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

Since the Opportunity Fund’s inception in 2015, the foundation has awarded 1,056 grants totaling nearly $15,240,000. 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 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 the foundation’s website. 

Grant Partner List:

412 JUSTICE ($15,000) to provide flexible general operating support. 412 JUSTICE is a multiracial, intergenerational, and multi-issue organization that focuses on economic, environmental, and education justice. 412 JUSTICE builds deep trust and collaboration with impacted people and uses their voice to promote strong, healthy communities and corporate accountability through the redistribution of  wealth, power, and resources.

Abolitionist Law Center ($40,000 over two years) to provide multi-year, flexible general operating support. Funds primarily support the organization’s advocacy for institutional policies and practices in Allegheny County that support decarceration and racial justice, centering directly impacted and traditionally marginalized people. The Abolitionist Law Center is a public interest law firm and community organizing project organized for the purpose of abolishing class and race based mass incarceration in the United States.

Allegheny Lawyers Initiative for Justice (ALIJ) ($10,000) to provide flexible general operating support. Specifically, these funds will support ALIJ to complete a business plan and to develop operational structures, processes, policies and procedures as the organization begins its work. ALIJ provides innovative, holistic defense services and collaborates with community partners to advocate for transformational change in the criminal legal system.

Allies for Health + Wellbeing ($45,000 over three years) to provide multi-year, flexible general operating support. Funds will help provide emergency financial assistance for clients living with HIV, support drastically increased medical insurance costs for staff, and contribute to the organization’s capital campaign. Allies provides integrated medical care, supportive human services, and community-based education for individuals living with, or at risk of, HIV, viral hepatitis, and sexually transmitted infections.

The Allignment Chapter Corporation ($9,000) to provide flexible general operating support. The Allignment Chapter offers immediate emergency support to mothers in need and provides a free financially fit literacy program. The program bridges the gap between low-income and middle-class mothers by equipping them with financial education and skills to empower and diversify the middle class, particularly among single mothers who often lack access to such resources.

ALMA|LEWIS ($15,000) to provide flexible general operating support for the organization, including its artist-in-residence programming. ALMA|LEWIS is an experimental contemporary art platform for critical thinking, constructive dialogue, and creative expression dedicated to Black artists and culture.

Ayúdate Incorporated ($12,500) to provide flexible general operating support, helping to launch the organization. Ayúdate increases the accessibility of mental health resources in the Spanish language at a low cost via telehealth for the growing Spanish-speaking population of Western Pennsylvania.

Balafon West African Dance Ensemble ($30,000 over two years) to provide multi-year, flexible general operating support. The organization creates enriching opportunities to experience the joyful spirit and culture of traditional West African dance, centering the contributions of women. 

Baldwin for the Arts ($10,000) to provide flexible general operating support for the 2023-2024 Baldwin Fellowship, a nurturing residency for artists of the Global Majority to explore, create, and breathe, free from the distractions and hindrances of everyday life. Baldwin for the Arts seeks to support the creation of art that reflects the lived experiences of African, Asian, indigenous, and dual-heritage backgrounds by advancing the careers of historically underrepresented literary, visual, and performing artists. 

Beaver County Foundation ($5,000), acting as fiscal sponsor, to support the work of Royally Fit. Funds will support the expansion of the Royal T.E.A. cohort, which provides maternal wellness support and self care programming. Royally Fit is a community-based healthcare organization that supports community members as they strive to be fit in every aspect of wellness.

Black Political Empowerment Project (B-PEP) ($20,000 over two years) to provide multi-year, flexible general operating support. Core projects include civic engagement, the Greater Pittsburgh Coalition Against Violence, and the Corporate Equity and Inclusion Roundtable.  B-PEP is a non-partisan collaborative with agency, organization and religious leaders and committed individuals in Pittsburgh and the surrounding region who seek to build economic and social power and influence in and for the region’s African American community.

Black Women’s Policy Center ($10,000) to provide flexible general operating support. The Black Women’s Policy Center improves the lives of Black women by providing a place of refuge and support through advocacy, navigating systems, accessing resources, training, education as well as policy development and change.

