Search Through Human and Social Service Grants in Pennsylvania in the U.S.

Background

The Buhl Foundation’s first year of grants were made in support of the areas of economic development, education, recreation, and social research. One of the significant grants in that first year was used to establish a pension fund for the employees of Boggs and Buhl, continuing Henry Buhl, Jr.’s legacy of care.

In 1937, the Foundation provided an initial grant to the Pittsburgh Symphony Society to support the establishment of a symphony orchestra for the city. In more recent years, a grant was provided to revitalize the Harris Theater, creating a lively cultural attraction in the heart of the Cultural District.

Transformational Impact

As a regional foundation with a strategic geographic focus, the Buhl Foundation’s history of success and thought leadership continues in the entrepreneurial spirit of our giving.

Pittsburgh’s Northside

The Buhl Foundation has committed to a place-based strategy to invest in the lives and futures of the residents of Mr. Buhl’s beloved Northside. The majority of Foundation funds are directed towards Pittsburgh’s 18 Northside neighborhoods that some 40,000 residents call home. The resident-driven initiative birthed from this commitment, One Northside, catalyzes and supports long-term sustainable change with particular emphasis on resourcing community members, young and old, to lead and create tangible change from within. The success of One Northside will be found in the value of relationships and respect given to each individual and neighborhood. Working with thousands of Northside residents and community members, the One Northside strategy is grounded in five key pillars: Education –Initiatives that foster learning environments critical to building a knowledgeable and talented population. To look to a better future, we invest in our children today. With stronger professional training and increased Pre-K access, all of our children will be school ready by age 5. Joining together as a community, we will invest in state-of-the-art resources to encourage and enhance learning both in and out of the classroom. So, our Northside children will be ready to embrace the path before them.EmploymentAccess to opportunities with the ability to grow are key for our community to flourish. Our continued partnership with companies will provide youth and adults with the programs, jobs and training needed to pursue well-paying careers. Additionally, attracting and retaining entrepreneurs and emerging leaders will encourage the growth we desire for our community.HealthResidents thrive through healthy lifestyles and seamless access to beneficial services. Better coordination of health and human services will simplify the care for physical as well as social and emotional health needs. And, by improving food access and providing education on nutrition, our residents will have a greater ability to maintain healthy lifestyles. Ultimately, we will build a resilient community.PlaceThe Northside is our home. It is where we live, grow, and thrive together. As a community, we will work to ensure that all of our residents have access to quality, affordable housing. Simultaneously, we will proudly participate in building and maintaining a litter-free and green environment for all to share. Growing together, we invite organizational partners to join us in creating resource centers that foster ongoing collaboration and innovation.SafetyPolice are the Community. And the Community are the Police. Our officers and residents will value collaborative relationships to build trust and prevent crime. Neighborhood watch organizations and accessible safety centers will provide residents with the training and services that support safe communities.Regional Endowed with a sense of curiosity and flexibility, the vision for the Buhl Foundation was, and remains, one of transformational impact for the whole community of Pittsburgh. In addition to our commitment to the Northside of Pittsburgh, the Foundation remains sensitive to four major areas in our region: Education

• Initiatives that foster learning environments critical to building a knowledgeable and talented population

Youth Development

• Projects that provide opportunities for our young people to thrive, to be safe and to live in a nurturing environment.

Human Services

• Strategies where our resources make a difference in addressing persistent community challenges or unmet needs of at-risk neighborhoods.

Economic & Community Development

• Efforts that encourage innovation and entrepreneurial solutions to improve quality of life.

Mission

To encourage human development in West Virginia and Southwestern Pennsylvania through strategically placed charitable resources.

Guiding Principles

The following principles guide the Foundation’s grants programs in those regions: 

• We honor Michael and Sarah Benedum’s belief in “helping people help themselves,” and we seek opportunities to cultivate the creativity of people and communities. 
• We nurture leadership within the communities we serve, and we participate in leadership when it adds value.
• We encourage planning, projects and programs that cross geographical and political boundaries so that access to services and economic growth is maximized.
• We expect collaboration among the public, private and nonprofit sectors in order to leverage the resources that each can bring to common concerns.
• We strive to advance innovative practices that demonstrate measurable and sustainable benefit.
• We seek projects that contribute to advancement in public policy.

