PITTSBURGH, PA, January 7, 2026 — Opportunity Fund is excited to welcome Ian-Julian Williams as Program Officer/Arts. Williams will guide the foundation’s arts grantmaking strategy with emphasis on its three priorities of arts funding: nurturing conditions that free artists to push boundaries in their creative practices, resourcing organizations to function as thriving culture houses, and activating people to develop passionate habits of art-going.

At a time when artistic freedom faces mounting threats and arts funding appears to be on the decline, the creation of the Program Officer/Arts role and Williams’s appointment signals Opportunity Fund’s deepening commitment to the arts, protecting creative autonomy, and supporting arts organizations on their own terms.

“Ian’s hire is a tremendous boon for Pittsburgh’s artists and arts organizations,” said Jake Goodman, Executive Director of Opportunity Fund. “Arts are a core part of Opportunity Fund’s mission and, while they have always been a priority, we have never before had a team member whose focus is entirely dedicated to the arts. Ian is a fundamentally curious person whose practice is to seek out the wisdom of artists and arts leaders. At this particular moment in our city’s cultural life, an advocate with this kind of perspective matters enormously.”

A graduate of Carnegie Mellon University’s John Wells MFA Directing Program, Williams returns to Pittsburgh energized to engage with the local arts community.

“I am so excited to join Opportunity Fund and build on the strong relationships its team has developed with artists and arts organizations over the past decade,” said Williams. “What drew me to Opportunity Fund is its fierce commitment to equity, artistic freedom, and care for its grant partners. These values matter deeply to me. I am especially excited to return to a place that nurtured my own artmaking and where I built lasting friendships. I cannot wait to reconnect with and meet more of the artists who call Pittsburgh home.”

Said Alisha Wormsley, artist and Board Member of Opportunity Fund, “Ian brings a rare combination of national context, lived experience as an artist, and a strong dedication to protecting art that challenges us. His arrival at Opportunity Fund feels both timely and necessary. Artists and arts organizations are navigating real uncertainty, and Ian understands that the most meaningful support is rooted in trust, care, and presence. We are thrilled to welcome him back to Pittsburgh.”

Media Contact:
Jake Goodman, Executive Director, jgoodman@theopportunityfund.org, 412-362-1300

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“Our guiding values have always included social justice, racial justice, queer liberation, and valuing of the arts and artists,” said Jake Goodman, Opportunity Fund’s Executive Director. “While the current political moment features a federal government that employs intimidation tactics to scare people with resources away from directing them to specific populations and issues, we will not be deterred by political threats. As this cohort of grant partners exemplifies, we will move forward as we always have.

At a time when immigrants and refugees are being targeted and terrorized, the cycle’s largest grant ($150,000) joins other regional funders to pool support for the Collaborative for Immigrant Impact, a coalition of 18 organizations, to fuel a rapid, collective response to address the immediate impacts of policy changes on immigrant and refugee families in southwestern Pennsylvania.  

Opportunity Fund allocated 45% of the cycle’s grant funds to arts organizations, continuing its long-time support of free expression and experimental creation. “We fund the arts for the same reasons that authoritarian leaders fear and suppress them: because we know their power,” said Goodman.

Opportunity Fund aspires to nurture reciprocal relationships with its partners that are built on trust. The majority of grants that Opportunity Fund awards provide unrestricted general operating support, which empower partners to use the grant funds as they best see fit to carry out their missions. This cycle, 75% of awarded funds offer general operating support. We continue to honor our commitment to offer transparency in our racial and demographic grantmaking data: 31% of this grant cycle’s funding went to Black-led organizations, 25% to Asian or Latino/a/e-led organizations or teams with multiracial leadership, and 44% to white-led.

A complete list of awarded grants can be found below.

Opportunity Fund continues to seek ways to streamline and innovate its grantmaking process and timeline. This cycle, the foundation made nearly half (45%) of the grant award decisions at the preliminary application stage of the process. In addition, for the first time members of the Opportunity Fund Board of Directors and community members worked together on grant panels to make final funding recommendations.

Since Opportunity Fund’s inception in 2015, the foundation has awarded 1,301 grants totaling nearly $19.5 million. Grant cycles take place two times per year. The deadline to submit an online Letter of Inquiry (LOI) to be considered for a grant for the next cycle is January 15, 2026. Opportunity Fund encourages organizations focused on the arts and/or social and economic justice to reach out or submit an online LOI by the deadline. Full information about applying for grants is available in the “For Applicants” area of this website.

Grant Partner List:

ABFE | A Philanthropic Partnership for Black Communities ($10,000) to support ABFE’s Racial Equity Advancement & Defense Initiative (READI), which equips funders and nonprofits to navigate legal and political threats to racial justice, strengthen coordination, and advance race-explicit strategies that uphold equity and opportunity for Black communities and communities of color. ABFE promotes effective and responsive philanthropy in Black communities.

Abolitionist Law Center (ALC) ($60,000 over three years) to provide flexible, multi-year, general operating funds to to support the organization’s challenges to harmful and unjust institutional policies and practices, including in Allegheny County’s courts and jail. ALC is a movement lawyering and organizing project that defends human rights and challenges incarceration and other state and structural violence.

ACTION-Housing ($20,000) to provide flexible, general operating funds as the organization modernizes its internal systems and organizational structure. Action-Housing empowers people to build more secure and self-sufficient lives through the provision of decent, affordable housing, essential support services, asset building programs, and educational and employment opportunities.

Aleph Institute ($7,500) to support the distribution of fresh, kosher food to help struggling families over the holiday seasons. The Aleph Institute is a Jewish humanitarian organization that offers a multitude of services to men and women confined in carceral systems and their families, focused on the premise “no one alone, no one forgotten.”

Alliance for Refugee Youth Support and Education (ARYSE) ($40,000 over two years) to provide flexible, multi-year, general operating support. ARYSE supports immigrant and refugee youth in accessing the resources they need to feel confident, engaged, and celebrated. Through advocacy and out-of-school-time programming that focuses on building skills and a sense of community, ARYSE affirms youths’ identities and works alongside them to achieve their vision for their futures.

Alumni Theater Company (ATC) ($30,000 over two years) to provide flexible, multi-year, general operating support during the company’s 17th and 18th seasons. ATC creates bold theatrical work that gives a fresh voice to the experience of young Black artists and highlights their rich contribution to our community at large.

Amnesty International USA (AIUSA) ($45,000 over three years) to provide flexible, multi-year support for AIUSA’s Crisis Campaign. Funding supports AIUSA in its crucial resistance to the Trump Administration’s impact on human rights in the United States and triggers rapid movement-wide advocacy and campaigning as threats arise. AIUSA works to protect people wherever justice, freedom, truth, and dignity are denied.

Artists Image Resource (AIR) ($12,500) to support the creation and exhibition of new print-related work with the 13 artists of the #notwhitecollective. AIR integrates the creation of fine art prints with learning programs that explore the role of the artist and the importance of creative expression.

Attack Theatre ($12,500) to provide flexible, general operating support during the company’s 30th Anniversary season. Attack Theatre explores artistic expression in its commitment to remain curious in the investigation of new ideas; to artistically collaborate through deliberate, interdisciplinary partnerships; and to connect with local and global communities to provide accessible, creative learning opportunities.

August Wilson House ($15,000) to provide flexible, general operating support. The August Wilson House promotes the literary and social legacy of August Wilson through the restoration of his boyhood home in Pittsburgh’s Hill District neighborhood. It fosters and promotes greater appreciation for and understanding of African-American literature, the performing arts and the literary and social legacy of August Wilson.

Balafon West African Dance Ensemble ($30,000 over two years) to provide  flexible, multi-year, general operating support. Balafon creates enriching opportunities to experience the joy and spirit of traditional West African dance, uniquely celebrating the cultural contributions of women. Inspired by the belief that dance uplifts lives, Balafon is dedicated to passing on a vibrant legacy that upholds the core values of community, creativity, liberation, excellence and heritage.

Beltzhoover Consensus Group (BCG) ($15,000) to provide flexible, general operating support as the organization creates a Real Estate Project Manager position to assist its real estate efforts. BCG develops new construction and rehab for resale of mixed use quality housing, and provides other resources needed to sustain healthy prosperous lifestyles for residents of Pittsburgh’s Beltzhoover neighborhood.

Bhutanese Community Association of Pittsburgh (BCAP) ($15,000) to provide flexible, general operating support. BCAP ensures a high quality of life for all members of the Bhutanese community in Allegheny County and in the surrounding Westmoreland and Washington counties, and supports their integration into American society through culturally-informed services and activities.

Bike Pittsburgh ($10,000) to provide flexible, general operating support. The funds will bolster advocacy and mobility justice efforts focused on community organizing that elevates resident voice and power. BikePGH is transforming our streets to make biking and walking commonplace for all Pittsburghers in order to improve our quality of life and reduce the harmful effects of car dependence in our communities.

Black Action Network Committee (BANC) ($15,000) to support and expand Thinking Above the Line, a filmed conversation series and quarterly luncheons that convene Black artists, entrepreneurs, organizers, and residents in Beaver County to address racism, mental health, and economic justice‚ while providing paid, real-world media and project roles for BANC’s youth cohort.

The Braddock Inclusion Project ($12,000) to provide flexible, general operating support. for equitable access to nutritious fresh produce to communities in and around Braddock. The Braddock Inclusion Project addresses poverty, economic exclusion, systematic oppression & erasure-related issues impacting their residents.

Care for All ($10,000) to provide flexible, general operating support. As Wisconsin’s only nonprofit, independent abortion clinic, Care for All fills a critical gap in quality abortion care and other reproductive and sexual health services for people of all needs and backgrounds, regardless of ability to pay.

Casa San Jose ($60,000 over three years) to provide flexible, multi-year, general operating support. Casa San Jose advocates with and for the Latino community to provide assistance to stabilize families through social, emotional, and financial support.

Casa San Jose ($20,000) acting as fiscal sponsor, to support the work of Block Chronicles’ Pittsburgh – Latinx Artist Residency (P-LAR). P-LAR is a 6-month program that provides stipends, mentorship, and community engagement opportunities for two advanced-career Latinx artists in Allegheny County.  Block Chronicles connects humanity through stories that educate, heal, and inspire.

Casa San Jose ($20,000), acting as fiscal sponsor, to support the work of Guerrero Glass and its glassblowing school. Guerrero Glass provides a safe space for BIPOC youth from marginalized communities to express themselves, regardless of gender identity or sexual orientation – empowering them to create meaningful art that inspires social change.

Center for Employment Opportunities (CEO) ($20,000) to provide flexible, general operating support for CEO Pittsburgh. CEO provides immediate, effective, and comprehensive employment services exclusively to people recently released from incarceration.

Center of Life ($40,000 over two years) to provide flexible, multi-year, general operating support as the organization undergoes a major capital campaign project to construct a permanent headquarters on Hazelwood Green, where it will be, at present, the only civic organization building permanent infrastructure. Center of Life provides families and youth with the life-skills, education, training, and resources necessary to be strong and to make their communities strong.

Chatham Baroque ($12,500) to provide flexible, general operating support during the 2025/2026 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.

City of Asylum Pittsburgh ($20,000) to provide flexible, general operating support. Funding will support the organization’s artist sanctuary and annual catalogue of 120+ free literary, arts, and humanities programming that amplify global voices, foster cross-cultural understanding, and ensure equitable access to the arts. City of Asylum builds a just community by protecting and celebrating freedom of creative expression.

City of Bridges Community Land Trust ($20,000) to provide flexible, general operating support. Funding will enable the organization to expand and build strategies to redress the intersections of housing, economic and racial justice. City of Bridges CLT builds community ownership that preserves permanent affordability, empowers individuals, and ensures responsible growth and stewardship.

Contemporary Craft ($20,000) to support the organization’s expansion into its new Timmons Studios, as part of its Imagine More Campaign. This expansion doubles Contemporary Craft’s footprint and enables significant growth in educational and community programming. Contemporary Craft engages the public in creative experiences through contemporary craft.

Creative Citizen Studios ($15,000) to provide flexible, general operating support. Creative Citizen Studios provides artists with disabilities educational art classes and workshops, and provides participants with the ability to exhibit and sell their artwork to the public.

Disability Lead ($15,000) to support disabled leadership in Southwestern Pennsylvania. Disability Lead elevates and connects a network of leaders with disabilities who shift power, transform systems, and redefine leadership.

The Embodiment Institute (TEI) ($5,000) to provide flexible, general operating support. TEI supports Black-Led Movement Work by creating training and healing spaces for community movement leaders to learn about politicized healing and embodiment. TEI changes the conversation, practice and politics of healing through strategic training and interventions at interpersonal, organizational, cultural and environmental scales.

