In The News

How healthy is Pittsburgh's nonprofit community? Natasha Lindstrom with the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review and Joyce Gannon with the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette explain how some local nonprofits cope when larger foundation support isn't available, what they're hearing from those concerned about charitable giving in the wake of President Trump's new tax reform law and whether technology and social media can help pick up the budgetary slack.

For the second consecutive year, the Pittsburgh Foundation is targeting some of its grantmaking to tiny nonprofits that it believes can make a big impact in the lives of people who live in poverty and others at risk such as the homeless or those recovering from substance abuse. The community foundation Friday said it will award $308,821 to 22 nonprofits through its Small and Mighty grants program.

Total charitable giving in the U.S. could decrease as much $20 billion a year, according to Independent Sector, a Washington, D.C.-based advocacy organization for nonprofits. “We believe people who contribute do so primarily because they want to help causes that nonprofits advance,” said Maxwell King, president and chief executive of the Pittsburgh Foundation. “But the frequency with which they contribute and how much they contribute is affected significantly by the tax deduction.”

DEP and EPA will each receive half of the $1.5 million civil penalty for violations at the Monessen plant. ArcelorMittal will pay an additional $300,000 through a separate agreement with PennEnvironment to fund a community environmental project led by the Community Foundation of Westmoreland County.

ArcelorMittal will pay a $1.8 million settlement to state, federal and local entities over air pollution from its Monessen Coke Plant, an environmental group announced Wednesday. As part of the settlement, the company will pay a total of $1.5 million in civil penalties to the EPA and DEP and the remaining $300,000 will go to The Community Foundation of Westmoreland County for a program to help local communities replace high-pollution municipal vehicles with low-emission, hybrid or electric ones.

PennEnvironment announced Wednesday that under terms of a settlement agreement, ArcelorMittal, the world’s largest steelmaker, has agreed to pay a $1.5 million civil penalty for hundreds of air pollution violations, and reduce emissions or pay stiff, stipulated penalties if the coke works violates its state permit. ArcelorMittal also agreed to enhanced emissions monitoring, and will pay $300,000 to establish a local clean vehicles project through The Community Foundation of Westmoreland County.

On top of the penalty, the company will pay $300,000 to the Community Foundation of Westmoreland County for local air improvements. Phil Koch, executive director of the foundation, said that money will go to initiatives like upgrading the emissions systems of diesel school buses to make them run cleaner.

Most Americans are poised to lose any tax incentives to give to charity under the final Republican tax bill negotiated Friday. A trio of Western Pennsylvania nonprofit leaders say they fear the “misguided bill” will thrust the charitable sector “directly in harm's way” and reduce giving in a seven-county region by as much as $60 million a year.

On Dec. 4, the 2017 Carol R. Brown Creative Achievement Awards at the August Wilson Center for African American Culture honored Pittsburgh artists Susan Tsu (Established Artist Award) and Sarika Goulatia (Emerging Artist Award).

Give Big Pittsburgh, organized by the Pittsburgh Foundation and Pittsburgh Magazine, raised $1,362,742, according to an unofficial tally on its website.