What We Fund

In keeping with the wishes of Michael and Sarah Benedum, the Claude Worthington Benedum Foundation is a regional philanthropy focusing on West Virginia and Southwestern Pennsylvania. The Foundation generally invests two-thirds of its grant dollars in West Virginia and one-third in Southwestern Pennsylvania.

The Foundation serves the entire state of West Virginia. In Southwestern Pennsylvania, the service area includes Allegheny, Washington, Greene, and Fayette Counties. This four-county area is a natural connector between Pittsburgh and West Virginia and contains rural communities that may benefit from the Benedum Foundation’s experiences in West Virginia. However, the Foundation recognizes that economic regions do not follow political boundaries, and therefore, the Foundation both encourages projects that cross state lines, and supports economic initiatives that benefit the multi-state economy centered on Pittsburgh.

Program Areas

The Foundation makes grants in two program areas that span both states:

Education

The Benedum Foundation seeks to foster learning environments, across formal and informal educational systems, that position young learners to thrive in career and life. Academic achievement, social and emotional wellbeing, and real-world workforce preparation are the ultimate objectives of this program.

The Foundation places a high priority on teacher quality and the most advanced instructional tools. Because schools do not function in isolation, the Foundation also looks to the resources of community organizations, business, and higher education to reinforce the learning objectives of the classroom. In preparation for the rising demands of the workplace, the Foundation recognizes the need for all students to enter some form of post-secondary education.

Although the Foundation is interested in any significant opportunity to improve the education system, current specific areas of interest include:

• Programs that improve teacher quality through professional development and innovative instructional strategies.
• Early childhood educational practices that bolster children’s social, emotional, cognitive, and academic development, including early intervention services that support school-success.
• Expanded and extended learning opportunities that complement and enhance the learning that occurs during the traditional school day.
• Career education and future readiness skill development, aligning secondary and post-secondary programs to high-demand, high-wage occupations.

Economic Development

Innovation will be the cornerstone of the future success of the economy in West Virginia and Southwestern Pennsylvania. The Foundation supports economic development activities based upon the region’s strengths in research, technology, and advanced manufacturing.

The Foundation’s agenda seeks to promote regional planning and cooperation, recognizing that with respect to any endeavor, “region” should mean whatever area is most appropriate to optimize the available opportunity, without reference to historic, geographic, or political boundaries. The expected outcomes of the Foundation’s Economic Development grants are the creation and growth of innovative, wealth-producing businesses and high-quality jobs.

In addition, many of the communities in the region served by the Foundation are rural, and enjoy abundant natural assets that provide economic opportunities that complement centers of technology-based growth. The Foundation currently supports efforts to advance agriculture, outdoor recreation, artisanship, and cultural tourism. Current specific areas of Foundation interest include:

• Promotion of entrepreneurship.
• Projects that promote technology-based economic development.
• Programs to promote the growth and accessibility of new capital for businesses in distressed communities and areas of high unemployment.

Grundy Foundation

Joseph R. Grundy (1863 – 1961) was a businessman who created wealth in a number of enterprises such as textiles, banking, newspapers, and real estate. He was active in the civic affairs of Bucks County and Pennsylvania, having represented the Commonwealth in the U.S. Senate by appointment in 1929 – 1930, and also played a role in national electoral politics, but his heart always remained true to the Bristol Borough community in which he lived.

Upon the Senator’s death in 1961, his Last Will & Testament established The Grundy Foundation to create and oversee the Margaret R. Grundy Memorial Museum and the Margaret R. Grundy Memorial Library. Both the Museum and Library were named in honor of his pre-deceased sister, “Meta.” In addition to the operation of the Museum and Library, The Foundation continues to carry out the Senator’s philanthropic tradition of giving back to his community through grant awards to deserving nonprofit organizations.

Grantmaking

The Grundy Foundation’s endowment, which sustains the operations of both the Museum and Library, also provides for grantmaking. Senator Grundy specified that grant support would be given to “projects for the benefit of the inhabitants and institutions of the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania and for projects or works designed for the benefit and use of the people generally.”

The Board of Trustees generally has restricted grantmaking to Bucks County public charities, with special consideration to those of Bristol Borough. Grants are made primarily for capital projects throughout the County serving the public in a wide area rather than a single neighborhood. Grants for operating or programmatic support are reserved for pre-selected organizations or Board-designated projects. Applicants receiving operating or programmatic support as a member agency of the United Way of Bucks County are ineligible for grant consideration. Areas of grantmaking interest include arts and culture, education, community development, and health and human services.