Focus On Renewal ($17,500) to provide flexible, general operating support. Funding will primarily support their Community Resource Center and the relaunch of programming at their Father Ryan Arts Center. Focus on Renewal supports the people in the Sto-Rox community through programs for all, aimed toward the development and sustainability of a healthy mind, body and spirit.

Fractured Atlas ($15,000), acting as fiscal sponsor, to support Julia Production to produce Shakespeare’s R&J, a cross-cultural reinterpretation of Joe Calarco’s adaptation of Romeo and Juliet at City Theatre Company in May 2026. Developed by a BIPOC- and immigrant-led collective of early-career artists, the production reclaims a canonical text through the lens of diverse lived experiences and centers voices too often excluded from classical theater.

Fractured Atlas ($5,000), acting as fiscal sponsor, to support the work of Pittsburgh Fringe Festival. Funds will provide scholarship opportunities to offset production and travel costs for local and traveling fringe artists, as well as support executive team members by providing a stipend rather than solely operating on a volunteer basis. The Pittsburgh Fringe Festival supports adventurous and exploratory performing artists by showcasing their artistic expression in an inclusive environment to equally adventurous audiences.

The Genesis Collective ($15,000) to provide flexible general operating support. The Genesis Collective supports artists and their work, increases the public’s access to art and creativity, and entrenches art in and around community development in Beaver County, Pennsylvania.

Guardians Of Sound & The Hip Hop Orchestra ($10,000) to provide flexible, general operating support. Funds will support the organization in providing ongoing, year-long music lessons and a summer music camp, serving primarily Black youth. Guardians of Sound and its Hip Hop Orchestra enrich life and lives through music.

HEALING BY DEZIGNS ($10,000) to provide support for the Holistic Fashion Therapy program. HEALING BY DEZIGNS empowers and transforms the lives of Black men and women who are grappling with remnants of trauma after abuse.

Hill Dance Academy Theatre (HDAT) ($30,000 over two years) to provide flexible, multi-year, general operating support. HDAT provides professional-level training in Black dance traditions, history, culture and aesthetics that engages and empowers students to pursue careers in Black dance.

Industrial Arts Workshop (IAW) ($10,000) to provide flexible, general operating support. IAW works to advance, inspire, and educate high school students through weld training and the creation of art.

JACK Quartet ($6,000) to support the audio and video recording of Pittsburgh-based composer Mathew Rosenblum’s work “Upon Vermilion Wheels” by JACK Quartet and pianist Conor Hanick. JACK Quartet champions new string quartet music and the transformative experiences that it creates.

JADA House International ($10,000) to provide flexible, general operating support.  JADA House uplifts and empower generations of people by building strong programs that strengthen communities. JADA House supports families and creates spaces for healing, empowerment, and growth, particularly in Pittsburgh’s Hazelwood community, with an emphasis on addressing the unique needs of Black and Brown communities.

Jeremiah’s Place ($35,000 over two years) to provide flexible, multi-year, general operating support. The organization provides judgment-free, 24/7 emergency childcare services for children ages 0-6, provided at no cost to families and caregivers. Jeremiah’s Place protects children and strengthens families by providing a safe haven of respite, health, renewal, and support for children when their families are experiencing a critical need for childcare.

Kelly Strayhorn Theater ($7,500), acting as fiscal sponsor, to support Jesse Factor’s 2025-2026 season. The creative team of Jesse Factor is committed to presenting innovative performance work exploring queer narratives and cultural fusions.

Macedonia Family and Community Enrichment Center (FACE) ($15,000) to provide flexible, general operating support. Funding will enable Macedonia FACE to continue to provide its essential safety net services to elders and families experiencing hardship. FACE encourages the development of healthy families and is committed to living out its mission by addressing the disparities that impact African American families and other vulnerable populations in the community.

The Midwife Center ($35,000 over two years) to provide flexible, multi-year, general operating support. Funding will increase access to reproductive healthcare, especially for low-income, uninsured, and underinsured people in the Pittsburgh region. The Midwife Center promotes wellness by providing exceptional, client-centered primary gynecological, pregnancy and birthing care in southwestern Pennsylvania’s only independent birth center.

Mon Valley Initiative (MVI) ($15,000) to support their Workforce Development and Financial Coaching Program. MVI works to increase the income levels and economic independence of local residents by delivering effective career development services, income supports and financial coaching, targeted to the unemployed and under-employed in the Mon Valley region.

National Council of Jewish Women Pittsburgh (NCJW) ($10,000) to provide flexible, general operating support. NCJW Pittsburgh exists to drive enduring systems change in our community with regard to economic equity, inclusive democracy, and reproductive justice. Inspired by the Jewish value of Tikkun Olam (healing the world), NCJW Pittsburgh promotes increased equity through the empowerment of women.

Neighborhood Funders Group (NFG) ($15,000) to support the Amplify Fund, the grantmaking arm of the Neighborhood Funders Group. The Amplify Fund is a pooled, placed-based fund that channels resources to build power, equity in its priority places, including Western Pennsylvania. Neighborhood Funders Group organizes philanthropy so that Black, Indigenous, and people of color communities and low-income communities thrive.

New Sun Rising ($10,000), acting as fiscal sponsor, to support Glitterbox Theater. Glitterbox is a space where outsiders, dreamers, and artists can build community and create vibrant culture. Since 2017, Glitterbox Theater has provided a platform for amateur and DIY theater, with a focus on community accessibility. They host a wide variety of events including plays, concerts, dance parties, drag shows, burlesque, educational workshops, poetry readings, stand up, film screenings, and craft markets.

New Sun Rising ($45,000 over three years), acting as fiscal sponsor, to provide flexible, multi-year, general operating support for Pittonkatonk. Pittonkatonk is a free, outdoor, grassroots music festival held in Pittsburgh’s Schenley Park and is committed to providing a non-commercial, intergenerational space for celebration, learning, and activism, powered by solar and biodiesel energy, and deeply rooted in Pittsburgh’s immigrant, working-class, and creative communities. 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 ($10,000), acting as fiscal sponsor, to support the work of Tabitha’s Daughters as they continue pursuing health justice and food justice for African American women in Pittsburgh. Tabitha’s Daughters seeks empowerment, healing, and transformation of women’s lives (mind, body, & humanity) through the communal practice of sisterly fellowship, including the studying and sharing of life stories.

PEACOCK Consulting ($15,000) to provide flexible, general operating support to expand the SAIL Project, a community-driven initiative that fosters leadership and advocacy among Pennsylvania’s disabled community. Designed by and for individuals with disabilities, SAIL offers training and support to empower Pennsylvanians with disabilities as effective change agents.

Pennsylvania Community Health Worker Collaborative (PACHW) ($15,000) to provide flexible, general operating support. PACHW unites and empowers Pennsylvania’s community health workers through active collaboration, education, advocacy, and support. The collaborative champions the development of a strong professional identity through leadership in statewide advocacy and policy change to impact the communities they serve.

Prime Stage Theatre ($7,500) to provide flexible, general operating support for the company’s 29th season. Prime State entertains, inspires, and enriches audiences through professional theatre experiences by bringing classic and contemporary literature and history to life through the transformative process of live theatre.

Producer Hub ($15,000), acting as fiscal sponsor, to support the operations and Pittsburgh-based work of DNAWORKS, dedicated to dialogue, democracy, healing, and justice through the arts. DNAWORKS centers Global Majority and LGBTQQ2SPIAA+ voices and experiences to create more complex representations of identity, culture, class, and heritage through theatre, dance, film, writing, and art installation.

Proud Haven ($15,000) to support QMNTY QHEST, a peer-led, collaborative initiative that centers trans and nonbinary youth leadership through housing stability, arts-based healing, and skill-building for economic independence. Proud Haven provides safe shelter for LGBTQIA+ youth experiencing homelessness in Pittsburgh, and emotional support and resources to help LGBTQIA+ youth develop the skills needed to live independently.

Rainbow Serpent ($60,000 over three years) to provide flexible, multi-year, general operating support. Rainbow Serpent advances Black LGBTQ culture through multimedia art, emerging technologies, innovative healing protocols and traditional African cosmologies. Rainbow Serpent believes that the unique gifts of Black LGBTQ people can heal the world.

RealTime Arts ($30,000 over two years) to provide flexible, multi-year, general operating support. Funds will support RealTime Arts to develop bold, community-inspired, original theater works that tell real stories of real people, and to support the launch of a new business plan that will enhance the company’s financial independence, sustainability, and national reach. RealTime connects human beings through unique theatrical experiences.

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. Reimagine Reentry walks alongside returning citizens to address the unique challenges of reentering the community through a strengths-based approach.

Resonance Works ($25,000 over two years) to provide multi-year, flexible, general operating support for the 2025/26 and 2026/27 seasons. Resonance Works is a multi-modal performing arts company in Pittsburgh that presents socially relevant performances of new and traditional classical music repertoire and to foster authentic artistic collaborations and community partnerships.

Riverlife ($10,000) to support the 2026 Shore Thing Performing Arts Series aboard its new Shore Thing mobile programming barge. Docked at Allegheny Landing at Pittsburgh’s North Shore, Shore Thing will host free, public performing arts programming. Riverlife creates, activates, and celebrates Pittsburgh’s riverfronts, connecting people through exceptional places and experiences.

Rivers of Steel Heritage Corporation ($10,000) to provide flexible, general operating support during the organization’s capital campaign to fully activate the Carrie Blast Furnaces National Historic Landmark as the focal point of industrial craft within the Rivers of Steel National Heritage Area. Rivers of Steel strengthens the economic and cultural fabric of western Pennsylvania by fostering dynamic initiatives and transformative experiences.

Shana Simmons Dance ($15,000) to provide flexible, general operating support that will allow the organization to expand its innovative approach to contemporary dance, blending different styles, and using dance as a medium for social and cultural exploration. Shana Simmons Dance seeks advancement of quality dance performance and increased engagement with audiences and the community through financially accessible interactive and immersive productions.

Silver Eye Center for Photography ($10,000) to provide flexible, general operating support. ​​Silver Eye promotes the power of contemporary photography as a fine art medium by creating original exhibitions, unique educational programming, and a space for artists to learn, create, and connect through our digital lab and education center, The Lab @ Silver Eye. 

Social Good Fund ($20,000 over two years), acting as fiscal sponsor, to provide flexible, multi-year, general operating support for the work of PeoplesHub. PeoplesHub is an online popular education school for activists based in the US. Led by and for disabled organizers and allies, PeoplesHub offers public and private trainings, communities of practice, and peer support that are grounded in solidarity economy and disability justice principles. 

Squonk Opera ($45,000 over three years) to provide flexible, multi-year, general operating support. Funding will support the creation of “The Joy Machine,” an immersive outdoor spectacle, and the community-centered “Squonk in the Neighborhood” program of free STEAM workshops, art installations, and performances across Pittsburgh. Squonk inspires diverse audiences to explore their creativity and common humanity, to invigorate live performance and develop young and non-traditional audiences with music, multimedia spectacle, and humor, and to embrace the unique culture of our home in Western Pennsylvania and the world.

Team G.R.O.W. ($10,000) to provide flexible, general operating support. Team G.R.O.W. (Great Resources Of Wisdom) supports low-income families/homes owners in Pittsburgh’s Hill District/Uptown community to become educated on how to keep up on repairs to their homes, so they may maintain housing for their families.

Theatre Communications Group (TCG) ($10,000) to support fieldwide theatre knowledge-building, advocacy, and collective action. TCG’s fieldwide services advocate for and advance freedom of speech and expression for the theatre ecology. TCG strengthens, nurtures, and promotes the professional nonprofit theatre, including and beyond their membership of over 750 theatres and affiliates plus 10,000 individuals nationwide. 

Three Rivers Young Peoples Orchestras (TRYPO) ($10,000) to support the 2025-26 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 arts and craft by educating and encouraging individuals to develop technical skills, good design, and innovative artistic expression. Touchstone offers classes, exhibitions, lectures, demonstrations, and other creative, educational programming throughout the year for people of all ages and levels of expertise.

Trade Institute of Pittsburgh (TIP) ($20,000 over two years) to provide flexible, multi-year, general operating support during a time when the organization will launch a three-year strategic plan that will implement physical expansion and potential replication. TIP empowers men and women with significant barriers to employment through skill building and career opportunities.

World Affairs Council of Pittsburgh ($20,000 over two years) to provide flexible, multi-year, general operating support. The World Affairs Council of Pittsburgh supports learning about the world across generations so that we can build a more globally minded and globally connected Pittsburgh that is equitable and just for all.

