PITTSBURGH, April 21, 2010 – The Pittsburgh Foundation has announced the final phase of a three part series titled Voices of Youth, an on-line competition launched jointly with The Grable Foundation designed to encourage public involvement in community grantmaking initiatives.

Under 4 Feet Tall is the subject of the third competition, and the three winning projects will each receive grants of up to $15,000. Youth serving organizations and members of the community are encouraged to participate in designing projects that will give a voice to issues facing our youngest citizens via an on-line portal at http://www.pghvoicesofyouth.com, where ideas can be submitted as well as discussed in a public forum.

"Research shows that the early development of children is when their brains grow and develop more than at any other time in their life," said Jeanne Pearlman, Senior Vice President of Program and Policy at The Pittsburgh Foundation. "Their voices cannot be heard in our community on their own and the competition is looking for projects that can be that voice and advocate for our children." The closing date for entries is May 19, 2010.

A local committee will then select a short list of approximately seven finalists. The committee will include representatives of The Pittsburgh Foundation as well as members of The Grable Foundation’s Community Cabinet, a group of advisors who meet with the Foundation to discuss public policy and review grant making opportunities. Beginning in early June, the finalists’ projects will be displayed on the website and the public will have the opportunity to vote for the proposed programs that they believe deserve funding. The three winning projects will be announced following the conclusion of voting on June 18.

The Voices of Youth series of competitions kicked off in 2009 with Art in Public, and was followed earlier this year with Youth Creating Change. Winners from the previous two competitions as well as progress on their projects can be reviewed on the Voices of Youth site.

"The Voices of Youth series gave the public an opportunity to have a voice in grantmaking," said Grant Oliphant, President and CEO at The Pittsburgh Foundation. "Through the first two competitions the public has embraced that challenge and enabled projects that will be extremely beneficial to our region’s youth."

"We are encouraged that Under 4 Feet Tall will bring to light ideas for the youngest members of our community that will help them grow,"said Gregg Behr, Executive Director of　The Grable Foundation.

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