Carnegie Mellon University ($9,996) to support the MS89: Community Archives Screening Series. MS89 is a series of in-person nightclub archives screening events organized by Pittsburgh Queer History Project and co-hosted by LGBTQ elders with first hand experience of never-before or rarely seen archival materials. MS89 is redesigning community archival practice, driven by a collective desire for a shared history, creating diverse and intergenerational audiences who reinterpret this history through theatrical and participatory social events. 

Casa San Jose ($15,000), acting as fiscal sponsor, to provide capital support for Guerrero Glass as the organization transforms into a brick-and-mortar glassblowing studio. Guerrero Glass provides free glassblowing for systematically disadvantaged youth within community, led by community.

Casa San Jose ($15,000), acting as fiscal sponsor, to support the Block Chronicles’s Pittsburgh – Latinx Artist Residency (P-LAR). P-LAR is a 10-month residency that strengthens career advancement for Latinx artists in Pittsburgh’s arts sector by supporting their artistic needs during the pandemic through mentorship, resources, and a curated environment for creativity, peace and reflection. 

Center for Artistic Activism (C4AA) ($7,500) to support the Unstoppable Voters Fellowship, through which leading artistic activists make voting joyful, vibrant, safe, powerful, accessible, inspiring, and irresistible, all across the United States. Funding will help expand the program in Pittsburgh for the 2024 elections.  C4AA is dedicated to advancing the practice of artistic activism by empowering individuals to harness their creativity and cultural influence to drive social change. 

Center for Employment Opportunities (CEO) ($15,000) to provide flexible general operating support for CEO Pittsburgh, which supports justice-impacted individuals who are at high risk of being re-incarcerated, are unemployed, and are in need of immediate income. CEO provides comprehensive employment services to help Pittsburgh individuals secure and sustain jobs, offering a pathway to long-term stability and economic opportunity.

Center of Life ($10,000) to provide flexible general operating support as the organization uplifts Pittsburgh’s Hazelwood community amidst the rapid development that has begun to reshape the community’s landscape. 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.

Chamber Music Pittsburgh ($45,000 over three years) to provide multi-year support for the organization’s MainStage concert series, which features and celebrates a wide range of chamber ensembles of the highest caliber, exposing the Pittsburgh community to superb artists and performances. 

Chamber Orchestra of Pittsburgh ($10,000) to provide flexible general operating support for the 2023-2024 season. The Chamber Orchestra of Pittsburgh provides its community with exceptional performances, community enrichment, and related programming by a world-class ensemble. Repertoire includes familiar works, rarely performed masterpieces, and contemporary compositions.

City Theatre Company ($15,000) to provide flexible general operating support for City’s 49th season of contemporary plays, special events, education programs, and community engagement partnerships. City Theatre provides an artistic home for the development and production of contemporary plays of substance and ideas that engage and challenge diverse audiences. 

Community Forge ($10,000) to sustain and expand the Wilkinsburg Open Mic Nights series, which provides a platform for artists and bridges diverse communities in Pittsburgh. Community Forge builds an equitable economy for Wilkinsburg and the Greater Pittsburgh region by creating opportunities that promote professional development, financial wellbeing, and entrepreneurial growth. 

Dreams of Hope ($60,000 over three years), acting as fiscal sponsor, to provide flexible multi-year general operating support for Hatch Arts Collective. This grant will fund a national tour and multiple seasons of NEST, an initiative to develop new work by queer and BIPOC artists. Hatch Arts Collective is a Pittsburgh-based performance incubator that develops new, interdisciplinary, and queer- or BIPOC-led performance projects.

East End Cooperative Ministry (EECM) ($10,000) to provide flexible general operating support. Since 1970, EECM has responded to community needs with programs that provide opportunity, transformation and hope to those experiencing homelessness, food insecurity, educational challenges, and barriers to employment. 