YWCA Greater Pittsburgh ($10,000), acting as fiscal sponsor, to support the Black and White Reunion as it hosts the 28th annual Pittsburgh Racial Justice Summit (PRJS). Founded in 1996, the Black and White Reunion brings together organizations and individuals to dismantle the systems that uphold racism and to be in solidarity in the struggle for human equity. The yearly PRJS brings diverse communities together to develop alliances for justice and to eliminate human oppression.

DISCRETIONARY GRANTS

The Field ($5,000), acting as fiscal sponsor, to support Pete-Flo Enterprises’ Rooted and Rested, a liberatory rest and coaching residency that provides BIPOC arts and culture leaders, especially Black women, with time, space, and support to heal from burnout and restore their leadership power through rest, community care, and transformative coaching.

Nonprofit Partners ($150,000), acting as fiscal sponsor, to support the Collaborative for Immigrant Impact to fuel a rapid, collective response to address the immediate impacts of policy changes on immigrant and refugee families, preserving the region’s capacity to support them on the long journey of building a new life here. The Collaborative includes AJAPO, AIU, Arise, ARYSE, Ansar, BCAP, Casa San Jose, CIAC, Hello Neighbor, Holy Family Institute, JFCS, Justice at Work, Latino Community Center, Literacy Pittsburgh, Open Field, PHDC, PIRC, and SHIM.

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Opportunity Fund aspires to nurture reciprocal relationships with its partners that are built on trust. The majority of all grants that Opportunity Fund awards provide unrestricted general operating support, which empower partners to use grant funds as they best see fit to meet their goals. This cycle, 89% of all the grant funds offer general operating support. 40% of the funding went to Black-led organizations, 44% to white-led, and 16% to Asian or Latino/a/e-led organizations or teams with multiracial leadership.

A complete list of awarded grants can be found below.

Given the current political and economic climate, Opportunity Fund took extraordinary steps to streamline its grantmaking process and timeline.  This cycle, the foundation made far more funding decisions at the preliminary “Letter of Inquiry” stage of the process and shortened its full application. These actions reduced the amount of time applicants needed to spend writing grant proposals before receiving a definitive answer. Grant partners received their funds up to two months earlier than usual during this time of widespread uncertainty.

Opportunity Fund is also offering ways for partners with active grants to receive early payments for multi-year grants and/or to transition any program-related grant into a flexible, general operating support grant. 

Since Opportunity Fund’s inception in 2015, the foundation has awarded 1,261 grants totaling nearly $18.7 million. Grant cycles take place two times per year. The deadline to submit an online Letter of Inquiry (LOI) to be considered for a grant for the next cycle is July 15, 2025. Opportunity Fund encourages organizations focused on the arts and/or social and economic justice to reach out or submit an online LOI by the deadline. 

Full information about applying for grants is available in “For Applicants”. 

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 barriers to employment opportunities, housing, healthy family structures, and immigration status. The Allegheny County 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. Bukit Bail Fund works 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 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 disaster, emergency relief, and readiness grants as well as support and educational resources to strengthen preparedness, advocating for the thrive-ability of craft artists and craft as an art form. CERF+ serves craft artists in tribal communities and across the United States and territories.

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 in Pittsburgh, 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. Health GAP holds 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 provides 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. 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, with no 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 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 ($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 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 ($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.

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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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PITTSBURGH, PA, May 21, 2024 — Opportunity Fund announces grantmaking support in the total amount of $867,750 through 60 grants in the first half of 2024. The foundation reviewed 153 requests for funding, requesting over $2.48 million. 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.

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 cycle’s grant funding, 82%, provides unrestricted general operating support. Black-led organizations make up 29% of this cycle’s total grant partners, 47% are white-led, and 24% have Asian 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 1,118 grants totaling over $16 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 July 15, 2024. 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:

A Peace of Mind ($12,500) to provide flexible, general operating support. Funding will help subsidize tuition for children experiencing poverty within the 12-hour early learning center located in Wilkinsburg. A Peace of Mind provides quality caring services to a community of people with the goal of establishing a vision of peace, wholeness, and enhancements to their overall quality of life by remaining connected and embedded in the community. 

Abiding Missions ($5,000) to support the Community Music Program which provides piano lessons for youth and instruction for a multi-generational community choir. Abiding Missions serves as a base for community development, leading projects grounded in the practices of restorative justice, empowering lives, and strengthening neighborhoods.

ACTION-Housing ($10,000), acting as fiscal sponsor to support the Strength in Numbers‘ (SIN) arts programming within the McKeesport Downtown Housing Low Barrier Shelter. Funds will help establish a dedicated arts space, an arts curriculum, arts instructors, and supplies. SIN strengthens the ability of folx experiencing displacement and hardship to access services such that individuals they serve can get a “hand-up” toward greater stability, and move toward thriving rather than just surviving.

Afro-American Music Institute ($15,000), acting as fiscal sponsor to support The UHIMWE Alliance. The UHIMEWE Alliance works to weave and interweave same gender loving men and brothers of color together as community in the greater Pittsburgh region. UHIMWE works to create a more positive future for themselves and  their communities.

Alia Musica Pittsburgh ($10,000), acting as fiscal sponsor to support the work of Afro Yaqui Music Collective, including a revolutionary jazz opera written for mariachi orchestra and a book-plus-video on the Haitian Revolution and early jazz. Afro Yaqui Music Collective is a postcolonial big band committed to a decolonized music and theater practice—to sounding a world where many worlds fit.

ArtUp ($10,000) to support When the Butterflies Would Visit, a first convening of five ecological artists, matched with five U.S. BIPOC inaugural fellows on Indigenous land around ecology, equity, art, and reciprocity. This venture doubles as ground work towards the next Sites of Passage, an exchange between Indigenous artists living inside the made up perimeters of the United States. ArtUp builds global interchanges for the migration of ideas across political and cultural boundaries.

ARYSE ($10,000) to provide flexible, general operating support. ARYSE is a student-centered organization that supports immigrant and refugee youth in becoming engaged, confident, and celebrated members of our community. 

Assemble ($7,500) to support the Unblurred and Crafternoon Artist Residency program in which local artists have the opportunity to present their work and share their skills with youth. Assemble envisions a diverse community that creates, connects, and learns through the experience of art and technology.

barebones productions ($10,000) to provide flexible, general operating support during the company’s 2024 season. barebones productions promote the growth of local theater artists through the production of challenging, entertaining, thought-provoking plays and to attract new, young audiences by employing minimal production elements for maximum impact.

Bhutanese Community Association of Pittsburgh (BCAP) ($10,000) to provide flexible, general operating support. BCAP ensures a high quality of life for all members of the Bhutanese community in Allegheny County and in the surrounding Westmoreland and Washington counties, and supports their integration into American society through culturally-informed services and activities. It also supports members of other refugee and immigrant communities in the south hills neighborhoods of Pittsburgh. 

Bloomfield-Garfield Corporation ($10,000), acting as fiscal sponsor to support Pedantic Arts Residency. Pedantic is an opportunity for exchange and inspiration for creatives who practice visual art, curating, and writing. Pedantic helps to strengthen, unite, and enrich Pittsburgh’s arts community by welcoming national and international creatives for a month-long residency, during which they are woven into the cultural fabric of the city.

Carnegie Mellon University ($7,750) to support the 10th installment of TQ LIVE! at the Carnegie Museum of Art. TQ Live! presents a queer evening of dazzling performance, dance, poetry, comedy, resplendent fantasies, music, and more.

City of Bridges Community Land Trust ($10,000) to provide flexible, general operating support. The organization works to redress the intersections of housing, economic, and racial justice. City of Bridges builds community ownership that preserves permanent affordability, empowers individuals, and ensures responsible growth and stewardship.

Community Forge ($10,000), acting as fiscal sponsor to support the work of Locally Served in providing free, holistic, legal representation to individuals with disabilities involved  in the child welfare or criminal legal system in Allegheny County. Locally Served defends the rights of families and people with disabilities  and includes wraparound social work and client advocacy support. 

Community Human Services Corporation (CHS) ($15,000) to support the renovation of a new Community & Social Center located at Wood Street Commons (WSC) and operated by CHS. WSC is a 259-room, single room occupancy facility spanning 10 floors of supportive housing. Safe, affordable housing and nutritious food are fundamental human rights, and CHS strives to make them accessible to all in Pittsburgh and surrounding areas.

Contemporary Craft ($57,500 over three years) to provide flexible, general operating support, inclusive of exhibitions, educational and community engagement programming, artist programs, residencies, and more. Contemporary Craft engages the public in creative experiences through contemporary craft by forging connections between creativity, making, and daily life. Contemporary Craft presents the best national and international, contemporary art in craft media, and showcases important techniques, concepts, and artists in the field.

Craft Emergency Relief Fund (CERF+) ($7,500) to provide flexible, general operating support. CERF+ provides disaster and emergency relief and readiness grants as well as educational resources, advocating for the thrive-ability of craft artists and craft as an art form. Drawing upon their roots as a mutual aid organization founded by craft artists in 1985, they are guided by the principles of generosity, inclusion, and care as they serve craft artists in tribal communities and across the United States and territories.

Crafting the Future (CTF) ($17,500) to support its Pittsburgh-based residency and scholarship programs for BIPOC artists, in partnership with The Pittsburgh Glass Center, Touchstone Center for Crafts, and Bridgeway Capital’s Creative Business Accelerator (ORIGINS). CTF works to increase access to creative enrichment by connecting BIPOC artists with opportunities that will help them thrive.

D-Composed ($10,000) to provide flexible, general operating support. D-Composed is a Chicago-based chamber music collective that uplifts and empowers society by providing a platform for the music of Black composers by increasing access and exposure to Black creativity, culture, and life through thoughtful programming, events, and content.

Faith United Methodist Church – Roots of Faith (ROF)($12,500) to provide flexible, general operating support for ROF’s ongoing efforts to alleviate poverty and improve quality of life for residents of Sharpsburg and nearby communities. ROF builds community by reconciling people with God and one another.

Foster Love Project ($15,000) to provide flexible, general operating support. Foster Love Project shows love in action to children impacted by foster and kinship care through the provision of goods, services, and support.

Fractured Atlas ($15,000), acting as fiscal sponsor to support JADED Collective. Led by women and non-binary artists, JADED creates spaces for Asian American & Pacific Island (AAPI) representation and empowerment. From large, public celebrations to intimate AAPI-only gatherings, JADED addresses the trauma of racial violence, reveals the hidden history of AAPI migration in the Pittsburgh region, and offers mentorship and networking opportunities for our communities.

Guardians Of Sound & The Hip Hop Orchestra ($10,000) to provide flexible, general operating support. Guardians of Sound enriches life through music making, performance, and education that employs acoustic sound, human voices, and musical instruments using current music and media technologies, and the talents of professional, pre-professional, and youth musicians. 

Harambee Ujima ($15,000) to provide flexible, general operating support for the three-day Harambee Ujima Black Arts Festival in 2024. Harambee Ujima fosters an indelible sense of identity, resilience, and empowerment among people of African American descent and their communities through celebrations of their art forms, including but not limited to dance, music, arts and crafts, and storytelling.

Healing By Dezigns ($15,000) to support the Holistic Fashion Therapy Program, a nontraditional approach that uses methods  with which participants are familiar and comfortable. Healing By Dezigns empowers and transforms the lives of Black men and women who are dealing with remnants of trauma after abuse.

Housing Opportunities, Inc. ($10,000) to provide flexible, general operating support. Housing Opportunities delivers comprehensive housing assistance programs, including affordable housing development, financial counseling, and homeownership education, directly benefiting low-income families and individuals in Beaver and Lawrence Counties.

Jeremiah’s Place ($12,500) to provide flexible, general operating support for Jeremiah’s Place, a judgment-free, 24/7 emergency childcare services for children ages 0-6, provided at no cost to families. Jeremiah’s Place protects children and strengthens families by providing a safe haven of respite, health, renewal, and support for children when their families are experiencing a critical need for childcare.

Kelly Strayhorn Theater ($10,000) acting as fiscal sponsor to support the creation of Huggable Loveable Uterus, street performance, costuming, and community engagement by artist Carolyn P. Speranza. Including a human-sized uteri mascot, mobile drum corps and dance squads, original uteri costumes, and visual art apparatus, Huggable Lovable Uterus will give the mic to physical anatomy central to reproductive rights by making it larger than life, visually present, and impossible to ignore. 

Kelly Strayhorn Theater (KST) ($60,000 over three years) to provide flexible, general operating support as KST and its Alloy Studios provide transformational artist support and community programming, and implement initiatives to streamline operations as the organization plans for real estate development. KST is a home for creative experimentation, community dialogue, and collective action rooted in the liberation of Black and queer people. 