Priorities

The grantmaking priorities of The Grundy Foundation are:

• Capital Projects (“Bricks and Mortar”)
• 501 (c) (3) Organizations throughout Bucks County may apply 
• Operating/Programmatic Support
• Pre-selected organizations in Lower Bucks County or Trustee-recommended projects focused on arts and culture, education, and emergency needs.

Since its founding in 1951 by John Hartwell Hillman, Jr., the Hillman Foundation’s mission has been to improve the quality of life in Pittsburgh and southwestern Pennsylvania. The Foundation supports grantmaking that will establish the Pittsburgh region as a national leader in developing and implementing ideas that improve people's lives.Strategic PrioritiesHillman Foundation strives to improve the quality of life in the Pittsburgh region through strategic grantmaking focused on economic development, health, education, human services, the arts, and the environment.

Arts and Culture

• Intersection: Fostering the inclusion of arts and culture into all other focus areas
• Education: Increasing the availability and quality of arts and culture PreK-12 education
• Making Pittsburgh a destination: Enhancing Pittsburgh’s standing as an internationally-respected, vibrant, and diverse arts and culture destination and as an artist-friendly city

Community and Economic Development

• Economic mobility: Increasing economic mobility through affordable housing, asset building programs, entrepreneurship support, and other promising initiatives
• Supporting communities: Bolstering neighborhood anchors through capacity building for community development corporations, flexible capital for community plan implementation, and incentivizing collaboration within and between neighborhoods
• Transportation modernization: Improving quality of life by modernizing the regional transportation system for pedestrians, transit riders, bicyclists, and drivers through research, pilot projects, and targeted capital investments

Education and Workforce Development

• Innovative approaches to workforce development: Investing in the future of work and learning through pilots and/or expansions of education and training approaches that prepare the regional workforce for living wage careers
• Early learners: Creating strong foundations by supporting early childhood centers, staff, and teachers, and progress toward universal pre-K

Energy and Environment

• Low-carbon: Aiding the transition to a low-carbon economy
• Outdoor parks and recreation: Improving the environment for healthy living, including support for land conservation, parks, and other outdoor recreational assets
• Clean water: Ensuring access to reliable and clean water supplies and high-functioning stormwater/wastewater management
• Identifying best practices: Certification initiatives, performance measurement, and promoting best practice development

Health and Medicine

• Addressing social determinants of health: Promoting a culture of health through initiatives that support good health for all, like quality affordable housing, healthy food, and violence prevention
• Preventing chronic disease: Prevention initiatives as well as supporting those living with chronic disease through evidence-based best practices
• Accessible and affordable healthcare: Strengthening accessibility, affordability, and quality of regional healthcare, including rural health care and telemedicine
• Robust workforce: Ensuring that the region can recruit and retain a qualified and diverse health care workforce, including innovative strategies like community health care workers

Human Services

• Innovation: Continuing to build a strong human services sector through investments in organizational financial stability, innovative delivery models, and human capital
• Service models and policy change: Accelerating momentum for change, particularly in criminal justice, homelessness, substance abuse, and healthy mothers and families

Background

Mary Hillman Jennings (1921–1979) created the Foundation in 1968 with the intention of advancing her charitable work and her support for Pittsburgh-area nonprofit organizations. Throughout her life, she dedicated herself to a wide range of community activities and believed that a truly world-class region invests in its most vulnerable citizens and its most disadvantaged communities.

Providing opportunity for people in southwestern Pennsylvania facing barriers

Improving the quality of life in southwestern Pennsylvania for all, with a focus on communities historically left out of opportunity, is central to Mary Hillman Jennings Foundation's approach.

Priorities

In the greater Pittsburgh region, Mary Hillman Jennings Foundation's grantmaking focuses on community development, health, education, human services, the arts, and the environment. Serving the most vulnerable among us is a top priority.

