Pittsburgh Promise leaders announce $3.7 million in new pledges

Pittsburgh Promise Leaders Announce $3.7 Million in New Pledges,
Gifts and Call for More Public-Private Partnerships in
Promise Scholarship Fund Drive

PITTSBURGH, April 9, 2014 – Pittsburgh Promise Board Chair Franco Harris and Executive Director Saleem Ghubril today announced an update on new pledges for support by foundations and local companies and organizations, as well as an important call for more private-partnerships to support one of the largest fund-raising efforts in the region.

“With declining federal and state funding for education and the escalating costs of post-secondary learning, it is more important than ever to mobilize ongoing private support in order for the City’s school district to attract, retain and encourage students to achieve their dreams,” said Franco Harris, Board Chair of The Pittsburgh Promise.

“With one of the largest Promise programs in the nation, Pittsburgh is taking the long view of funding scholarships for children graduating from the Pittsburgh Public Schools for many years to come. Looking far ahead requires a more immediate effort to reach our funding goal of at least $250 million to create such a special endowment. Our leadership volunteers hope to reach this goal by the end of 2015 and are making important progress,” said Executive Director Saleem Ghubril.

$3.7 Million in New Pledges to the Promise Led by Local Foundations, Corporations

A grant of $1.5 million to The Pittsburgh Promise recently approved by the Trustees of The Buhl Foundation brings their total support to $3 million. This represents the largest grant ever given by The Buhl Foundation. This is a remarkable distinction of giving from a storied foundation, which is also the first multipurpose foundation established in Pittsburgh. “We have high hopes for public education in Pittsburgh, and we believe it’s the community’s responsibility to keep creating opportunities that promote high aspirations, reward high achievement, and infuse our region’s economy with new energy,” said Fred Thieman, President and CEO of The Buhl Foundation.

Eden Hall Foundation also committed to a $1.5 million grant to The Promise, which is also their second grant, bringing their total Promise investment to $2.5 million. “Our desire is that all children share in a future that is made brighter by the opportunity to realize their potential through a quality education. We hope that this grant enables all students in our city’s public schools to live up to the Promise so that they may achieve the dream,” said Sylvia Fields, Executive Director of the Eden Hall Foundation.

Recent donations to The Promise also include:

$250,000 from the Hillman Foundation bringing its total gifts to $1.25 million
$100,000 from the Massey Charitable Trust, bringing their total gifts to $1.5 million
$100,000 from Range Resources bringing their total gifts to $300,000
$ 55,000 from Constellation Energy
$ 30,000 from Huntington Bank bringing their total gifts to $66,000
$ 25,000 from AT&T

(Visit www.pittsburghpromise.org to view a full list of recent donor gifts and pledges.)

Furthermore, Keepers of The Promise was formed. It is a new “booster,” a community-based membership group of concerned citizens who give an annual membership fee/donation of $300 per person or $600 per couple and recruit other individuals to join. Currently, there are approximately 115 members who have contributed nearly $100,000 to date.

“Support from our community is breathtaking and is widening. Our city continues to rally around The Promise as a vehicle to raise the aspirations of kids and the expectations of adults,” said Ghubril. “In order to fulfill our pledge that The Pittsburgh Promise will be accessible to our smallest children, and keep our young parents and families in our communities, we must urgently push toward the achievement of our fundraising goal.

With $76.8 million more to be raised to reach The Promise’s $250 million goal, more than 50 community leaders, led by Marty McGuinn, David Shapira, Peter Mathieson, Susie Shipley, Susan Paine, and Candi Castleberry Singleton, are anticipating raising the full amount by the end of 2015. This challenge will require attracting funding from a range of companies, major gifts from individuals, and more donations from the community-at-large.

During the past five years, The Promise has invested approximately $47 million in scholarships to support more than 4,700 high school graduates who enrolled in over 100 different post-secondary public and private colleges and universities, career training companies, and vocational and trade programs in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania.

About The Pittsburgh Promise

The Pittsburgh Promise, a scholarship program for Pittsburgh Public School students, advocates for improving the quality of education and increasing the preparedness and diversity of the region’s workforce. It is one of the region’s largest fund-raising programs and one of the nation’s largest Promise programs of its kind. For more information about The Pittsburgh Promise, visit www.pittsburghpromise.org

Contact:
Bob Butter at 412.736.6186