Landforce ($10,000) to provide flexible, general operating support. Landforce builds viable pathways for those experiencing persistent barriers to employment by improving Pittsburgh’s natural infrastructure and community well-being through workforce development, with an expanded focus on urban wood reuse. Landforce nourishes a culture of self-empowerment for people aspiring towards meaningful and stable employment, as it protects and improves the environment.

Lettuce Turnip the Beet Sustainability Collective ($10,000) to provide flexible, general operating support. Lettuce Turnip the Beet builds, cultivates, and sustains a beautiful life by addressing food access and sustainability through education, outreach, and advocacy.

Macedonia Family and Community Enrichment Center (FACE) ($15,000) to provide flexible, general operating support. FACE encourages the development of healthy families and is committed to living out its mission by addressing the disparities that impact African American families and other vulnerable populations in the community. 

New Sun Rising ($15,000), acting as fiscal sponsor to support the work of Arts Excursions Unlimited (AEU). Funding will cover transportation, food, and entrance fees, making art and cultural experiences AEU organizes accessible to local families. AEU fosters creative self-determination for residents of the Greater Hazelwood community through arts and cultural excursions, increases arts engagement via workshops, events, and activities both inside and outside the neighborhood, and designs and fabricates temporary art. 

The Open Door ($45,000 over three years) to provide flexible, general operating support as the organization supports current and future residents, and scattered site participants, through housing, representative payee services, and medical transportation. Building from a harm reduction model, The Open Door, Inc. provides supportive housing and related services to improve the health of the forgotten population of high risk, chronically homeless people living with HIV in the Pittsburgh area. 

Our House Family First ($10,000), acting as fiscal sponsor for The Center for Relational Change to support the Say Its Name Conference. The Say Its Name Conference facilitates lasting and impactful familial and social change by educating participants about the relational nature of social injustice and empowering individuals to understand their relationship to themselves. 

Patients for Affordable Drugs (P4AD) ($10,000) to provide flexible, general operating support. P4AD is the only national patient advocacy organization focused exclusively on lowering prescription drug prices. It fights for systems-level change to the drug pricing system to ensure the systems of politics, science, and medicine serve the interests of people first, and especially the health of Black, Brown, and historically and underserved people in the U.S. who are disproportionately impacted by high drug prices.

PearlArts Movement & Sound ($52,500 over three years) to provide flexible, general operating support and to  support the organization’s expansion into a new facility in Braddock, PA. PearlArts is a dance-focused arts organization that exists to celebrate and explore the full range of Blackness and culture through dynamic performances and experiences. 

PERSAD Center ($10,000) to provide flexible, general operating support. Persad improves the mental and emotional health of the LGBTQ+ community and promotes overall wellness by providing culturally competent and affirming services, education, and advocacy.

Pittsburgh Center for Creative Reuse ($10,000) to provide flexible, general operating support. Pittsburgh Center for Creative Reuse inspires creativity, conservation, and community engagement through reuse. 

Pittsburgh Glass Center ($10,000) 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 exists to promote glass art creation and appreciation.

Pittsburgh New Music Ensemble (PNME) ($10,000) to provide flexible, general operating support. Funding will support PNME’s 2024 season and the launch of a new professional development program that brings together music teachers and composers to strengthen teaching, diversify repertoire choices for students, and help foster the creation and dissemination of new music. Using music as the vehicle for larger ideas, PNME seeks to bring together the people and the arts of our time. 

Pittsburgh Shakespeare in the Parks ($15,000) to provide flexible, general operating support and to support the 2024 production of “Twelfth Night”. Pittsburgh Shakespeare in the Parks provides free and accessible Shakespeare and classical theater to the residents of Pittsburgh in public parks and outdoor spaces. 

Prototype PGH ($10,000), acting as fiscal sponsor for The Autonomous Body Shop. Funding supports the reproductive freedom, sexual health, and bodily autonomy of folks by mobile distribution of free informational resources and practical supplies. With a specific focus on reproductive justice and sexual health, The Autonomous Body Shop empowers individuals to be resources for their friend groups and communities.

Sankofa Village for the Arts ($30,000 over two years) to provide flexible, general operating support and to bolster youth programming focused on drumming, dancing, and martial arts. Sankofa Village for the Arts delivers culturally responsive, African-centered programs and services to children and youth, parents and families and community members, arts organizations, in the creative and performing arts. 

Shiftworks Community + Public Arts ($15,000) to provide flexible, general operating support. Shiftworks 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. 

sisTers PGH ($15,000), acting as fiscal sponsor to support the work of Black Liberation Autonomous Collective (BLAC). Funding will help BLAC expand services for young Black transgender and gender-nonconforming individuals in Allegheny County, including the provision of gender-affirming care kits and hosting social events for the community through the Kiki Project. BLAC builds a community network of Black trans and non-binary youth and allies to be a platform for our siblings to construct the change they want to see, and provide for our people’s needs through our mutual aid program.

The Society to Preserve the Millvale Murals of Maxo Vanka (SPMMMV) ($7,500) to provide flexible, general operating support. SPMMMV conserves and protects for permanent public exhibition the Maxo Vanka murals within St. Nicholas Croatian Catholic Church in Pittsburgh, enabling the immigrant artist’s “gift to America” to serve as an enduring catalyst for community engagement and education, inspire social and cultural dialogue, celebrate diversity, and forge connections through reflections on the extraordinary American experience.

Sto-Rox Neighborhood Health Council ($15,000) to provide flexible, general operating support. Sto-Rox Neighborhood Health Council is a federally qualified health center (FQHC) that provides comprehensive health services for the McKees Rocks, Stowe Township, Hilltop, and surrounding communities by focusing on the treatment of illnesses, the prevention of disease, and the promotion of health. 

Survivor Siblings ($10,000) to provide flexible, general operating support. Funding will bolster current programs, including outreach support, peer-to-peer support groups, survivor retreats, and free education workshops on sex trafficking, facilitated by survivors. Survivor Siblings exists to empower survivors and raise awareness about sex trafficking.

Tree of Life ($10,000) to support La’akam and the Holocaust Center of Pittsburgh (HCP) to educate the Pittsburgh community about the Bamileke genocide. Funding will help underwrite La’akam’s fifth annual commemoration of the Bamileke genocide in March 2025 and HCP’s support of La’akam through leadership development, platforming of the story of the Bamileke genocide, and relationship expansion. La’akam seeks accountability and healing from the Bamileke genocide, strengthens the Bamileke diaspora, and reconnects with Black Americans of Bamileke heritage who lost their culture due to slavery. HCP connects the horrors of the Holocaust and antisemitism with injustices of today.  

Team G.R.O.W. ($10,000) to empower low-income women homeowners in Pittsburgh’s Uptown/Hill District. Funding will support educational workshops teaching essential home repair and maintenance skills. Team G.R.O.W. prevents evictions due to minor damages and fosters a sense of ownership and empowerment among women of color in the community.

Thomas Merton Center (TMC) ($10,000) to provide flexible, general operating support. Funding will enhance TMC’s work building a collaborative movement to address homelessness, working alongside community partners and individuals experiencing homelessness themselves. TMC builds a consciousness of values and raises the moral questions involved in the issues of war, poverty, racism, classism, economic justice, human rights, and environmental justice. 

University of Pittsburgh ($10,000) to support Music on the Edge‘s fourth biennial Beyond: Microtonal Music Festival in 2025. This three-day festival, featuring international and local microtonal music performers and composers, expands the boundaries of musical exploration and appreciation within the Pittsburgh community.

Westmoreland Performing Arts ($5,000) to support the creation of a free arts initiative that uses theater to teach social-emotional skills to marginalized students, fostering understanding, inclusion, and harmony. Westmoreland Performing Arts gives students of all backgrounds and beliefs the skills to become independent, creative thinkers, critical problem solvers, and successful collaborators.

Women’s Law Project ($30,000 over two years) to provide flexible, general operating support. Working for reproductive rights, LGBTQ+ equality, and bodily autonomy, Women’s Law Project leverages the power of the law to eliminate gender bias and discrimination.

XLiberator Network ($7,500), acting as fiscal sponsor to support the work of An Honest Effort. An Honest Effort supports the growth of emerging artists’ of color through art shows and exhibitions fostering representation within the art community.

Young Black Motivated Kings & Queens (YBMKQ) ($10,000) to provide flexible, general operating support. YBMKQ is a community-based organization made up of dedicated young men and women who engage high school-aged youth in becoming the leaders of tomorrow while serving the community.

YWCA Greater Pittsburgh ($7,500), acting as fiscal sponsor to support the work of re:Bloom. re:Bloom creates opportunities for small business owners, especially women and minority-owned businesses, to learn how to build, grow, and manage their online presence.  

Zellous Hope Project ($15,000) to provide flexible, 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 want to see in the lives of the people we serve.

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PITTSBURGH, PA, January 11, 2024 — Opportunity Fund announces the launch of its “Process Book,” a new type of annual report. This Process Book titled “Building on Trust” is intended to tell the story of the last nine years of work at Opportunity Fund and where the organization is heading. A theme of this journey as documented in the book is the profound importance of building trust, especially as Opportunity Fund looks toward the future. 

Click through the slides above, open in full screen, or download a pdf.

This Process Book demonstrates the ways that Opportunity Fund is building upon existing work and illuminates the areas where the organization is evolving and weaving trust deeply into new relationships and avenues of support. This intention is connected to and informed by the work and direction of the Trust-based Philanthropy Project. As a private foundation, Opportunity Fund views its primary role as redistributing wealth and resources. By focusing on reciprocity, the organization believes it can best fulfill its role in authentic and community-led ways. This focus is intentional and oriented toward trying different ways to work and be in relationship, Opportunity Fund invites its Process Book readers on this journey with them. 

Part of this journey includes transparently sharing data demonstrating how the organization is doing toward putting its values into action. In this book readers will see the progression the organization has made toward greater racial representation in its funding partners, enhanced investment into general operating support grants, and models of funding that put trust at the center of its giving.  

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. Throughout the book, readers will learn about Opportunity Fund’s grant partners, data from over the years, and storytelling about the course the organization is taking forward. Explore Opportunity Fund’s Process Book.

Since Opportunity Fund’s inception in 2015, the foundation has awarded 1,059 grants totaling over $15,250,000 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 our next cycle is January 16, 2024. Opportunity Fund encourages organizations focused on the arts and social and economic justice to review its grant opportunities and 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 our website. 

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PITTSBURGH, PA, May 25, 2023 — The Opportunity Fund announces support totaling $1,040,750 in its ninth year of grantmaking. The Board of Directors and two community panels funded 62 out of 152 requests, plus 3 discretionary grants, that were seeking a total of $2,527,971. 31% of the dollars are for the arts and 69% for social and economic justice. The majority of this funding, 77%, is for unrestricted general operating support that can be used flexibly. 75% of grant partners are BIPOC-led organizations or organizations with multi-racial leadership teams; 66% are Black-led organizations. A complete list of awarded grants can be found below.

Including this current grant cycle, the foundation has awarded 980 grants totaling nearly $14 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.

Grant Partner List:

1Hood Media ($50,000 over five years) to support general operations.  The five pillars of 1Hood Media are art, activism, media, education, and civic engagement. 1Hood Media builds liberated communities through art, activism, and social justice.

Abolitionist Law Center ($20,000), acting as fiscal sponsor, to support the work of the Prisoner Justice Campaign. With the help of whistleblowers, jailhouse activists and prison litigators, the Prisoner Justice Campaign exposes the human rights violations happening in jails, state prisons, and immigration detention. 

ACTION-Housing ($15,000), acting as fiscal sponsor, to support the work of Rent Help PGH, including their transition to obtaining 501(c)(3) nonprofit status. Rent Help PGH builds a just and stable housing ecosystem for Allegheny County tenants by ensuring residents can easily access high quality eviction prevention and supportive services, rental assistance programs, and resource navigation supports.

Afro-American Music Institute ($15,000), acting as fiscal sponsor to support the work of the UHIMWE Alliance. UHIMWE Alliance works together as same-gender loving men of color to make it better “for ourselves and others in pursuit of our future selves.”

Aliquippa Green ($15,000) to support the Beaver County Juneteenth Festival. Aliquippa Green empowers the Aliquippa community to become productive citizens by providing educational programming to youth and young adults on the topics of urban agriculture, technology, and home restoration.

Alumni Theater Company ($30,000 over two years) to support general operations. Alumni Theater Company creates bold theatrical work that give fresh voice to the experience of young Black artists and highlights their rich contribution to our community.

ARYSE ($10,000) to support the completion of a comprehensive three-year community driven strategic planning process. ARYSE is a student-centered organization that supports immigrant and refugee youth in becoming engaged, confident, and celebrated members of our community.