• Arts and Culture
• Community and Economic Development
• Education and Workforce Development
• Energy and Environment
• Health and Medicine
• Human Services

Strategic Priorities

Mary Hillman Jennings Foundation prioritizes investments that increase opportunities and promote the economic, social, and emotional welfare of those whose voices and concerns are often overlooked. Current priorities are focused on programs that provide direct services to:

At-Risk Children and Youth

• After-school programs
• Culturally relevant arts and culture education

Homeless Individuals

• Homelessness prevention and response
• Low-to-no barrier housing options and supportive services

Immigrants and Refugees

• Culturally responsive approaches that promote well-being and inclusion, such as translation, interpretation, and student supports

Low-Income Workers

• Neighborhood-based workforce development and financial empowerment initiatives

Mothers and Children

• Lowering premature morbidity and mortality
• Supporting maternal and child well-being from birth

People Struggling with Addiction and Recovery

• Prevention, education, harm-reduction, and increased access to existing services
• Increasing community response capacity

People Formerly Incarcerated who are Re-Entering the Community

• Policy changes, diversion models, collaborative approaches, and innovative in-jail and re-entry programs for juveniles and adults

Victims of Violence

• Reducing neighborhood violence through evidence-based programs
• Mental health and other essential services

About the Polk Foundation The Polk Foundation believes that every person with a disability deserves to live with dignity and have maximum opportunity to grow, achieve, and succeed.Honoring Patricia Hillman Miller's lifelong commitment to this principle, the Foundation will continue to focus primarily on improving the quality of life for people with disabilities.Polk Foundation GrantPatricia Hillman Miller created the Polk Foundation to ensure that high-quality care and programs were available to children with intellectual and developmental disabilities and their families in southwestern Pennsylvania, at a time when many children with developmental and intellectual disabilities lived in poverty with limited services. She was instrumental in the successful opening of the Allegheny Valley School for Exceptional Children in 1961. The Polk Foundation’s close relationship with AVS, now Merakey AVS, continues. Although Merakey AVS is the principal beneficiary of the Polk Foundation, the Foundation accepts inquiries from other nonprofit organizations that provide services to individuals with intellectual and developmental disabilities and their families, and makes grants on a limited basis as funding is available.Priorities

• Health & Medicine
• Human Services

Strategic Priorities The Polk Foundation prioritizes investments that promote the economic, social, and emotional welfare of people with developmental and intellectual disabilities and increase the opportunities available to them. In particular, the Foundation focuses on:

• Programs designed in partnership with people with disabilities and their families
• Technology initiatives that enable maximum independence
• Relevant research with high potential for quick translation to clinical care and quality of life improvements
• Community initiatives that aim to make neighborhoods more welcoming and inclusive of those with developmental and intellectual disabilities
• Capital improvements (on a limited basis)

Max and Victoria Dreyfus Foundation Grant

The Foundation will consider requests to support museums, cultural and performing arts programs; schools and hospitals; educational, skills-training and other programs for youth, seniors, and persons with disabilities; environmental and wildlife protection activities; and other community-based organizations and programs.

Just Born Quality Confections strives to bring sweetness to the communities where we live and work. Our corporate granting program allows us to be a catalyst for change by bringing smiles to our community, nurturing kids, helping families in need, and being a collaborative partner.

When applying for our grants, please know, particular interest will be paid to programs that specifically help underprivileged, underserved, and underrepresented children and families.

Our purpose is to bring sweetness to people’s lives and can only be fully realized by pledging to value all people, all races, all cultures, all religions, all love, all genders and all abilities, because Together We Are Better. As part of our commitment to DEI, we will provide at least 15% of our funds to non-profits with diverse leadership reflecting the communities they serve.

The health and well-being of children and their families is the primary focus of Just Born’s corporate giving program. We make grants in these areas:

Arts and Culture –The arts bring us joy, help us express our values, and build bridges between cultures. They are also a fundamental component of a healthy community. They strengthen us socially, educationally, and economically. Programs supported by our Arts and Culture grants should increase access to the arts, preserve history, and help enhance the overall cultural climate in our community.

Programs supported by our Arts and Culture grants include, but are not limited to:

• Music and art education
• Improving access to the arts
• Participation in visual, theatrical and musical arts
• Conservation of arts and culture
• Art therapy

Education – Providing academic opportunities for youth in our community helps to prepare them for a stable and productive future. Just Born Quality Confections is dedicated to supporting organizations that provide or supplement a high-quality education. 

