In The News

While voting is a right of every U.S. citizen, the process isn’t easy for those faced with strict registration deadlines, voter ID laws and limited access to polling places. That’s why the Greater Pittsburgh Nonprofit Partnership (GPNP), a part of The Forbes Funds, is committed to getting everyone to the polls this election season. The GPNP, a coalition of over 420 nonprofits and community partners from a 12-county region in southwestern PA, assembled 17 cohorts to participate in the nonpartisan Nonprofit Vote voter engagement program.

The Pittsburgh Foundation’s Day of Giving generated $2.1 million during 16 hours on Wednesday, pushing the total to more than $5.1 million raised across two days – about four months apart.

Four Penn State researchers have been awarded a total of $450,000 by the Charles E. Kaufman Foundation to carry out basic science research over the next two years.

The development that is rapidly transforming some areas of the city could actually be part of the solution to ensuring everyone benefits from the region’s economic transformation. That’s the premise behind a report from the research institute PolicyLink—Equitable Development: The Path to an All-in Pittsburgh—which provides a roadmap for Pittsburgh to “not just imagine but actually build a different future,” says Sarah Treuhaft, director of equitable growth initiatives at PolicyLink.

The Pittsburgh Promise is one of many programs aimed at improving educational outcomes, closing the achievement gap and removing cost barriers for young people to succeed. The Promise has seen firsthand the need to bolster learning and ambition in children as early as possible. In fact, kindergarten-readiness is a prerequisite to Promise-readiness in our urban schools.  

For it’s third year, 1Hood recently hosted 1Hood Day, a two-day festival that celebrates the hip hop culture in all its manifestations. 1Hood Day was built on the idea of uniting family, the community and music. Based in knowledge of self, on this day, the organization honored all the pillars of hip hop, including MCing, DJing, B-boying, and graffiti. Funding for the The Pittsburgh hip hop collective was provided by the Advancing Black Arts in Pittsburgh Program, a partnership of The Pittsburgh Foundation and The Heinz Endowments. New Pittsburgh Courier

The fund, administered in part by the United Way of Westmoreland County, was initially used to help pay medical expenses for students injured in the attack, and helped fund crisis counseling. Following the attack — in which then-16-year-old Alex Hribal is charged with injuring 20 students and a school guard — more than $130,000 in donations poured in for the fund. More than $34,000 remaining in the account was used by the Community Foundation of Westmoreland County to establish the scholarship fund.

The 16-hour, one-day online giving event appeared to operate smoothly in the Alle-Kiski Valley on Wednesday.

More than 820 nonprofit organizations participated in Wednesday's rescheduled Day of Giving coordinated by The Pittsburgh Foundation, four months after the original event flopped amid nationwide technical failures. The reboot of Western Pennsylvania's largest single giving event spurred sector-wide enthusiasm, social media blitzes and financial boosts for nonprofits across Allegheny, Butler and Westmoreland counties. “We had no glitches, no system problems, very few calls from confused or frustrated donors,” The Pittsburgh Foundation CEO Max King said late-afternoon.

Hawn, 70, shared the story of her personal bout with depression to convey her message that all types of people struggle with mental health issues and can benefit by learning skills to cope with life's complex problems. The A-list celebrity headlined the “Be Inspired” fundraiser benefitting the emergency shelter and support services of Bethlehem Haven, a women's homeless shelter in Uptown. The fundraiser also honored two individuals whom board members say have been the most important people to Bethlehem Haven's progress: Dr. Edward J.