August Wilson House ($30,000 over two years) to support general operations. The August Wilson House promotes the literary and social legacy of August Wilson through the restoration of his boyhood home on Bedford Avenue in Pittsburgh’s Hill District neighborhood.

Bloomfield-Garfield Corporation ($35,000 over two years), acting as fiscal sponsor, to support the work of BOOM Concepts. BOOM Concepts is a creative hub dedicated to the advancement of Black, brown, queer and femme artists. BOOM Concepts serves as a space for field building, knowledge sharing, mentorship, and storytelling.

Bloomfield-Garfield Corporation ($5,000), acting as fiscal sponsor to support the work of Just SING! The Just SING! Workshop: Singing for Self-Care empowers people to connect with their voices and breath using new and traditional vocal training techniques and exercises.

Brew House Association ($10,000) to support artistic programs and general operations. Brew House Association provides space and support for people to connect and to expand their relationship with the arts.

Bunker Projects ($15,000) to support general operations. Bunker Projects is an experimental artist residency, gallery, and publication that specializes in contemporary and multidisciplinary art-making. Bunker serves as a platform for artists to develop their practice and create new works for exhibition, provide an immersive space alongside intimate cultural programming and produce a digital arts publication.

Carnegie Mellon University ($7,750) to support the ninth installment of TQ Live! on August 26, 2023 at the Carnegie Museum of Art. TQ Live! presents a queer evening of dazzling performance, dance, poetry, comedy, resplendent fantasies, music, and more.

Chatham Baroque ($10,000) to support general operations during the 2023/2024 season. Chatham Baroque presents captivating, historically informed period music performances and educational programs. Chatham Baroque preserves critical musical traditions, illuminates historical contexts, expands the scope of early music, and builds a vibrant and diverse community of artists and music enthusiasts by exploring the passions and mysteries of the genre with Pittsburgh audiences and beyond.

Christian Immigration Advocacy Center (CIAC) ($15,000) to support the hiring of new legal staff to increase capacity to help more clients, keep short its wait list, and increase speed to complete immigration applications. CIAC displays and demonstrates the love of Christ by offering family-based immigration related legal services to immigrants and refugees of limited means in the Pittsburgh area and beyond.

City of Asylum Pittsburgh ($5,000), acting as fiscal sponsor, to support AurallaurA in the development and recording of a full length jazz album of original compositions, and the performance of two live public concerts at the City of Asylum. These compositions spotlight the blues, Latin, funk– even traditional folk music from Mexico, the Balkans, and China– which are unified by AurallaurA’s distinctive narrative lyric-writing.

Filipino American Association of Pittsburgh (FAAP) ($5,000) to support the operating expenses for the year-long FAAP cultural dance program. FAAP’s mission preserves, promotes and perpetuates the Filipino heritage among our members and the communities through cultural, charitable, and educational activities.

Frogang Foundation ($15,000) to provide program support. Frogang operates as a community that aims to unify Black girls from all over Pittsburgh to unite over one of the things they innately have in common, regardless of their age, or the neighborhood in which they live: their Natural Hair. Frogang Foundation creates and promotes positive self images for Black girls so they can recognize their self worth and see beauty when they look in the mirror.

Greater Pittsburgh Arts Council ($12,500), acting as fiscal sponsor, to support the work of the Office for Public Art (OPA). OPA envisions a region in which the creative practices of artists are fully engaged to collaboratively shape the public realm and catalyze community-led change. OPA builds capacity for this work through civically engaged public art, artist resources, public programming, and technical assistance.

Greater Pittsburgh Community Food Bank ($30,000 over three years) to support general operations. The Food Bank enables its neighbors to access nutritious food, connects people to community resources so they can thrive, and builds new initiatives that address food insecurity now and in the future.

Grow Pittsburgh ($7,500) to support general operations. Grow Pittsburgh teaches people how to grow food and promote the benefits gardens bring to our neighborhoods.

Gwen’s Girls ($5,000) acting as fiscal sponsor, to support Black Women Recharge, an initiative of Single Women Defined. This initiative aims to restore, connect, and support Black women across Allegheny County. Single Mom Defined rewrites society’s narrative about Black single moms and creates an inclusive, supportive space for all single moms.

Healthy Start Pittsburgh ($15,000) to support general operations. Funds will partially support the organization to offer respite for staff and stakeholders of primarily Black women, birthing people, and mothers. Healthy Start improves maternal and child health and reduces poor birth outcomes and infant mortality in Allegheny County.

Hill Community Development Corporation ($15,000) to support the Nafasi on Centre Artists-in-Residence Program. The Hill CDC works in partnership with residents and stakeholders to create, promote, and implement strategies and programs that connect plans, policies, and people to drive compelling community development opportunities in Pittsburgh’s Greater Hill District.

JADA House International ($15,000) to provide support for the Teen Night program, which serves teens every week with programming focused on education, social impact and engagement, career guidance, and which acts as a community support group. JADA House International brings educational and social opportunities to Pittsburgh’s Hazelwood community for both youth and adult groups struggling to find access to positive and supportive programs.

Jewish Community Center for Greater Pittsburgh ($20,000 over two years) to support the JCC Center for Loving Kindness and Civic Engagement (CFLK). The CFLK exists to strategically counter the distressing rhetoric of public discourse to strengthen the fabric of the community by amplifying the long-held values of ‘Love your neighbor as yourself’ and ‘Do not stand idle while your neighbor bleeds,’ as they redefine ‘neighbor’ from a geographic term to a moral concept. The JCC of Greater Pittsburgh’s mission is: Nurturing people, Connecting community, Each day, Through every age, Inspired by Jewish values.

Justice at Work (JaW) ($7,500) to support general operations. JaW supports low-wage and immigrant workers as they pursue economic and social justice through the provision of legal services, community education, and advocacy. JaW provides employment and immigration legal services to support the overlapping needs of their clients.

Kassia Ensemble ($5,000) to support women composers through recording and releasing musical commissions to complete an album. The women that form the Kassia Ensemble strive for more inclusive gender and racial representation in the world of chamber music.

Legacy Arts Project ($30,000 over two years) to support general operations. The Legacy Arts Project preserves, promotes, and creates Africana arts that honor the history, heritage, and cultures of Africa diaspora in ways that advance healing and wellness, education, and community empowerment.

MAYA Organization ($10,000) to support general operations. MAYA exists to educate, empower, and advocate for birthing people and individuals touched by the criminal justice system through perinatal support services and counseling.

McKees Rocks Community Development Corporation ($30,000 over two years), acting as fiscal sponsor, to support the work of The BlackteaBrownsuga Network (BTBSN). BTBN educates, inspires, and equips the community with the knowledge and skills needed to achieve success through music, media, and mental health focused programs.

Mon Valley Initiative (MVI) ($10,000) to support MVI’s Workforce Development & Financial Coaching Program. MVI works to increase the income levels and economic independence of local residents by delivering effective career development services, income supports and financial coaching, targeted to the unemployed and under-employed in the Mon Valley region.

National Council of Jewish Women Pittsburgh (NCJW) ($7,500) to support Reproductive Justice work, including the development of Repro Shabbat programming that advances coalition-building, centers BIPOC work, and empowers participants to advocate for reproductive healthcare access and reproductive justice. NCJW Pittsburgh exists to step forward, speak out, and stand up for the needs of all women, children, and families.

New Israel Fund ($30,000 over three years) to support general operations. The New Israel Fund and its partners in Israel work to safeguard democracy, human rights, social/economic justice, religious freedom, shared society, and equality for all of Israel’s citizens.

New Sun Rising ($10,000), acting as fiscal sponsor, to support the work of Brown Mamas. Brown Mama’s Social Impact Ambassador Program will hire moms to host meetups and support groups in their community.  Brown Mamas is a community and social enterprise focused on social capital expansion and amplification of the voices and lived experiences of Black mothers.

New Sun Rising ($10,000), acting as fiscal sponsor, to support the work of Gallery Closed, including a new season of programming and four site-specific installations for a unique independent arts space. 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 primarily for the passing public 24 hours a day, seven days a week.

Off the Wall Productions ($12,500), acting as fiscal sponsor, to support a workshop of “In Our Time: Pandemic Stories from the Frontlines,” a new play by Hiawatha Project, inspired by interviews with women ICU doctors on the frontlines of COVID, and Hemingway’s novel, In Our Time. Hiawatha Project creates original performances by interrogating social justice questions through myth, free association, and movement. 

The Open Door ($15,000) to support general operations. Building from a harm reduction model, The Open Door provides supportive housing and related services to improve the health of the forgotten population of high-risk, chronically homeless people living with HIV.

Organization of Chinese Americans – Pittsburgh Chapter ($10,000), acting as fiscal sponsor, to support the work of JADED, Pittsburgh’s first Asian American & Pacific Island (AAPI) artist collective. Led by women and non-binary artists, JADED creates spaces for AAPI representation and empowerment.

Out of the End ($15,000) to support general operations. Out of the End creates a foundation for the Black and brown community within the Greater Pittsburgh Metropolitan area and surroundings with sustainability, equity, and livability.

Pittsburgh Center for the Arts and Media ($5,000), acting as fiscal sponsor to support the work of Looking Glass. Looking Glass, which will culminate in a mobile application that provides another means of discovering, commemorating and remembering the richness of Black life in Pittsburgh. Looking Glass preserves and expands access to Black histories and stories through developing community enriching technologies.

Pittsburgh Public Media, AKA WZUM, the Pittsburgh Jazz Channel ($7,500) to support general operations. WZUM works with performers, educators, institutions and music lovers throughout the region to help build and sustain a community that supports and embraces the great American and Pittsburgh treasure of jazz with programming and information on the radio and online at www.wzum.org.

Pittsburgh Scholar House ($10,000) to support Wayfinders Program of Pittsburgh Scholar House. The Wayfinders Program provides tangible support to single parents facing barriers to completion while enrolled in post secondary education programs. Pittsburgh Scholar House provides equitable access to higher education opportunities, social capital development, and early learning access to ignite a positive cycle of generational prosperity.

Pittsburgh Shakespeare in the Parks (PSIP) ($7,500) to support general operations and the 2023 all-female production of “Antony and Cleopatra” in Pittsburgh City Parks. PSIP provides free and accessible Shakespeare and classical theatre to Pittsburgh residents in public parks and outdoor spaces. PSIP expands knowledge and appreciation of Shakespeare, develops and trains actors in the milieus of classical and outdoor theatre, and fosters the enjoyment of outdoor public spaces and parks.

Pittsburgh United ($10,000), acting as fiscal sponsor, to support the work of the Pittsburgh Black Worker Center. The Pittsburgh Black Worker Center increases the power of Black working people by organizing and educating our people for more sustainable and more meaningful labor, higher wages and the ability to unionize.

POISE Foundation ($10,000), acting as fiscal sponsor, to support the work of The Radical Youth Collective with general operating support. The Radical Youth Collective is a fellowship and nurturing environment for young Black people to learn about Black radical tradition and how to organize.

POISE Foundation ($10,000) acting as fiscal sponsor, to support the work of The Young Voices Action Collective (YVAC) with general operating support. YVAC, which is run by Black youth, provides low-income Black youth with a platform on which to bring about the change they want to see.

Protohaven ($12,500) to support general operations. Protohaven engages people in the process of making things to enrich individual lives, builds thriving communities, and contributes to a vibrant, sustainable society.

Sankofa Village for the Arts ($15,000) to support general operations. Sankofa Village for the Arts delivers culturally responsive, African-centered programs and services to children and youth, parents and families and community members, arts organizations, in the creative and performing arts.

sisTers PGH ($60,000 over three years) to support general operations. SisTers PGH is a Black and Trans-led organization that serves people of color, Trans, and nonbinary people within Southwestern PA. SisTers PGH provides opportunities for Trans communities to thrive through affirming programming that includes transitional housing, leadership roles, and initiatives that are created by trans people for Trans people.

Squonk Opera ($25,000 over two years) to support general operations, including the creation of Squonk’s next free outdoor spectacle and its delivery to the Pittsburgh region’s public spaces. Squonk inspires diverse audiences to explore their creativity and common humanity; invigorates live performance and develop young and non-traditional audiences with music, multimedia spectacle and humor; and embraces the unique culture of Western Pennsylvania, and the world.  

Sustainable Markets Foundation ($15,000), acting as fiscal sponsor, to support the Debt Collective’s medical debt outreach and organizing efforts in Pittsburgh. Funds will provide stipends for people with medical debt in Pittsburgh who are interested in organizing others in their communities, but whose financial circumstances make it prohibitive to devote substantial time to this kind of work without financial compensation. The Debt Collective builds the power of debtors to turn individual financial burdens into a source of collective leverage that can be wielded to push for social and economic transformation.