Eden’s Farm ($30,000 over two years) to provide flexible, multi-year general operating support. Funds will support the cost of case manager staff salary in providing case management and residential support. Eden’s Farm exists to provide a safe place, trauma-informed holistic care, education and outreach, and resources to survivors of human trafficking and commercial sexual exploitation.

The Embodiment Institute (TEI) ($10,000) to provide flexible general operating support. TEI creates training and healing spaces for community members and 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 Neighborhood Corporation ($15,000) to provide flexible general operating support, focusing on the safety net programs at the organization’s Community Resource Center (CRC). The CRC serves as the epicenter for community safety net programs, including integrated human services to meet the needs of residents.  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.

Footbridge for Families ($10,000) to provide flexible general operating support. Footbridge provides one-of-a-kind rapid support and service coordination for families facing financial crises which have no other solution.  

Fractured Atlas ($6,000), acting as fiscal sponsor, to provide flexible general operating support for Vigilance Theater Group. Vigilance is an immersive theater group dedicated to creating intimate, experiential productions. Vigilance seeks to create original and re-contextualized theater for very small groups in spaces outside of traditional performance environments. 

The Heliotrope Foundation ($10,000) to support the completion of The Sanctuary, a place for formerly incarcerated individuals to heal and begin again. The Sanctuary is a social hall and transitional living space whose mission is to reduce drug addiction, recidivism, and homelessness by meeting people in their most vulnerable states. The Heliotrope Foundation, founded by artist Caledonia Curry (also known as Swoon), is dedicated to supporting communities in their creative responses to adversity. 

The Genesis Collective ($7,500) to provide flexible general operating support for the organization’s efforts to engage in public art projects and employ artists to teach, collaborate, and advocate for their work. The Genesis Collective exists to support artists and their work, increase the public’s access to art and creativity, and entrench art in and around community development in Beaver County, Pennsylvania. 

Industrial Arts Workshop (IAW) ($10,000) to provide flexible general operating support. IAW empowers Pittsburgh-area youth and adults at the intersection of arts, community development, and workforce readiness. Through the creative process of hands-on sculpture design and welding, students develop skills and have experiences that help prepare them for the workplace – whether that be in welding, another trade, the arts, or some other field all together.

Jazz Workshop, Inc. ($6,000) to provide flexible general operating support. Jazz Workshop, Inc. provides a music education program that teaches jazz and other forms of music to underserved students and other populations to promote and preserve jazz as an art form, build multi-cultural understanding, encourage self-esteem, and self-expression through music.

Jewish Family and Community Services of Pittsburgh (JFCS) ($15,000) to provide gap salary funding for an attorney to provide immigration legal services to unaccompanied immigrant children. JFCS supports people through life’s changes and challenges, working to create a caring community where all people have the opportunity to reach their potential.  

Just Harvest Education Fund ($10,000) to provide flexible general operating support. Just Harvest reduces barriers to public safety net benefits, connects people in need to those public benefits, addresses healthy food access needs in food apartheid communities, and mobilizes grassroots participation in policy advocacy for food justice for all. 

Let’s Get Free: The Women and Trans Prisoner Defense Committee ($60,000 over three years) to provide flexible multi-year general operating support. Let’s Get Free works to end perpetual punishment with a focus on Death by Incarceration, build pathways out of the prisons back to our communities through commutation reform, support successful possibilities for people formerly and currently incarcerated, and shift to a culture of transformative justice.

Manchester Craftsmen’s Guild ($15,000) to support concerts and supporting educational events associated with MCG Jazz’s 2023-2024 concert season, featuring jazz legends and emerging artists. MCG Jazz preserves, presents, and promotes jazz through an annual concert series, a recording label, educational programs, and an archive of audio/video recordings, photographs, interviews, and individual artist collections.

Mothers of Incarcerated Sonsᵀᴹ (MISᵀᴹ) ($15,000) to provide flexible general operating support, including civic engagement and Re-entry with Dignity programs. MISᵀᴹ is a movement to see and to amplify the voices of the Invisible Prisoners of mass incarceration. The organization endeavors to support those adversely affected by the incarceration of their loved ones and aims to serve the needs of incarcerated individuals through advocacy, awareness campaigns, and benevolent activities. Additionally, MISᵀᴹ focuses on supporting the needs of individuals returning home to their loved ones.