Programs supported by our Education grants include, but are not limited to:

• Early Childhood Education
• School Readiness
• Early Diagnosis of Learning Disabilities
• Literacy Initiatives – Especially those aimed at reading by a 3rd grade level
• STEM/STEAM Initiatives
• Summer Learning Opportunities
• College Preparatory Programs
• Career Readiness Programs
• Programs that improve & increase academic achievement, school attendance, and positive social behavior
• Inclusion programs

Health and Human Services – Just Born Quality Confections supports programs that strive to meet the basic needs of our vulnerable and/or underserved populations. These programs should promote character building, encourage mental and physical health, create safe neighborhoods, improve food access, improve access to shelter/housing, and promote equitable opportunities for socially and economically disadvantaged children and families.

Programs supported by our Health and Human Service grants include, but are not limited to:

Nutrition and Food Access:

• Programs that increase access to sufficient and nutritious food
• Meal service programs that ensure homebound people have access to nutritious food
• Projects that increase cold storage and handling or that make other modifications necessary to serve more people

Health Care Needs:

• Providing medical care to unhoused populations
• Nurse Family Partnership programs
• Health Education Programs
• Mobile Healthcare Programs
• Mindfulness and Mental Health Initiatives
• Pediatric Therapy Programs – (e.g.: Equine and Developmental therapy…)
• Programs serving individuals with intellectual and developmental disabilities
• Programs enabling older adults to remain independent

Trauma, Abuse, and Safety:

• Programs that support trauma informed practices
• Programs that reduce the long-term traumatic effects of abuse and exposure to community violence.
• Domestic violence programs that provide safe shelter, counseling, legal assistance, and other support services.
• Shelter for those fleeing physical, mental, economic, and sexual abuse.
• Prevention and treatment programs that strive to reduce, and alleviate the effects of, sexual and physical abuse and human trafficking
• Drug education and prevention programs

Community Building and Development – Just Born Quality Confections believes that behind every successful business is a strong community. We support causes that encourage community collaboration and improve the general well-being of our community. Programs supported by Community Building grants should invest in people by increasing skills, knowledge, abilities or well-being, and strengthen community resources.

Programs supported by our Community Building grants include, but are not limited to:

Housing:

• Stable affordable housing for individuals, children, and families
• Emergency Shelter
• Rapid Re-housing programs that include case management, limited financial assistance, job services, and career development
• Housing for veterans, young adults with developmental disabilities, those escaping domestic violence, and other vulnerable populations
• Services that allow young adults with disabilities and seniors to live independently at home

Workforce Development:

• Job-training programs that collaborate with local businesses to educate students on high-priority occupations and career pathways. Particular interest will be placed on programs supporting workforce development in the field of manufacturing.
• Life-skills and job-readiness training
• Hard and soft-skills training
• Paid internship opportunities
• Opportunities for young adults with disabilities who are transitioning from a school environment into the workplace
• Programs to reduce recidivism and encourage job readiness

Financial Literacy and Economic Stability:

• Financial coaching programs to help participants decrease debt, increase savings, and set long-term financial goals.

Environmental, Conservation, and Sustainability – Just Born Quality Confections invests in initiatives that foster sustainable communities. This includes projects that protect threatened ecosystems, preserve the health of our planet, and promote environmental education.

Programs supported by our Environmental, Conservation & Sustainability grants include, but are not limited to:

• Programs to protect and restore our waterways and preserve land
• Opportunities for children to participate in nature-based programming
• Environmental education initiatives
• Waste reduction and recycling programs

Our Mission

The mission of The Stackpole-Hall Foundation is to first consider the needs of the people in Elk County, Pennsylvania with a goal of improving the fundamental quality of life. We will give priority to the educational, human service, and community development needs of the County.

Stackpole-Hall Foundation Grant

The Stackpole-Hall Foundation is prepared to assist those organizations and institutions designed to enhance the social welfare of the area. In carrying out this mission, the Foundation provides matching money grants, seed money grants, partnership grants, and, under certain circumstances, operational grants to a host of educational, health care, cultural, youth development, social welfare, environmental, and community development needs.

Our Mission

“The mission of The Stackpole-Hall Foundation is to first consider the needs of the people in Elk County, Pennsylvania with a goal of improving the fundamental quality of life. We will give priority to the educational, human service, and community development needs of the County.”