Take Action Advocacy Group (TAAG) ($45,000 over three years) to support general operations. The mission of TAAG (formerly Take Action Mon Valley) is to equip communities with the necessary knowledge to leverage local grassroots community organizing, to gain power and influence over decisions that directly affect them, thus creating sustainable change and increasing the conscious level of residents.

Team G.R.O.W. ($10,000) to support the second Women’s Power Educational Home Repairs Training Class which educates women on how to fix repairs around their homes. Team G.R.O.W. supports low income women homeowners of Pittsburgh’s Uptown/Hill District community through education by providing the skills necessary to be able to make small repairs and maintenance upkeep in their homes, helping them to avoid eviction due to damages that may accrue while living in low-subsidized housing.

Thomas Merton Center ($7,500), acting as fiscal sponsor, to support the Pittsburgh Prison Book Project to update the Pennsylvania Prisoners’ Resource Guides, and to purchase a high-capacity printer and a laminator. The Pittsburgh Prison Book Project improves the quality of life for people incarcerated in Pennsylvania by providing free access to educational materials, books, and resources.

Touchstone Center for Crafts ($15,000) to support general operations. Touchstone Center for Crafts advances excellence in arts and craft by educating and encouraging individuals to develop technical skills, good design, and innovative artistic expression.

Trade Institute of Pittsburgh ($20,000 over two years) to support general operations as the organization carries out its strategic plan to build Black wealth. The Trade Institute of Pittsburgh empowers men and women with significant barriers to employment through skill-building and career opportunities.

TransYOUniting ($60,000 over three years) to support general operations, including the running of the QMNTY center that opened in partnership with Proud Haven. TransYOUniting is a mutual aid non-profit, providing resources to Pittsburgh’s Trans community.  

United Somali Bantu of Greater Pittsburgh (USBGP) ($17,500) to support general operations. USBGP builds community amidst the Somali Bantu of Greater Pittsburgh by enabling individuals and families to successfully acclimate and transition to self-sufficient life in American society by providing direct practical assistance and connecting people to other resources and opportunities.

Westend POWER ($15,000) to support the Colorful Background EXPO, a 12-week cohort for formerly incarcerated people to build employment prospects. West End P.O.W.E.R. is a community organization committed to strengthening communities through activism, advocacy, education, equity, and promoting unity.

Willissae’s Agency for Vision and Empowerment (WAVE) ($10,000) to support general operations. WAVE creates housing and economic stability for at-risk individuals in low-income communities through personal empowerment, skillset development, problem solving, and wealth building.

Young Black Motivated Kings & Queens (YBMKQ) ($10,000) to support general operations. YBMKQ provides youth with programs where they can feel safe to learn and grow into leaders of tomorrow and, most importantly, to simply exist. YBMKQ hopes to offer programs that allow participants to have moments of vulnerability and healing from daily traumas they may experience in their communities and out in society.

Discretionary Grants

ACTION-Housing, Inc. ($5,000), acting as fiscal sponsor, to support a Supersedeas Payment Eviction Prevention Revolving Fund maintained by Pittsburgh Union of Regional Renters, with government rental assistance dollars once tenants facing eviction are deemed eligible. This funding allows the Supersedeas Fund to extend multiple years.

Columbia Museum of Art ($2,500) to support the “Tina Williams Brewer: Stories of Grace” exhibition brochure. This exhibition will be the largest museum-organized show of the works of artist and educator, Tina Williams Brewer.

Ujamaa Collective ($5,500) to support five scholarships for a cohort of leaders from Hill-based Ujamaa Collective and The Hill District Consensus Group to attend the State of the Black World Conference in Baltimore, hosted by Institute of the Black World 21st Century. Ujamaa Collective is a catalyst to advance Africana Women by providing a fair trade marketplace for cultural, artistic and entrepreneurial exchange through cooperative economics in the Historic Hill District and beyond.

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Activists are leaving us every day. A woman well-known, beloved, and sought out in communities of care, struggle, and collective imagining died recently–her name is Celeste Scott. 

As the Program Officer/Repair for Opportunity Fund, I offer the term “activist” here in its most expansive definition to include those who daily, in their spheres of influence and energetic presence, act on behalf of people, including themselves, who experience a gross imbalance of resources within systems designed to do harm. One resource, grievously and consistently denied to Black women, is rest. 

Onika Reigns, of Black Dream Escape in Pittsburgh, shares this remembrance of Celeste Scott. “In my conversations about rest with Celeste, we talked about how we both often felt sucked dry. Dehydrated from doing organizing work that failed to meet our needs for a particular kind of intimacy. Intimacy that warmed us. Intimacy that propelled us into the future. We both agreed that Black femmes resting together would fulfill that need. Black femmes finding their own sense of rest would nourish us.”

Celeste Scott reached out to Opportunity Fund in 2021 to ask that this organization and other foundations in the area support a group of Black women in getting away and getting some rest. Opportunity Fund engaged in that conversation and spoke with a few others in the foundation community. Everyone knew (and knows), from reading the white paper, Pittsburgh’s Inequality Across Gender and Race, about mental and physical health outcomes of Black people in this city, that the conditions here, particularly for many Black women, were (and are) horrendous. The Respite for Black Women initiative at Opportunity Fund was born.

Please note that rest for Black women is not a concept developed by Opportunity Fund—Black women have been talking about this among ourselves for generations. Today, I am thinking about Respite for Black Women (#r4Blw) rooted in an abolitionist framework of acknowledgment, access and accountability, education, truth-telling, healing and love. Likewise, the initiative acts from a place of repair-ations, envisioning and asking what it looks like when we center people, not systems and organizations? Dustin Gibson, Director of Access, Disability and Language Justice at People’s Hub, has said that he learned from Celeste Scott in the way she and other femmes moved through the world that is not separate from their politics. They strive to be more accessible, always—in all the ways. 

Brenda Harris, the Aunt of Celeste Scott, offers this adaptation of a popular wisdom about what nourishes life: “You can teach a man to fish and feed him for a lifetime, but teach a woman to fish she’ll feed her whole community for a lifetime.”

We failed Celeste and we will continue to fail Black women by celebrating them only in death. Celeste Scott was born on December 7. I wonder, what would it mean if December 7 was dedicated to become a Day of Rest for Black Women in Pittsburgh? Do we dare to imagine?

Black women in North America are exhausted from carrying the weight of too many for far too long–what would it look like to acknowledge this burden? To have a day where Black women turn inward toward their care, wellbeing, and rest? A day that generates awareness about the necessity for rest for Black women? And what would it look like for a city to experience, for the first time ever, the absence of Black women across every industry? I think it would shut the city down. Perhaps then we would recognize how important it is to make sure that Black women have what we need ongoing. This would not be a day to catch up, rather a day to let things fall to the side (or apart!). 

On this day, in the name of grace and courage, with love for ourselves and each other, we could come together to share a meal, daydream, nap, rest, sleep. “Our collective rest will not be easy,” says Tricia Hersey. She goes on to say, “All of culture is collaborating for us not to rest.” 

One question that comes to mind, how do we incorporate care into Black women’s lives so that we have the capacity to care for the beings right beside us who are doing this work? Perhaps, we could come together – because we are rested enough to do so – and make a commitment to protect the lives of Black women to breathe deeply and live freely long past 46 years old. Death is inevitable, impermanence is the way of life, but to go on allowing death by exhaustion and relentless heartbreak – which is normalized for Black women – would be criminal. 

Let’s start where we are. We at Opportunity Fund don’t have the answers. Collectively we have many experiences and knowledge. Even with that, we don’t know all there is to know. The practice of “we don’t know” invites a freedom and sense of ease to our exploration. We are, however, listening to Black women who have long dreamed, explored, experimented, and expanded into this vision of respite and rest for Black women–with our ancestors at our backs, our lineages alongside us, and looking toward future generations, we are prepared to try something. Each effort and everything we try is a practice toward our liberatory future.

The rest is unknown. 

For now, the Opportunity Fund acknowledges the loss of Celeste Scott who uplifted the voices of so many trying to survive and who were denied the time to even think about resting.

To learn more about the Respite for Black Women (#r4Blw) initiative, click here and feel free to contact yshipman@theopportunityfund.org.

PITTSBURGH, PA, December 7, 2022 — The Opportunity Fund announces support totaling $1,447,000 in the second half of its eighth year of grantmaking. The Board of Directors, along with two community panels, funded 79 out of 145 requests that were seeking a total of $2,350,536. The majority of this funding, 77%, is for unrestricted general operating support that can be used flexibly as needed. 64% of grant partners are BIPOC-led organizations or organizations with multi-racial leadership teams; 50% are Black-led organizations. A complete list of awarded grants can be found below.

Since its inception in 2015, the foundation has awarded 914 grants totaling over $12.8 million. 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.

Grant Partner List:

A Peace of Mind ($15,000) to support the Community Support Initiative to provide services, from quality childcare to social and emotional methods, that promote positive self-identity and awareness. A Peace of Mind bridges the gap between inequities that exist in the human service industry by holistically creating culturally diversified programs to best meet the needs of community residents.

Abolitionist Law Center ($30,000) to support general operations. Funds primarily support the organization’s work in Allegheny County that advocates for institutional policies and practices that support decarceration and racial justice. Abolitionist Law Center is a public interest law firm organized for the purpose of abolishing class and race based mass incarceration in the United States.

Afro-American Music Institute ($15,000) to support general operations. Afro-American Music Institute builds community, musical, and cultural literacy through public concerts class offerings, including African drumming, vocals, and instrumental  jazz lessons. The music curriculum provides a comprehensive knowledge base that includes musical genres from Africa and throughout the African diaspora.

Aleph Institute ($10,000) to support a food shed for Project Shifra, a needs-based program for Jewish families in the Pittsburgh region. In partnership with 412 Food Rescue, the food shed serves community members with easy access to food. The Aleph Institute is a Jewish religious, educational, and humanitarian agency that offers programs and services to incarcerated Jewish men and women, and for the families on the outside.

Allied Media Projects ($10,000), serving as fiscal sponsor for Comfrey Films. Comfrey Films supports Black Trans and Gender Non-Conforming and Intersex (TGNCI) people in the South, as well as empower Black TGNCI filmmakers, creators, and storytellers. Through training, Comfrey Films increases opportunities for creatives to work at fair wages while also telling the personal stories and creating the narratives of survival and thrival about Black TGNCI people by Black TGNCI people.

Amachi Pittsburgh ($15,000) to support general operations. Amachi Pittsburgh serves youth impacted by parental incarceration by employing a strength-based approach focusing on increasing protective factors that mitigate risk factors: one, by facilitating direct, empowerment-focused support to youth and families; and two, by advocating for systems change while equipping adults who encounter youth with tools to serve as protective factors.

American Civil Liberties Foundation of Pennsylvania ($75,000 over three years) to support general operations and the execution of the organization’s strategic plan which focuses on the issue areas of voting rights, police reform, and de-carceration, all while applying a racial justice lens to all the work. The ACLU-PA serves as an enduring guardian of justice, fairness, and freedom, working to protect civil liberties and advance equity for all.

artEquity Community ($15,000) to support the Artist + Activist Community Fund for elder BIPOC artists and cultural bearers at the pinnacle of their careers who create and advance positive change in communities. artEquity provides tools, resources, and training at the intersection of art and activism to create and sustain a culture of equity, inclusion, and justice through arts and culture.

Artists Image Resource (AIR) ($10,000) to support AIR’s Annual Resident Artists Projects, specifically for artist Feliks Pyron and The Museum of Queer Curiosities. This project is, in the artist’s words, “a simulated anthropological museum that explores themes of identity, authority, unknowing, and trust- and how these ideas relate to Queerness”. Established in 1996, AIR is an artist-run print and imaging laboratory for artists, educators, and community.

Auburn Theological Seminary ($15,000) to support the deepening and expansion of Sojourner Truth Leadership Circle, an initiative that supports the wholeness and wellness of Black women leaders working at the intersection of faith and social justice. Auburn equips leaders of faith and moral courage—from the pulpit to the public square—to resource congregations and communities, bridge divides, pursue justice, and repair the world.

barebones productions ($7,500) to support general operations during the 2022-2023 season. 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 which attracts new, young audiences by employing minimal production elements for maximum impact.

Bhutanese Community Association of Pittsburgh (BCAP) ($15,000) to support general operations. BCAP ensures a high quality of life for all members of the Bhutanese community in Pittsburgh and supports their integration into American Society through culturally-informed services and activities.

Bible Center Church – The Oasis Project ($40,000 over two years) to support general operations. The Oasis Project uses education, employment, entrepreneurship, and improvements to the built environment to promote economic mobility for people from low-income households who live, learn, and work in Pittsburgh’s Homewood and surrounding neighborhoods. The Oasis Project creates oases—places of peace, safety, and happiness in the midst of difficulty.