Mwanakuche Farm ($15,000) to provide flexible general operating support for the Somali Bantu-led farm in Mercer County, Pennsylvania. Funding will provide provisions for animals and feed, soil amendment, and equipment repair. Mwanakuche Farm educates and provides a reliable, healthy, culturally-appropriate, and in-demand food source for immigrant communities. 

Neighborhood Allies ($30,000 over two years), acting as fiscal sponsor, to provide flexible multi-year general operating support for Steel Smiling. Steel Smiling bridges the gap between Black people and mental health support through education, advocacy and awareness.

New Hazlett Center for the Performing Arts ($60,000 over three years) to provide flexible multi-year general operating support as the organization continues to provide a safe, accessible, affordable mid-size venue for Pittsburgh’s performing arts community and audiences. The New Hazlett Theater creates dynamic art through innovation and collaboration, providing vital resources to creators from diverse backgrounds to enrich the cultural community.

New Sun Rising ($20,000), 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 ($12,500), acting as fiscal sponsor, to provide flexible general operating support for DEMASKUS Theater Collective. DEMASKUS Theatre Collective pushes through traditional boundaries of the arts by developing unique masterpieces that marry the history, passion, and soul of untold stories with high production values.

New Sun Rising ($10,000), acting as fiscal sponsor, to support Birth Your Way. Funding will support the development of a diverse, equitable, and culturally sensitive birth workforce that addresses the maternal mortality disparity in Pittsburgh. Birth Your Way establishes a communal scope of practice and elevates the standard of practice within the birth worker profession.

Off the Wall Productions ($10,000) to provide flexible general operating support. Off The Wall is a theater production company that enriches, enlivens, educates, amazes, and entertains audiences, to help create a more conscious and compassionate community while increasing the public knowledge and appreciation of theater in South Western Pennsylvania. 

Office for Public Art ($45,000 over three years), acting as fiscal sponsor, to provide flexible multi-year general operating support for Sibyls Shrine. Sibyls Shrine is an art collective and residency program that uplifts Black artists who m/other with opportunities for radical care, rest, and support in an effort to further develop their craft and presence in the art world.

Pennsylvania Prison Society ($15,000) to provide flexible general operating support. 200 years ago, the Prison Society was designated as Pennsylvania’s independent monitor of correctional facilities, making it the only non-governmental organization in the country with access to people in custody. Through its statutory “gold-key” access to people in custody, The Prison Society is able to meet with people in jail, collect and disseminate information on their experience, and identify issues in a singular way. The Prison Society promotes the health, safety, and dignity of Pennsylvanians in prison and jail.

Planned Parenthood of Western Pennsylvania (PPWP) ($60,000 over three years) to provide flexible multi-year general operating support. PPWP provides high-quality reproductive health care services, comprehensive sexuality education and strategic advocacy.

POISE Foundation ($15,000), acting as fiscal sponsor, to provide flexible general operating support of POORLAW’s enforcement of programs and policies that address economic development, housing development, and social service deliveries. POORLAW addresses racial and ethnic disparities in Pittsburgh’s Greater Hazelwood community by addressing the lack of diversity, equity, and inclusion in all aspects of residents’ lives and community development. 

POISE Foundation ($30,000 over two years), acting as fiscal sponsor, to provide flexible multi-year general operating support for the Alliance for Police Accountability (APA). As a collective of voices fighting for change, APA dismantles harmful systems of oppression, mobilizes community members as active agents of change, and affirms the humanity of Black and other marginalized communities.

Prime Stage Theatre ($10,000) to provide flexible general operating support for the company’s 2023-2024 season. Prime Stage Theatre brings great literature to life through the transformative process of live theatre – entertaining, informing, enriching, and inspiring audiences with engaging programs that deliver long-lasting benefits to the youths, adults, and families of our region. 

