Business ownership can enable Black people to build wealth more quickly than traditional employment, create jobs for others in the community and build assets that can be transferred within or passed down to a generation. But 95% of Black firms are sole proprietorships whose owners are primarily self-employed. Because they are small, these businesses have difficulty in accessing lines of credit, working capital or venture capital. Utilizing e-commerce, crowd sourcing and social media reduces immediate need for capital, but those tools are not widely utilized.

Because this is an emergent area of work for our Foundation, we do not have additional eligibility criteria at this time. Our grantmaking in this area will be responsive for the next several years.

Contact

Joshua Devine

Economic Mobility Officer

devinej@pghfdn.org

More Grantmaking Supporting Economic Mobility

The Pittsburgh Foundation also offers the following funding opportunities to eligible applicants.

Access to Post-Secondary Education

We seek to support programs that enable students to earn college credit while in high school; admissions navigation support and academic and financial counseling; re-engagement strategies for students who have stopped attending school; and supports for non-traditional students.

Career Advancement

We are interested in supporting organizations that offer technology training with career potential. 

Homeownership

In 2025, applications for the Homeownership focus area will be by invitation only. We are specifically interested in funding programs that include personalized financial and home purchasing education; advocacy for mortgage assistance initiatives for Black women; and other programs that include collective ownership options.