Stackpole-Hall Foundation Grant

The Stackpole-Hall Foundation is prepared to assist those organizations and institutions designed to enhance the social welfare of the area. In carrying out this mission, the Foundation provides matching money grants, seed money grants, partnership grants, and, under certain circumstances, operational grants to a host of educational, health care, cultural, youth development, social welfare, environmental, and community development needs.

Our Mission

The mission of The Stackpole-Hall Foundation is to first consider the needs of the people in Elk County, Pennsylvania with a goal of improving the fundamental quality of life. We will give priority to the educational, human service, and community development needs of the County.

Stackpole-Hall Foundation Grant

The Stackpole-Hall Foundation is prepared to assist those organizations and institutions designed to enhance the social welfare of the area. In carrying out this mission, the Foundation provides matching money grants, seed money grants, partnership grants, and, under certain circumstances, operational grants to a host of educational, health care, cultural, youth development, social welfare, environmental, and community development needs.

Welcome

Originally established in 1951 as The Bulletin Contributionship for charitable, educational and scientific purposes, the Contributionship became The McLean Contributionship on May 1, 1980 as the association of the McLean family with the Bulletin ended.

The McLean Contributionship currently focuses its grant-making activities in the greater Philadelphia, Pennsylvania area in the Arts, Culture and Humanities, Education, Environment and Animal Welfare, Health and Human Services.

Operating Philosophy

Most grants by the Contributionship have been made in the Greater Philadelphia area because of the 100 year business and personal associations of the McLean family.

The Trustees believe the resources of The Contributionship can be used most effectively by making a relatively limited number of grants for projects of long-term benefit–rather than by underwriting continuing operating expenses. The Trustees focus on capital projects: bricks and mortar, endowment for purposes outlined below. Capital is considered to be a physical item with at least a three to five year life span. The Trustees may make grants in ways to encourage the successful funding of projects.

Purposes

The Contributionship favors projects in the Greater Philadelphia area when they enhance the lives of those living there. The Trustees consider the Greater Philadelphia area to be Chester, Delaware, Montgomery, Philadelphia and Lower Bucks Counties. The Trustees are most likely to respond positively when the project:

• stimulates a better understanding of the natural environment, and encourages the preservation of its important features;
• promotes strategies and actions that help create more diverse and inclusive communities and that seek to close disparities in racial equity and justice where they exist;
• encourages more compassionate, inclusive and cost-effective care for the ill and aging, in an atmosphere of dignity and self-respect; or
• promotes education, or medical, scientific, or on occasion, cultural developments enhancing the quality of life.

In addition, the Trustees from time to time support projects which:

• motivate promising young people to assess and develop their talents despite social and economic obstacles; or
• build infrastructure to promote enhanced delivery of services and community engagement, partnerships or collaboration;or
• encourage those in newspaper and related fields to become more effective and responsible in helping people understand better how, events in their communities and around the world affect them.

Scaife Family Foundation Grant

For oost 40 years, the most vulnerable members of the community have been supported by the Scaife Family Foundation through charitable funding. Since its inception in 1985, the Foundation has provided more than $180 million in donations for non-profit  donations for non-profit programs.

We aim to help make the world a better place by continuing the legacy of generosity made possible by the Scaife Family. Our primary objective is to match the Foundation with non-profit organizations having similar interest areas and goals.

Mission Statement

The Scaife Family Foundation grant awards will support and develop programs that demonstrate the beneficial interaction between humans and animals, early intervention and prevention in the area of drug and alcohol addiction, and address issues surrounding the health and welfare of women and children.

Funding Priorities

All grant requests forwarded to the Scaife Family Foundation should align with at least one of these focus areas.

Women and Children

We partner with high-impact organizations that break down barriers and help women and children lead bigger, brighter lives free of violence, addiction, or abuse. Among other goals, we promote healthy relationships and social change to support the physical and emotional needs of women and children in crisis.

Addiction

Almost 21 million Americans have at least one addiction, yet only 10 percent receive treatment. The most common reasons people don't seek treatment are denial that they have a problem, shame in acknowledging their condition or fear of what treatment and recovery may involve.

We support programs and organizations that eliminate these obstacles and provide addiction prevention, intervention, treatment and recovery. This includes both residential and outpatient facilities that provide additional services like job placement and career counseling.