Program to Aid Citizen Enterprise (PACE) ($30,000 over two years) to provide flexible multi-year general operating support. PACE advances a more equitable community by increasing the capacity of individuals, groups, and organizations that challenge injustice.

The Promise Center of Homewood, Inc. ($10,000) to provide flexible general operating support. The Promise Center is an out-of-school time educational program designed for students from kindergarten through 12th grade, with a specific focus on African American students from low socioeconomic status communities. The program focuses on building a strong foundation in the fundamentals and fostering relationships based on world cultures, particularly in the areas of science, technology, engineering, arts and mathematics (STEAM).

Radiant Hall ($15,000) to provide flexible general operating support. Radiant Hall is an artist-led community offering multifaceted support to Pittsburgh’s artists and creatives, centered on the provision and preservation of studio space. 

Rainbow Serpent, Inc. ($15,000) to provide flexible general operating support. Specifically, funds will support the hiring of a part-time program manager. Rainbow Serpent seeks to advance Black LGBTQ culture through the exploration of multimedia art, African cosmologies, and emerging technologies. 

RealTime Arts ($20,000) to provide flexible general operating support that will expand staff salaries and capacities, leading to a more sustainable infrastructure. RealTime Arts (formerly RealTime Interventions) is a community-fueled performance company that creates theatrical experiences and public events that celebrate real stories of real people and real places, and the interconnectedness of all human beings.

Reimagine Reentry, Inc. ($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. The organization provides opportunities, reduces barriers, and supports returning citizens, empowering positive change for each individual and their community. 

Resonance Works ($12,500) to provide flexible, general operating support for the 2023-24 season. Resonance Works is a performing arts non-profit that empowers musicians and inspires audiences with intimate, genre-defying productions. Showcasing a diverse range of musical genres, Resonance Works presents opera, musical theatre, orchestral, choral, and chamber music. Resonance Works challenges traditional assumptions about classical music and invites audiences to connect with the work in fresh and unexpected ways.

SEE CLEAR ($12,500) to provide flexible general operating support. SEE CLEAR provides 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.

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 programing, and a space for artists to learn, create, and connect through a digital lab. The programs are dedicated to supporting the work of emerging, mid-career, and under-recognized artists and sharing that work with diverse audiences in engaging and meaningful ways.

Social Good Fund ($20,000 over two years), acting as fiscal sponsor, to provide flexible general operating support for PeoplesHub. PeoplesHub focuses on Disability Justice and Solidarity Economy centering art and culture, care and access. PeoplesHub is an online movement school that connects groups and individuals across geographies to build strong, resilient and transformative movements. By creating vibrant spaces for learning and cross-pollination, and working with others to develop their skills for online training and facilitation, PeoplesHub aims to overcome some of the barriers that get in the way of creating inclusive and successful movements.

The Tank Ltd ($15,000), acting as fiscal sponsor, to provide flexible general operating support for DNAWORKS. DNAWORKS is an arts and service organization dedicated to dialogue and healing through the arts. Through multidisciplinary programs and performances that center the voices and experiences of people of the global majority and the LGBTQ2SPIAA+ community, DNAWORKS aims to create spaces and platforms where marginalized voices can be heard and celebrated, striving to foster dialogue, understanding, and positive change in society.

Tech25 ($10,000) to provide flexible general operating support. Tech25 is a state of the art event training center providing technical support and educational training for many of the cultural institutions and performing arts centers in Western PA. The organization’s 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. 

Theatre Communications Group (TCG) ($5,000) to provide support for the 2023, Pittsburgh-based Rising Leaders of Colors cohort to attend TCG’s 2024 National Conference. TCG is a national theater service organization that plays a leading role in cultivating a thriving theater ecology. 

True Costs Initiative, Inc (TCI)  ($15,000) to provide support for The Fifth Quarter program. The Fifth Quarter provides flexible and unrestricted funding to BIPOC-led organizations that work to fight against extractive activities spearheaded by corporations and governments, prepare youth to become involved in climate activism, and encourage rest and wellness within vulnerable communities. TCI 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.

