In The News

After Owen died, the Sewickley family started the Owen Galluzzo Memorial Fund, housed through The Pittsburgh Foundation, meant to enrich the lives of medically fragile kids. The memorial fund contributes to two organizations that were an integral part of Owen’s life: the Arizona-based Beads of Courage, which provides children with beads for milestones in their medical journey, and Massachusetts-based Team Impact, which pairs children with serious illnesses with college sports teams.  

Innovative and interdisciplinary scientific research by early-career and established scientists at Pennsylvania universities has received a major boost by way of $1.8 million in new funding from The Charles E. Kaufman Foundation, a supporting organization of The Pittsburgh Foundation. Out of $1.8 million awarded to Pennsylvania universities by the Charles E. Kaufman Foundation, Bucknell professor Greg Pask received a two-year $150,00 grant for research on chemical communication in social insects.

Following the death of billionaire Henry L. Hillman in 2017, his namesake foundation received an infusion of $700 million and hinted that it wanted to raise its profile after decades operating under the quiet philanthropist who preferred to keep his donations private. Now the Henry L. Hillman Foundation is taking the first step toward engaging the community in its grantmaking — in a very public way. (Editor's note: 12 judges have been already been selected to assess proposals including Michael Yonas, our Foundation's director of research and special initiatives.)

The Pittsburgh Foundation announced Tuesday the funding of 47 grants to support regional nonprofits with a "wide range of life-improving missions."

The organization, dubbed ‘the heart of the Hill,’ faced major funding challenges for more than a decade. Some efforts to adapt backfired.

A life’s recounting in the subject’s own words.

Bobbi Watt Geer Geer will become the first woman to lead the United Way of Southwestern Pennsylvania . This follows the recent appointment of Lisa Schroeder as the first woman to lead The Pittsburgh Foundation. Also notable in recent days was the hiring of Mark Thomas, an African-American executive from New York City, to lead the Pittsburgh Regional Alliance, a key economic development organization.

According to a recent Pittsburgh Foundation study, “about 72% of families living below the poverty line are headed by single women raising children.” And working hard and long, which many do, does not guarantee security. A single mom can work more than 40 hours a week at multiple jobs and still not get above the federal poverty level.

Lisa Schroeder, incoming president and CEO of The Pittsburgh Foundation, gave the graduation address. 

Back when she was a newspaper photographer – before and even after she won a Pulitzer Prize – one of Martha Rial's tasks was shooting for the publications' big community-news sections. Those were the pages that noted and celebrated the contributions of volunteers and others who made their towns better places to live.