In The News

Three Beaver County artists will be featured in a virtual event Sept. 29 hosted by New Sun Rising and RiverWise and supported by The Pittsburgh Foundation’s Emergency Action Fund that asked artists to create visual art reflecting the effect of COVID-19 on their community. Erin Ninehouser, a photographer from Ambridge; Marlon Gist, a fine artist from Aliquippa; and Katie Stone, a ceramics sculptor from Ambridge were among six selected to participate in Exploring COVID-19 Impacts Through Visual Art, which provided each with $2,500 to create their visual art.

In the wake of global unrest around racial bias and disparities, the Pittsburgh Foundation has rolled out a new fund totaling $1.5 million to support groups and initiatives working toward racial and socioeconomic equity in Allegheny County. The Grantmaking for Racial Justice Fund will distribute grants of up to $100,000 to nonprofits that engage in programs that benefit low-income residents or programs that will spur change to eliminate systemic racism.

According to the Black Girls Equity Alliance report, Black girls ages 10-17 in Allegheny County are 10 times more likely than white girls to be referred to the juvenile justice system. Black boys are 7 times more likely to be referred than white boys. Referrals include those from magisterial district judges and from schools. Referrals are 56% higher for Black girls in Allegheny County than those nationwide and 23% higher for Black boys compared with referrals of that group of children nationwide, the report said.

Jessica Gaynelle Moss in an artist, independent curator, and arts worker focused on new frameworks and strategies to build, maintain, and sustain Black autonomous spaces. She is the Founder and Director of The Roll Up CLT Artist Residency in Charlotte, NC; the Administrative Director of Sibyls Shrine, an artist residency for Black creative mothers created by Professor Alisha Wormsley; and Philanthropy Fellow at The Pittsburgh Foundation and The Heinz Endowments.

Forging Forward is a series of eight articles about our region’s recovery and resiliency in the time of COVID, presented with the generous support of The Pittsburgh Foundation.

Act now and make it count. That was the theme echoed by many during the Pittsburgh Business Times' Sept. 2 virtual panel on corporate philanthropy and crisis recovery. Featuring leaders from Pittsburgh's philanthropic and business community, panelists discussed how businesses and individuals can give back to the region by taking advantage of different resources that are available, whether it be through nonprofit foundations or by volunteering time and resources at the individual level. Center for Philanthropy Director Kelly Uranker was one of the panelists.

Jamillia Kamara, program officer for education at The Pittsburgh Foundation, is among this year’s 40 Under 40 honorees. Each year, Pittsburgh Magazine and PUMP recognize 40 outstanding individuals under the age of 40 whose creativity, vision and passion enrich the Pittsburgh region.   

The Pittsburgh Foundation had expected to mark its 75th anniversary in 2020 by offering a wide range of community development programs and digging into creating a new strategic plan that would thoughtfully sharpen the focus of its agenda for the next five to 10 years. Those plans rapidly changed in March when Covid-19 arrived.

Nearly 200 local nonprofits will receive funds for things like healthcare, transportation, food, shelter and other causes. Segment features Kelly Uranker.  

In response to the ongoing impacts of the covid-19 pandemic, a group of 15 foundations and a private Pittsburgh-area donor have announced the Arts|Equity|Reimagined Fund to help regional arts and cultural organizations weather the effects of the shutdown. “The reason the Community Foundation of Westmoreland County sees these grants as really important is that it gives small arts organizations the opportunity to reimagine how they do their work,” said Phil Koch, executive director of the Pittsburgh Foundation affiliate.