News Releases

GREENSBURG, Feb. 15, 2016 – Board members of The Community Foundation of Westmoreland County (CFWC) have elected Gail Malloy their chair, making her the first woman to head the governing body in its 20-year history. Malloy, a local entrepreneur and business owner who has been on the CFWC board since 2010, served the past two years as vice-chair.  She succeeds Regis Synan, president of F. Tinker and Sons, who will remain on the board.  Malloy will serve a two-year term.

Through his fund at The Pittsburgh Foundation, philanthropist and McMurray resident Joseph Fairbanks, Jr. has funded the lion’s share of the first full-time paid position at Hire Our Heroes, a nonprofit providing veterans nationwide with networking and career-building services.

Pushing back Against “Comfortable Silence”  Poetry project confronts racism, remembers victims of Charleston, S.C. massacre PITTSBURGH, Jan. 19, 2015 – The Pittsburgh Foundation has commissioned nine local poets to create new works for “Psalms for Mother Emanuel: an Elegy from Pittsburgh to Charleston,” a chapbook reflecting on racial issues and last year’s shootings at Emanuel African Methodist Episcopal Church in Charleston, S.C.

Largest one-time gift by living donor A lifetime away, but a desire to “do good for Pittsburgh and the world”  PITTSBURGH, Dec. 27, 2015 – Dr. Richard and Priscilla Hunt have established a $15 million fund at The Pittsburgh Foundation, making the donation the largest of its kind by a living donor in the philanthropy’s 70-year history.

PITTSBURGH, Dec. 22, 2015 –Congress has approved and President Obama has signed the PATH Act making the Individual Retirement Account Charitable Rollover and two other charitable giving incentives permanent law. The tax package did not expand the permanency to donor advised funds, but giving the Charitable Rollover that designation is a tremendous victory for community foundation philanthropy and for our individual donors. The Pittsburgh Foundation's staff members were very involved in advocacy efforts to bring about passage.

Unified behind passage of Senate- and Governor-approved plan PITTSBURGH, Dec. 11, 2015 – Leaders from across the Pittsburgh region’s business, religious, cultural, nonprofit and foundation sectors today decried the harm done to the state’s most vulnerable residents and many facets of its economy due to a nearly six-month stall in the passage of Pennsylvania’s budget.

The Pittsburgh Foundation raises $1 million in four hours  PITTSBURGH, Dec. 8, 2015 – The Pittsburgh Foundation’s Critical Needs Alert campaign raised more than $1 million for area housing agencies today — a record in both dollars raised and duration — with contributions from the public surpassing $500,000 in just four hours.  

The Pittsburgh Foundation to launch third annual holiday giving campaign PITTSBURGH, Dec. 1, 2015 – Bucking national trends, homelessness is on the rise in Pennsylvania, with more than 15,000 people experiencing housing instability in the past year. With service providers facing increased demand, and with many of them hampered by the state budget impasse, The Pittsburgh Foundation is repeating its lead role from last year’s Critical Needs campaign for the homeless, which raised nearly $1 million for service providers.

Leaders to document damage from state budget war; Call for permanent reform of budget process to protect human services PITTSBURGH, Nov. 11, 2015 — With the Pennsylvania budget standoff now dragging into its fifth month, The Pittsburgh Foundation and the United Way of Southwestern Pennsylvania are calling upon human services nonprofits and residents connected to them to join in #PApeoplecount.

Theater director, documentary filmmaker are winners of the  2015 Carol. R. Brown Creative Achievement Awards PITTSBURGH, Nov. 2, 2015 – Two Pittsburgh-based artists will receive this year’s Carol R. Brown Creative Achievement Awards. The awards, a shared commitment of The Pittsburgh Foundation and The Heinz Endowments to invest in local artists, recognize exemplary artistic achievement and the promise of maintaining that level of excellence in future work. Two recipients — an established artist and an emerging artist – are each awarded $15,000.