Ujamaa Collective ($40,000 over two years) to provide flexible multi-year general operating support. Ujamaa Collective serves as a catalyst for advancing Africana Women by establishing a fair trade marketplace for cultural, artistic, and entrepreneurial exchange. Through the principles of cooperative economics, this initiative aims to support Black creative business women providing on-going cooperative development in the Historic Hill District and beyond, embodying the motto of “we lift as we climb.”

Ujamaa Collective ($15,000), acting as fiscal sponsor, to provide flexible general operating support for the Black Transformative Arts Network (BTAN). BTAN combines a learner-centered approach with Africana knowledge pools, Black history, culture, and arts to transform and transcend status-quo learning in a multi-generational context. BTAN supports, develops, and connects Black youth artists, teaching artists, and educators to foster a transformative creative community for Black children.

Union Project ($15,000) to provide flexible general operating support and invest in Union Project’s capacity to deliver mission-based programs in a manner that demonstrates organizational values, implements the goals of its Inclusion Plan, and supports people who have been systemically excluded from access to ceramics. Union Project serves as a space for connection, creation, and community celebration. 

Unique Projects, Inc. ($10,000), acting as fiscal sponsor, to support the production and performance of slowdanger’s SUPERCELL, an evening-length multidisciplinary quintet dance performance responding to climate consciousness, media sensationalism, desensitization, and environmental collapse. slowdanger is a project-based multi-disciplinary performance entity based out of Pittsburgh that creates works at the intersection of movement, sound, and technology.

University of Pittsburgh ($7,500) to support the production of video testimonials from transgender and gender diverse (TGD) individuals to share their health care experiences with college health and counseling center (CHC) providers across the United States. Testimonials will be integrated into online training modules guiding CHCs in how to create gender inclusive care environments with the ultimate goal of making support resources more accessible to TGD students who experience sexual violence.  

Western Pennsylvania Diaper Bank ($15,000) to provide flexible general operating support. The Western Pennsylvania Diaper Bank supports families experiencing diaper need, period poverty, and incontinence. 

Western Pennsylvania Fund for Choice ($15,000), acting as fiscal sponsor, to provide capital support for Allegheny Reproductive Health Center (ARHC). This grant will allow ARHC to build out its newly acquired facility that provides a larger footprint to increase capacity, and includes a protected entryway and parking. ARHC delivers fearless, judgment-free healthcare that is imbued with empathy and respect. Offerings include specialized gynecological care, abortion care, options counseling, services specialized to the LGBTQIA+ community, and the option for sedation for any needed services.

World Affairs Council of Pittsburgh ($10,000) to provide flexible general operating support. World Affairs Council of Pittsburgh convenes and connects people around global issues to build a competitive, thriving, and inclusive Pittsburgh. Their vision is a globally minded and connected world that is equitable and just for all. For this vision of the future to become a reality, the Council works to create and execute diverse, bold, and engaging youth and public programming.

DISCRETIONARY GRANTS

Dreams of Hope ($5,000), acting as fiscal sponsor for Casey Droege Cultural Productions and Hatch Arts Collective, to support a new spectacle performance with Little Amal, an international art project. Little Amal is a 12-foot puppet of a 10-year-old Syrian refugee child who has become a global symbol of human rights, especially those of refugees. 

FreshGrass Public Foundation ($2,005), serving as fiscal sponsor for The Walk Productions, to support Amal Walks Across America, as Little Amal walked across the United States, from Boston, MA to San Diego, CA, with a significant stop in Pittsburgh. Little Amal is a 12-foot puppet of a 10-year-old Syrian refugee child who has become a global symbol of human rights, especially those of refugees. 

RealTime Arts ($5,000) to support the design and creation of a “welcoming event” for Little Amal’s stop in Pittsburgh, as part of Amal Walks Across America. The Walk brings attention to the plight of refugees around the world, particularly children who have been separated from their parents, and RealTime’s event focuses on Pittsburgh history as shaped by generations of immigrants. 

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