We also partner with nonprofits who are advancing the field of addiction through research, education and training to help counselors respond more effectively to substance use and related issues. Our funding has also trained thousands of physicians and medical school residents in recognizing and treating addiction, particularly alcoholism.

Animal Welfare

We support organizations that promote animal welfare and provide training for service dogs. We also partner with nonprofits who use the power of the animal-human connection in therapeutic settings to improve lives. This includes equine therapy programs, for example, to help heal adults and children with physical, cognitive and emotional disabilities.

The Walter J. Miller Trust was established by the Last Will and Testament of Mr. Miller, in part to honor the memory of his two sisters, Ann C. Miller and May C. Miller. Today, the Trust makes grants to various charitable causes within the state of Pennsylvania and, as a perpetual trust, Walter J. Miller’s generosity will have an impact on those in need for years to come.

Mission

To provide grants to non-profit organizations in support of various charitable causes including education, health services, religious organizations, social welfare programs, the environment, and areas within the arts, culture, and humanities.

Program areas

• Arts, culture, and humanities
• Education
• Environment/animals
• Health
• Human services
• Public/society benefit
• Religion

Vision and Focus Areas

We commit to creating a vibrant, equitable and just Pittsburgh region that supports everyone – regardless of race, identity or circumstance – to thrive and fulfill their potential.

Under our strategic plan, we strive to strengthen our focus on community and the positive impact that can be achieved through our grantmaking. Our current areas of focus are: Basic Needs, Equity and Social Justice, Arts and Culture, Economic Mobility and Environmental Action. From time to time, we have special grant-making opportunities related to specific regions or to issues such as juvenile justice or senior care. 

The Pittsburgh Foundation is committed to helping the communities we serve become equitable and vibrant places where everyone can thrive. We align our grantmaking with resident’s dreams for themselves, their families and their communities and prioritize support in the five focus areas listed below.

Basic Needs

We seek to improve the stability of low-income people by supporting direct assistance to obtain food, housing, health care, mental health supports, child care, education and employment.

Across our basic needs grantmaking, we are committed to expanding knowledge of, improving access to, and improving coordination among local resources and human services.

• Food Access: We seek to support programs and services that assist low-income individuals and families to obtain enough food.
• Child Care: We seek to ensure equitable access to quality child care.
• Education: We strive to ensure access to high-quality in-class education as well as culturally-responsive,  out-of-school time programs.
• Mental and Physical Health: We aim to support the mental and physical health needs of residents by ensuring access to quality, affordable and culturally responsive services.
• Housing: We seek to support or fill gaps in a county-wide eviction prevention system, and help support those living in transitional housing and/or facing unexpected loss of housing.
• Employment: We seek to support youth and adults who experience significant barriers to employment.

Equity and Social Justice

We seek to support civic participation and community organizing to achieve policy changes.

Our equity and social justice grantmaking places strong emphasis on leadership by individuals who have been directly impacted by systemic injustice, as we believe that they are best positioned to propose solutions that remove barriers that impeded their ability to thrive.

• Civic Participation
  • Voter Engagement: We seek to support the ability of the nonprofit sector to engage historically underrepresented populations and communities that have documented low voter turnout.
  • Access to Information: We seek to support public media  outlets and other platforms that produce professional, regionally focused, fact-based news coverage and information.
• Community-Driven Solutions
  • Protect Basic Needs:  We seek to support grassroots organizations and resident-informed initiatives that address barriers that prevent families from being able to meet their basic needs and thrive.
  • End Mass Incarceration:  We seek to uplift and provide resources for community-led efforts to change policies and practices that result in over-policing and over-incarceration.
  • Youth Justice:  We are interested in supporting intervention and prevention activities that support youth who have any involvement with the criminal and juvenile justice systems.

Environmental Action

We seek to protect the health of our communities and the preservation of our environment.

Our environmental action grantmaking prioritizes support for projects, initiatives and collaborations that center communities in environmental decision-making and amplify the intersectional nature of working to protect the health of our communities and the preservation of our environment. We recognize that environmental issues span beyond geographic borders. While we will continue to prioritize projects serving residents of Allegheny County, we will also consider on a case-by-case basis projects that work across the southwest Pennsylvania 12-county region.

