIL 30, 2020 — The Opportunity Fund announces support totaling $515,300 to-date as part of its strategic response to the COVID-19 pandemic.

In March, the Opportunity Fund signed a national pledge, publicized its commitments, and created a $500,000 COVID-19 Response Fund to provide (1) general operating support for small and mid-sized arts organizations and (2) flexible funds for grassroots entities organizing toward social/economic justice and emergency response.

“This is a time for foundations to step deeper into our roles as community partners by removing barriers, increasing support, and acting quickly,” said Jake Goodman, Executive Director of the Opportunity Fund.

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