In The News

Michael Polite, who has been on the board of the August Wilson Center since August 2015, will take over as board chair from Maxwell King.

The Pittsburgh Post-Gazette has correctly put its finger on a bit of rogue activity on the part of the Pittsburgh Foundation, which actually decided to consult the sentient beings residing in their communities about what they need.

Philanthropists and large foundations sometimes approach their grantmaking with an agenda of their own. They have occasionally tried to impose solutions on communities that don’t agree with or want those solutions. So it’s refreshing to learn about the methodology behind a new report from The Pittsburgh Foundation, titled “A Qualitative Study of Youth and the Juvenile Justice System.”

Ten finalists have been selected for UpPrize, a competition that challenges organizations to come up with technologies and solutions to help the needy in the Pittsburgh region. All 10 will receive a $10,000 grant and will compete for final awards of up to $300,000.

Organized by the Forbes Funds, the competition engages the community in producing innovative solutions to critical issues facing the region and the world. It kicked off last year by finding ways to help the visually impaired, victims of human trafficking, and other vulnerable populations.

Ten proposals seeking to improve the lives of greater Pittsburgh's most vulnerable people through food access or technology just clinched $10,000 apiece in prize money in the second annual UpPrize social innovation challenge.

An eight-month study by The Pittsburgh Foundation has found that youth involved with the Allegheny County juvenile justice system could play a much greater role in shaping prevention and diversion programs.

Youth need more of a say in shaping the juvenile justice system they're a part of, according to a report released Monday by the Pittsburgh Foundation. Lead researcher and senior program officer Michael Yonas said that even though they have first-hand knowledge of the system, youth voices are not taken into account.

Juvenile justice reform efforts should more directly engage youth who have had first-hand experience of the juvenile justice system and whose experience could help shape more effective prevention and diversion programs, a report from the Pittsburgh Foundation argues.

Research abounds on the vast numbers of children and teens who land in the juvenile justice system. But for a new project on how to assist vulnerable youth who are caught up in crime, the Pittsburgh Foundation decided to go beyond statistics.