In The News

Findings in New Study have Dire Implications for the Commonwealth Fiscal decay has accelerated in all types and sizes of Commonwealth municipalities over the last 24 years, jeopardizing Pennsylvania’s health and economic competitiveness, according to a compelling new Pennsylvania Economy League (PEL) report, “Communities in Crisis: The Truth and Consequences of Municipal Fiscal Distress in Pennsylvania, 1970 – 2014.”

At the corner of Fifth Avenue and Eighth Street in downtown New Kensington, there used to be a theater where Jenny Nolen saw movies for a quarter.

With ongoing Hurricane Harvey recovery efforts and the threat of devastation from Hurricane Irma, many Americans psychologically feel the need to help. Last week, the Pittsburgh Foundation donated $50,000  in disaster relief to the Texas coast  and asked area residents to join them in contributing. “We are Pittsburghers; we are Southwestern Pennsylvanians,” Foundation President and CEO Maxwell King said in a statement. “At a time such as this, it is what we are called to do.”

The Pittsburgh Foundation is donating $50,000 to its Houston counterpart to help with recovery from the devastation in Texas from Hurricane Harvey. The money is going to an emergency fund, the Hurricane Harvey Relief Fund, that was established at the Greater Houston Community Foundation.

To assist in the immediate emergency response to devastating rains and floods along the Texas Gulf Coast, The Pittsburgh Foundation’s Board has approved an emergency $50,000 grant to the Hurricane Harvey Relief Fund at the Greater Houston Community Foundation.

Most of Westmoreland County's volunteer fire departments will share a $4.33 million federal grant to recruit and train up to 500 new firefighters, officials said Thursday. The “Staffing for Adequate Fire and Emergency Response,” or SAFER, grant from FEMA will cover a variety of costs, including advertisements to recruit volunteer firefighters, paying tuition for training at Westmoreland County Community College's expanding Public Safety Training Center, purchasing gear and providing retention incentives such as free life insurance.

The Pittsburgh Foundation is donating $50,000 in disaster relief to help those in need after Hurricane Harvey devastated the Texas coast. The foundation's board approved the money as an emergency grant to the Hurricane Harvey Relief Fund at the Greater Houston Community Foundation.

Improvements to New Kensington's "Corridor of Innovation" are described, specifically murals on dilapidated buildings as part of a revitalization project. (The Community Foundation of Westmoreland County is involved in this initiative, providing building owners with grants to use toward facade improvements.)

The Community Foundation of Westmoreland County has awarded grants totaling $50,000 to local nonprofits through its Youth Philanthropy Internship Program. Two teams of 11 interns, ages 16-19, from seven schools in the county each selected three grant recipients to share half of the funding.

Faith Forward Ministries, a faith-based nonprofit is pursuing a renovation of Mozart Hall on Latrobe's Main Street in hopes of reopening a restaurant on the historic building's first floor. The Community Foundation of Westmoreland County awarded Faith Forward a $15,000 grant to help preserve and stabilize the building.