Casa San Jose ($45,000 over three years) to support general operations, including efforts serving the Latino community in the Pittsburgh region through programs that help meet basic needs, and programs that empower the community through education, advocacy, and leadership development. Casa San Jose connects, supports, and advocates with and for the Latino community.

Catapult Greater Pittsburgh ($30,000 over two years) to support general operations. Catapult Greater Pittsburgh engages in crisis intervention, peer-to-peer support programming, wealth building and policy advocacy to ensure that the most vulnerable communities can meaningfully achieve economic justice and lead dignified and equitable lives.

Catapult Greater Pittsburgh, in collaboration with National Council of Jewish Women Pittsburgh ($15,000) to support Thriving Together: Peer-to-Peer Policy Program, which brings Black and Jewish women together towards building meaningful relationships, expanding social capital, and developing a shared advocacy and policy agenda. Catapult Greater Pittsburgh engages in crisis intervention, peer-to-peer support programming, wealth building and policy advocacy for vulnerable communities to achieve economic justice.

Center for Civic Arts ($10,000) to support the #15221 Untold Stories Project, including collection, research, documentation and celebration of Wilkinsburg African American oral histories. Parishioners from Wilkinsburg’s oldest 1905 AME Church will create a story quilt-making artist residency, while also working with a historian to interview and collect stories. Center for Civic Arts invests in and transforms unloved cultural assets that inspire community revitalization.

Center for Employment Opportunities (CEO) ($15,000) to support individuals in Pittsburgh with criminal convictions who were recently released from incarceration, are at high risk of being re-incarcerated, unemployed, and need immediate income. CEO provides immediate, effective, and comprehensive employment services to help Pittsburgh individuals secure and sustain jobs, offering a pathway to economic stability.

Chamber Orchestra of Pittsburgh ($10,000) to support general operations of the 2022-23 program year, including expanded performances. The Chamber Orchestra of Pittsburgh provides the community with exceptional performances, education, and related programming by a world-class ensemble. Their repertoire includes compelling works that are familiar, rarely performed, and newly composed.

City of Asylum Pittsburgh ($60,000 over three years) to support general operations. City of Asylum protects and celebrates freedom of creative expression. The organization provides sanctuary to literary writers and artists to create without their voices being silenced; offers a range of free literary, arts, and humanities programs in a community setting, builds social equity through cultural exchange; and transforms dilapidated properties into homes for its programs.

City of Bridges Community Land Trust (CLT) ($15,000) to support general operations. The organization works to expand strategies to redress the intersections of housing, economic, and racial justice. City of Bridges CLT builds community ownership that preserves permanent affordability, empowers individuals, and ensures responsible growth and stewardship.

City Theatre Company ($15,000) to support the general operations of Pittsburgh’s home for contemporary plays, in its 48th season of new works. City Theatre Company provides an artistic home for the development and production of contemporary plays that engage and challenge a diverse audience.

Community Foundation for the Alleghenies ($7,500) acting as fiscal sponsor to support the work of Pittsburgh Food Policy Council as it implements the Greater Pittsburgh Food Action Plan through a robust collective impact model. The Pittsburgh Food Policy Council exists to build a just, equitable and sustainable food system that supports communities, economy, and environment in Allegheny County and beyond.

Community Healing Network ($15,000) to support general operations and the Emotional Emancipation Circle programming in Pittsburgh. Community Healing Network mobilizes Black people across the African Diaspora to heal from the trauma caused by centuries of anti-Black racism, to free Black people of African descent of toxic stereotypes, and to reclaim the dignity and humanity of people of African ancestry.

The Corner, a community outreach program of Friendship Community Church ($30,000 over two years) to support general operations. The Corner serves as a neighborhood space connecting neighbors to social service resources and affordable programming centered on the arts, social justice advocacy, education, and community engagement. The Corner strives to be a pinnacle of cultural enrichment and a thriving center.

CORNINGWORKS ($10,000) to support general operations and the creation and presentation of 3 original full evening length productions scheduled to be presented at City Theater and in “Unexpected Places” around Pittsburgh, including museums and other “non dance” public venues.

CrownKeepers ($17,500), acting as fiscal sponsor for The Garfield PGH, to support the physical transformation of a multi-family home built in 1915 in Pittsburgh’s historic Hill District. Created with visiting Black artists and arts workers in mind, a welcoming, comfortable and luxurious space will ultimately be a long term solution to Pittsburgh’s short-term housing needs for Black creatives visiting Pittsburgh.

The Denyce Graves Foundation ($7,500) to support general operations and the launch of Shared Voices, a consortium of historically black colleges, universities, and music conservatories to increase collaboration and further goals related to diversity, equity, and inclusion in the musical professions. The Denyce Graves Foundation confronts systemic issues of diversity, equity, and inclusion in the musical professions with a focus on American classical vocal arts. 

Divine Intervention Ministries ($10,000) to support general operations. Divine Intervention Ministries aims to create a one-stop shop for the re-entry of incarcerated individuals, providing a wide variety of support services to empower and restore the individual, their families, and the community that ultimately leads to a diminished recidivism rate.

Dreams of Hope ($20,000 over two years) to support general operations. Through the power of the arts, Dreams of Hope provides the Pittsburgh region’s lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer, questioning, asexual, and allied (LGBTQA+) youth a welcoming environment to grow in confidence, express themselves, and develop as leaders.

Focus On Renewal ($15,000) to support general operations at the Community Resource Center (CRC). The CRC serves as the epicenter for safety net programs provided within the Sto-Rox community. Focus on Renewal’s programs and partnerships connect children, adults, and families with the relationships, resources, and opportunities needed to develop and sustain a thriving community.

Grounded Strategies ($10,000) to support general operations. Grounded Strategies works to improve the social, economic, and environmental health of distressed and transitional communities by building capacity to reclaim vacant and underutilized land.

Handmade Arcade ($5,000) to support general operations. Handmade Arcade empowers makers of all ages by providing them with professional development and connections to customers.

Health GAP (Global Access Project) ($10,000) to support and power advocacy by LGBT people, sex workers, people who use drugs, women, and people living with HIV in the U.S., and countries in sub-Saharan Africa and the Caribbean. Health GAP is a global advocacy organization dedicated to ensuring people living with HIV can access life-sustaining medicines, provide funding for needed services, and deliver quality programs.

Jeremiah’s Place ($12,500) to support general operations. Jeremiah’s Place provides 24/7, judgment-free emergency childcare services for children ages 0-6, provided at no cost to families. Jeremiah’s Place protects children and strengthens families by providing a safe haven of respite, health, renewal, and support for children when their families are experiencing a critical need for childcare.

Kamratōn ($15,000) to support the “Composer of the Year” project that annually commissions a BIPOC woman. The 2022 honoree is Durham-based composer Brittany J. Green. Green’s existing work will be incorporated throughout Kamratōn’s 2022-2023 season, and a newly-commissioned work by Green will be premiered in Pittsburgh and Brooklyn. Kamratōn challenges the boundaries of music performance, expands the contemporary chamber music repertoire, and celebrates women as leaders in the arts.

Kelly Strayhorn Theater ($5,000) acting as fiscal sponsor to support the development of The Sunscreen Conspiracy Collective. The Sunscreen Conspiracy Collective is an intentional Arts Research Collective (ARC) dedicated to supporting creative ways of challenging the dominant sociohistorical narrative. They are the survivors of misrepresentation (in media, in academia, in arts) coming together to build an inclusive narrative for a brighter future. 

Kelly Strayhorn Theater ($5,000) acting as fiscal sponsor to support the creation and development of Mita Ghosal Dance Theatre’s “Lost on a Loom,” an evening-length dance and storytelling performance examining lost South Asian Histories through the lens of Indian Textiles & Fabrics. Mita Ghosal Dance Theatre is a company dedicated to uplifting and amplifying the voices of the silenced and weaving them into our larger cultural narratives.

Kente Arts Alliance ($40,000 over two years) to support general operations and Kente’s executive succession plan. Kente Arts Alliance is an African American arts organization that presents high-quality art of the African Diaspora presenting programs that entertain, inform, and uplift the residents of underserved communities.

Land Art Generator ($10,000) acting as fiscal sponsor to support Atasa Solar: Pittsburgh, a project of Idia’Dega. Atasa Solar: Pittsburgh is a collaborative creation of culturally relevant renewable energy art and adornment with Maasai artisans from Kenya and Black Pittsburgh communities. Idia’Dega is a global eco design collaboration centering the innovation of Indigenous women artisans.

Landforce ($15,000) to support general operations. Landforce hires, trains, and supports people who have been systemically marginalized from the employment sector with environmental stewardship jobs as they build a firmer future for themselves, their families, and for the Pittsburgh environment.

The Massachusetts Review ($10,000), acting as fiscal sponsor to support the work of The Arts and Politics Project, a group of artists and scholars who are creating a cycle of multidisciplinary performance pieces that examine the question: What is, or ought to be, the relationship between aesthetics and politics? This grant will support the workshop development of Late Style or A Double Fugue: Beethoven and the West-Eastern Divan Orchestra, a new work that is half music and half text. There will be a public performance at Columbia University (NYC) in April 2023 with a string quartet from the Divan Orchestra.

MICHIYAYA Dance ($15,000) to support the physical development of a multidisciplinary artists’ residency space titled ‘inter-‘ in Pittsburgh’s Garfield neighborhood. MICHIYAYA Dance is a queer-led dance company that pushes boundaries and centers the divine feminine by creating space for multidisciplinary performances and programming.

Mooncrest Neighborhood Programs ($25,000 over two years) to support general operations, specifically bi-lingual outreach staff support and capacity to meet community needs. Mooncrest Neighborhood Programs promotes spiritual, intellectual, physical, social, and emotional development for families living in Pittsburgh’s Mooncrest neighborhood.

Mwanakuche Farm ($15,000) to support general operations of the Somali Bantu-led farm in Mercer County, PA. Mwanakuche Farm educates and provides a reliable, healthy, culturally-appropriate, and in-demand food source for immigrant communities.

NAT 28 ($15,000) to support general operations. FY2023 programming includes the Pittsburgh Composers’ Project, a commission and concert for Pride Month, and an expanded summer series. NAT 28 champions work that shapes the next phase of musical and artistic evolution by amplifying the voices of Pittsburgh artists through internationally competitive works of art, performed by diverse composers, and by presenting contemporary classical music at the highest level of craftsmanship and artistry.

NEO Philanthropy ($15,000) acting as fiscal sponsor to support the work of The Embodiment Institute (TEI). TEI is a training institute, research engine and culture change engine that strategically develops people and organizations to be agents of transformation in families, social movements and the environment. TEI is committed to embodied transformation and changing the conversation, practice and politics of healing. TEI is focused on relational transformation in communities through embodied healing towards justice.

New Hazlett Center for the Performing Arts ($15,000) to support general operations for Pittsburgh’s Northside performing arts community and audiences. The New Hazlett Theater creates dynamic art through innovation and collaboration and provides vital resources to creators from diverse backgrounds to enrich the cultural community. 

New Horizon Theater ($30,000 over two years) to support general operations as the company embarks on its 31st Anniversary Season. New Horizon Theater brings to the greater Pittsburgh area consistent, high-quality cultural events, reflecting the African-American points of view, and provides an ongoing venue for writers and performers of color to further their professional development.

New Sun Rising ($20,000), acting as fiscal sponsor to support Pittonkatonk, the annual May Day festival in Pittsburgh’s Schenley Park presenting international performers and local social justice advocates. Pittonkatonk is a grassroots initiative to connect people through music and to use music to promote fair and just relations between people and society. 

New Sun Rising ($7,500), acting as fiscal sponsor to support Tabitha’s Daughters in bringing their membership to a three-day conference to teach practices to deal with the plaguing levels of anxiety, mental health concerns, and self-care considerations. Tabitha’s Daughters empowers, heals, and transforms the lives of women and girls through the power of stories and sisterhood.

New Sun Rising ($5,000), acting as fiscal sponsor to support the work of Anthropology Of Motherhood, an ongoing curation and commission of artwork, design practices, and social engagement that addresses the complex visual, material, emotional, corporeal and lived experiences of care-giving, parenting, nurturing and maternal labor. Anthropology of Motherhood is centered on the idea that societies should lead through gestures of care providing necessary grounding and reorientation.

New Voices for Reproductive Justice ($45,000 over three years) to support general operations at this critical moment in our nation’s history.  New Voices for Reproductive Justice advocates for Black women, femmes, girls, and gender-expansive people in Pennsylvania and Ohio through community organizing, leadership development, and voter engagement.

