Pittsburgh Foundation grants $480,000 to Small and Mighty nonprofits

Funding initiative surpasses $3 million with recent cycle

PITTSBURGH, PA, July 10, 2024 – The Small and Mighty grants program, an initiative of The Pittsburgh Foundation that aims to increase support for small, community-based nonprofits, has awarded grants totaling $480,000 to 12 organizations. With this cycle of grantmaking, the Small and Mighty program has granted $3.3 million since its inception in 2016.

The program was created to support nonprofits with budgets of $600,000 or less. These organizations, many led by and serving Black, Indigenous and people of color (BIPOC), work to address poverty and inequity by meeting basic needs in areas such as food access, housing, child care, education, mental and physical health, and employment.

Over its history, the program has steadily increased its support to small nonprofits. In 2016, $15,000 grants were awarded. Today’s announcement of two-year, $40,000 grants marks the highest amount and the longest time frame in its history. Applicants were also eligible to apply for up to $5,000 to support organizational capacity building efforts and will be invited to attend workshops and convenings as part of the Foundation’s More Than Money grantee engagement initiative.

As of June 6, 32 organizations that received Small and Mighty grants at some point have transitioned to the foundation-directed grantmaking program. Informed in part by lessons learned from Small and Mighty, the Foundation altered its foundation-directed grantmaking process to decrease applicant burden and increase the number of organizations applying for funding.

“By removing administrative hurdles, broadening access to funding and expanding the duration of its grants, the Small and Mighty program has helped demystify the foundation experience for these nonprofits,” Pittsburgh Foundation President and CEO Lisa Schroeder said in announcing the grants. “The initiative brings leaders of small nonprofits with big missions into our funding ecosystem, allowing them to focus on delivering important services to the communities they serve.”

This year’s Small and Mighty grantees are listed below. Each organization received a two-year, $40,000 grant. Seven are first-time grantees and marked with *:

Aaron Donald 99 Solutions Foundation*: Founded in 2019, the Aaron Donald 99 Solutions Foundation is a Black-led and -serving organization that prioritizes the holistic development of student-athletes from ages 13-18, with the goal of equipping students with the academic enrichment and positive youth development experiences that will yield their successful completion of high school and post-secondary endeavors.
Autism Urban Connections Inc.: Founded in 2018, Autism Urban Connections provides education, support, advocacy and empowerment – with an emphasis on self care – to Black families with children experiencing autism spectrum disorder. The organization was started after the founder's son received a late autism diagnosis, and it’s the first and only Black, minority and family-focused autism nonprofit in Pennsylvania.
Brookline Teen Outreach*: Brookline Teen Outreach was founded in 2015 and provides quality, free-of-charge resources to youth from ages 10-18 in the Greater Pittsburgh area. The organization’s resources focus on maximizing educational and social programming, life skills workshops, tutoring, community service opportunities and licensed counseling.
Future Kings Mentoring Inc.*: Founded in 2020 by two collegiate best friends, Terrell Galloway and Sean Spencer, Future Kings Mentoring cultivates and develops male-identifying Black youth into successful leaders in their careers and communities. Using the collegiate training Terrell received in engineering and Sean received in journalism, the pair developed an out-of-school time program that combines weekly STEM workshops with positive youth development activities.
Greater Wilkinsburg Community Advancement Association*: Founded in 2019, Greater Wilkinsburg Community Advancement Association is a community-centered organization dedicated to providing opportunities for sustainable employment, access to quality education and building a healthy environment and family life.
HOPE for Tomorrow: Founded in 2014, HOPE for Tomorrow aims to help students be competitive in the global community despite various economic and societal risk factors. The organization creates a safe and nurturing environment for youth in the West End communities. Its primary program provides homework and academic tutoring and extensive supplemental programming outside of school, including a racial equity and social justice program and art classes.
Naomi’s Place Transitional Housing Inc.: Naomi's Place Transitional Housing is a Black-led organization that provides housing for single women and children experiencing housing insecurity. The organization’s partnerships with Pittsburgh Scholar House and education and employment providers have helped it also focus on financial and economic mobility within the population it serves.
Open Up*: Founded in 2014, Open Up teaches and promotes mindfulness and wellness through movement practices and interactive arts to people living with disabilities. Open Up’s mental and physical health programming is open to all who identify as having a disability, as well as to those who do not.
Out of the End Inc.*: Out of the End is a Black-led and -serving organization building foundations in sustainability, livability and entrepreneurship for Black and Brown communities in Pittsburgh. The organization was founded in 2019 and manages urban farms in the West End community, where it grows and distributes healthy produce to community members, provides educational opportunities and promotes greater access to healthy food.
Ozanam, Inc.: Ozanam is a Black-led and -serving neighborhood-based youth organization that focuses on racial equity. It runs year-round academic and positive youth development out-of-school time and summer programming in the Ammon Recreation Center in the Hill District.
Shepherd Wellness Community: Founded in 1987, Shepherd Wellness Community (SWC) is the only HIV/AIDs community center in western Pennsylvania. Serving the 11-county region, it’s often the first place a person seeks help after an HIV positive diagnosis. SWC offers supportive physical health services for people living with and affected by HIV/AIDS.
Uptown Partners of Pittsburgh*: Uptown Partners was founded in 2007 to improve community quality of life and to collaboratively create a vision and pathway for Uptown’s revitalization. The organization provides programs to support the economic development of the neighborhood and promote food access through community gardens and food distribution events.

Visit the Small and Mighty program page for more information on the initiative. Contact information for grantees is available upon request.

MEDIA CONTACT

Matthew Minczeski
minczeskim@pghfdn.org
Office: 412.391.5151
Mobile: 724.554.7993