Off the Wall Productions ($15,000) to support general operations and the production of shows written, directed, designed, and performed by marginalized voices in the theater industry, including women, members of the LGBTQIA+ community, and those with disabilities, both visible and invisible. Off the Wall strives to create challenging and thought-provoking theater to encourage critical thinking and community discourse.

Penland School of Craft ($15,000), acting as fiscal sponsor to support the work of Crafting the Future (CTF). CTF works to diversify the fields of art, craft and design by connecting BIPOC artists with opportunities to thrive. This grant will support CTF expand its residency and scholarship programs in Pittsburgh to impact BIPOC makers through partnerships with the Pittsburgh Glass Center, Touchstone Center for Crafts, and Bridgeway Capital’s Creative Business Accelerator.

Pennsylvania Innocence Project ($15,000) to support general operations and build the capacity of the Pittsburgh office. The Pennsylvania Innocence Project exists to exonerate those convicted of crimes they did not commit, to prevent innocent people from being prosecuted and convicted, and to help those wrongfully convicted transition to freedom.

Pittsburgh Center for Creative Reuse ($20,000) to support general operations and efforts to ensure that more residents and community groups have access to affordable art supplies and educational programming that focuses on creativity, community building and the environment. Pittsburgh Center for Creative Reuse inspires creativity, conservation, and community engagement through reuse.

The Pittsburgh Contingency ($15,000), acting as fiscal sponsor to support Feed the Hood, to redesign the green space of Homewood North Parklet into a walkable orchard park focusing on improving areas of food apartheid, stormwater management, and infrastructure mobility issues. Feed the Hood expands the culinary workforce by developing safe spaces to build positive relationships between people and food.

Pittsburgh Hispanic Development Corporation ($12,500) to bolster the Employment Initiative Program, supporting low-income Latino individuals in the Pittsburgh region find fair employment opportunities and work. The Pittsburgh Hispanic Development Corporation is a community development corporation with no geographic boundaries, focusing on racial equity in the Pittsburgh metropolitan area, dedicated to improving the lives of Hispanics in the region.

POORLAW ($20,000) to support general operations  POORLAW advances a social justice framework for improving the quality of life for Greater Hazelwood residents to increase opportunities, foster access to resources, and provide education and training. POORLAW aims to address racial and ethnic disparities by addressing issues of diversity, equity, and inclusion in all aspects of residents’ lives — including economic development, housing development, and social service deliveries.

Prevention Point Pittsburgh ($15,000) to support renovations of its new office space, increasing Prevention Point’s capacity to match the continued need for its unique services. Prevention Point Pittsburgh promotes and advocates for the reduction of harms associated with injection and other forms of drug use, and to reduce the risk of HIV/AIDS, Hepatitis C, other blood-borne infections, and overdose.

Program to Aid Citizen Enterprise (PACE) ($10,000) to support operating expenses which undergird programming including: Intensive Services Program, Strategic Action Planning Program, Executive Coaching, Inclusive Voices, Education and Advocacy, and Information and Referral. PACE advances a more equitable community by increasing the capacity of individuals, groups, and organizations that challenge injustice.

The Public Interest Law Center ($15,000) to support the Law Center’s involvement in a federal court lawsuit defending a Pittsburgh Inclusionary Zoning Ordinance requiring builders to rent or sell units at below market rates to provide more affordable housing in neighborhoods where it’s not available. The Public Interest Law Center uses high-impact legal strategies to advance the civil, social, and economic rights of communities facing discrimination, inequality, and poverty.

Queer Family Planning Project ($7,500) to support general operations. Queer Family Planning Project provides LGBTQ+ individuals financial assistance to help alleviate the costs of queer family planning, such as IUI/IVF, adoption, surrogacy, and other family planning related procedures.

Radiant Hall ($10,000), acting as fiscal sponsor to support the work of Gavin Benjamin Studio, including an exhibition, a catalog, and programming for the exhibition “Break Down and Let it All Out” at the Westmoreland Museum of American Art.

RealTime Interventions ($10,000) to support general operations. RealTime Interventions is a community-fueled performance company that creates theatrical experiences celebrating real people, real places, and the interconnectedness of all human beings. RealTime Interventions’s projects are created by individuals from diverse walks of life, bound by collective stories.

Reimagine Reentry ($12,000) to support general operations. Reimagine Reentry aims to reduce recidivism in Allegheny County by providing opportunities, reducing barriers, and supporting returning citizens in a holistic way. Reimagine’s work relies heavily on a strengths-based approach for those formerly incarcerated through reentry coaching, support, and job skill training to address the unique needs of returning citizens after they leave the corrections system.

SEE CLEAR (formerly C-clear Empowerment) ($15,000) to support general operations and the continued equitable advancement of Black-led businesses and aspiring entrepreneurs through one-on-one individualized coaching, workshops, and coordinated supportive, educational, and financial services. 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.

Serenity Living Transitional Home (SLTH) ($40,000 over two years) to assist with construction costs needed on the organization’s second building, which will allow SLTH to triple the number of young women needing housing. SLTH educates, equips, and empowers at-risk youth and young adults to overcome life’s obstacles to succeed.

Shepherd Wellness Community ($30,000 over two years) to support general operations. Shepherd Wellness Community (SWC) supports people living with HIV/AIDS to improve their wellness from a variety of support group programs to Wellness Dinners. The grant will also support Art Therapy, ceramics classes, and an art installation for SWC’s 35th Anniversary.

Sojourner House ($10,000) to support the MOMS Supportive Housing Program. MOMS offers vital services to recovering parents and their children—focusing on strengthening family relationships, promoting self-sufficiency, long-term sobriety and mental health stability. Sojourner House offers compassionate, faith-based recovery services to women and their children.

St. Mary Magdalene Social Ministries and Community Outreach ($7,500) to support general operations that serves persons in need in the Pittsburgh communities of Wilkinsburg, Homewood, Lincoln Lemington, East Hills, and portions of Penn Hills and Verona. The St. Mary Magdalene Ministries Charitable Trust provides the necessities of daily living so that all individuals can maintain themselves and their families in a healthy environment.

True Costs Initiative ($10,000) to support The Fifth Quarter, which supports the work of BIPOC-led change agents who work at the intersection of corporate accountability, protecting the environment through law and science, advocating that climate justice is racial justice, addressing disparities in communities of color, systems change that transcends national boundaries, and highlighting the resource gaps and systems of oppression. True Costs Initiative seeks to increase corporate accountability and to strengthen legal systems in the Global South by driving collaboration among communities, funders, and creative leaders in an effort to tip the balance so corporations are held accountable for and internalize the true environmental and human costs of their actions.

United States Artists ($32,500 over two years) to support the 2024 USA Fellowship award for an exceptional artist in the greater Pittsburgh community, in partnership with The Heinz Endowments. Annually, United States Artists awards as many $50,000 unrestricted Fellowships to the most compelling artists working and living in the United States, representing every demographic, and at every career stage.

University of Pittsburgh ($5,000) to support SCREENSHOT: Asia. SCREENSHOT: Asia is an annual film festival and year-round arts programming series that showcases film, video, and other screen arts to highlight Asian and Asian American cultures in Southwestern Pennsylvania.

Western Pennsylvania Fund for Choice ($15,000) acting as fiscal sponsor to support the work of Allegheny Reproductive Health Center (ARHC). This grant will supportARHC’s administrative and human resources expenses, to expand abortion access to serve more clients from the western Pennsylvania region and surrounding states. Established in 1975, ARHC is a BIPOC and queer led independent abortion facility that provides abortion care in a person centered, reproductive justice framework.

When She Thrives ($30,000 over two years) to support the expansion of S.O.A.R. [Successfully Overcoming Adversity with Resilience] by hiring a Program Manager.  SOAR takes a multigenerational approach to help single mothers and their children understand the intersection of social justice and self-care.  When She Thrives equips single mothers to move their families from poverty to prosperity through advocacy, education, personal and professional development.

Women of Visions ($45,000 over three years) to support general operations. Co-founded in 1981 by a diverse group of African American women in Pittsburgh, Women of Visions is the longest-running collective of Black women visual artists in the United States promoting the arts, culture, and history of Black women by helping each other  excel as artists and to grow professionally.

Write Pittsburgh, in collaboration with Black Unicorn Library, Cutting Root Farm & Apothecary, and Roots. Wounds. Words. ($20,000) to expand the capacity of the Flower Farm Residency program, growing the residency from serving one artist to three artists per year, and increasing artists’ stipends and wellness services. The Flower Farm Residency Program supports Black artists in rest, creative development, and deepening their relationship to nature, plants, and the outdoors.

Za’kiyah House Housing ($40,000 over two years) to support general operations. Za’kiyah House reduces homelessness, recidivism, and addiction through caring relationships, holistic community support, and necessary tools to empower individuals to find freedom.

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“I believe that shifting culture is necessary for systems change. Rest results in strength. Healing creates energy. Joy sparks creativity. Connection creates community. Dreaming leads to transformation. This is where the potential lies.”

Respite for Black Women (#r4Blw), a new Opportunity Fund initiative, has been underway since spring of 2022.  Inspired by local activists, Opportunity Fund board and staff invited a multiracial, multicultural, intergenerational group of local, national, and international individuals to ask questions, explore, and dream with Opportunity Fund about what it could mean for philanthropy to provide resources that fund the “right to rest” to Black women, in the full gender expression of that term. A flurry of questions emerged—from what does it mean for Black women to be funded to create a way of being that is accessible and considers the whole person? What does it mean to rest? Where does one go to rest? How do we in all of our complexities begin to visualize spaces for Black women and their families to simply rest and just be in their bodies? 

Housing security, having health and basic needs met, sustainable income, resources for building in community, communal healing spaces, etc., were named as core elements during the initial stage of our process. At the very foundation of these needs which are vital to our ability to rest is that of generational wealth. Racialization and legal discriminatory practices such as red lining were manufactured and designed to keep Black people from generating wealth. Closing this divide will not happen overnight, and is a multigenerational effort and multiracial commitment already underway. Black folks, Indigenous folks, and those in solidarity with us are recognizing that our rest is a right. 

Respite noun

: a short period of rest or relief from something difficult or unpleasant.

Synonyms: rest, break, breathing space, pause, hiatus, stop, relief, relaxation, repose, breather, letup.

Oxford Languages

Rest noun

: a bodily state characterized by minimal functional and metabolic activities

: freedom from activity or labor

: a state of motionlessness or inactivity

: peace of mind or spirit

Synonyms: breathe, catch one’s breath, take a breather, repose, lay, pause, sit, sit down, lie, recumb

Merriam Webster

Collectively, Black people have internalized the stigma around rest. Slavery and the Vagrancy Act of 1866 (now evolved into the prison industrial complex), a tool of continued systemic oppression arose out of the reconstruction era stereotyping  Black people as the lazy negro. Tracing this consciousness back to enslavement anywhere in the world, Black people were worked literally to death. Those enslaved did not have a choice but to work, and often for 20+ hours a day. Frederick Douglass, in his autobiography states that enslaved people were whipped and brutalized for over-sleeping more than for any other fault. During enslavement, the slaveholder could begin to accrue interest on the babies of Black women because babies were valued as cash. There was no such thing as a Black child. Black women were “bred” and forced to nurse other women’s children and to deny care to their own. Violence targeting Black men left many families, particularly Black women, with the expectation to hold down the responsibilities of the home. Rest has not been an option. 

Stress on the Black woman is stress on the whole world. Healing that begins with the Black woman.

Not much has changed from enslavement in terms of how our economic system claims ownership of Black bodies for the purpose of profit. Rest as a practice should not be underestimated or undervalued. Black Dream Escape, a Pittsburgh, PA-based group, “educates individuals and the wider ethos about the overdue sleep and rest debt that Black and Indigenous people have been forced to accumulate.” Tricia Hersey, of The Nap Ministry reminds us, “Also, y’all are obsessed with the concept of productivity. We are not resting to be productive!!!! We are resting because it’s our divine and human right! Give up the ‘productivity’ angle. Get free. Deprogram!” Today, grind culture values a type of productivity that perpetuates a lie that work is synonymous with worth.

As Opportunity Fund continues to explore and build out this initiative to restore the “right to rest” to Black women, let’s acknowledge a generational wealth among Black women that is because it has to be – in terms of relentless output and energy – abundant, regenerative, purposeful, shared, and expansive. This is a generational wealth that often gets missed and overlooked.

We don’t know where we will land as we continue to ask questions and be guided by what is most important – the way we treat ourselves and one another. What we know is:

• The people having the experience must be centered.
• Dreaming sessions with Black women are essential to shift our relationships toward the world we say we want.
• When Black women have the power, resources, and autonomy to thrive, we will navigate our own reality and amass what we need to control our destiny.
• Black women’s agency and survival will be centered.

This is the job of philanthropy.