• Equitable Access to Land, Water, and Air: To promote equitable access to land, air and water, we seek to support community-centered conservation and stewardship of natural resources.
• Learning and Action: We seek to address the harms of chronic pollution and mitigate future impacts, translate research into action to protect the health of communities and their environments and support resident voice in environmental decision-making in their communities.

Arts and Culture

We seek to strengthen small-to-mid-sized arts organizations and support individual artists by fostering a diverse, healthy and just arts ecosystem. 

• Small-to-Mid-Sized Arts Organizations: Small and Mid-Size Arts Organizations face disparities in their ability to access resources.
• Support for Careers and Lives of Individual Artists: Through this funding to individual artists, the Foundation hopes that the Pittsburgh region will be exposed to the breadth of human experience and the unparalleled talent the region has to offer.

Economic Mobility

We seek to reduce the wealth gap in Allegheny County.

• Access to Post-Secondary Education: We seek to support programs that enable students to earn college credit while in high school; admissions navigation support and academic and financial counseling; re-engagement strategies for students who have stopped attending school; and supports for non-traditional students.
• Career Advancement: We are interested in supporting organizations that offer technology training with career potential. 
• Entrepreneurship: We are interested in efforts to increase entrepreneurship.
• Homeownership: In 2025, applications for the Homeownership focus area will be by invitation only.

Types of Grants

Recognizing that nonprofits need flexible support that allows them to adapt to changing community needs, we offer applicants the opportunity to apply for two types of grant support:

• Project/Program Support:  Funds are used to develop and/or implement a specific set of programmatic activities. These grants are usually time-bound and aimed at achieving specific goals and milestones.
• General Operating Support: Funds can be used at the discretion of the organization to cover any costs necessary to carry out its mission. This means that the grant award can be used to cover day-to-day activities or ongoing expenses such as administrative salaries, rent and office supplies, etc., as well as for program costs, software and hardware purchases, and professional development

Our Priorities

We will prioritize funding for organizations that reflect one or more of the following:

• Primarily serve communities disproportionately impacted by poverty.
• Have a demonstrated commitment to addressing the historical and present-day impact of social injustices on the specific communities it serves.
• Have an established history in the communities in which it works.
• Are representative of the communities it serves, including but not limited to, leadership and staff who have lived experience in the community issues that it addresses.
• Meaningfully integrate the experience and perspectives of the communities that it serves in the design, implementation, evaluation and/or decision-making process for its strategies and/or programs.

Funding

Generally, grants will be awarded for no more than two years due to limited availability of funds. One-year grants generally range from $10,000 to $75,000. Two-year grants will generally not exceed $150,000.

In limited situations, proposals that align with one or more of our grantmaking focus areas and with grantmaking priorities, and that clearly demonstrate the need and potential impact, may be considered for a larger grant. Organization leaders should have a conversation with a program officer before submitting a request for more than $150,000.

Pittsburgh Foundation

Established in 1945, The Pittsburgh Foundation is one of the nation’s oldest community foundations and as of 2022 is the 18th largest of more than 750 similar foundations across the United States.

As a community foundation, its resources comprise endowment funds established by individuals, businesses and organizations with a passion for charitable giving and fulfilling the Foundation’s mission of improving quality of life for all in the region.

Foundation-Directed Grantmaking

The Pittsburgh Foundation is committed to helping the communities we serve become equitable and vibrant places where everyone can thrive. We align our grantmaking with resident’s dreams for themselves, their families and their communities and prioritize support in the five focus areas: Basic Needs; Equity and Social Justice; Environmental Action; Arts and Culture; and Economic Mobility.

Duration: Generally, grants will be awarded for no more than two years due to limited availability of funds.

Amounts: One-year grants generally range from $10,000 to $75,000. Two-year grants will generally not exceed $150,000. Actual grant amounts are determined based on staff review of each individual application and consideration of the funding available at the time the application is received.

Basic Needs

We seek to improve the stability of low-income people by supporting direct assistance to obtain food, housing, health care, mental health supports, child care, education and employment.

Hardships caused by the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020 have been deep and widespread, but for many people — especially those who are Black, Indigenous and People of Color (BIPOC) — hardships predate the pandemic. As examples, one-in-five Pittsburghers is food-insecure, and there is a shortage of affordable housing and child care. When individuals and families can meet their basic needs, they experience less stress, which supports overall health and well-being.

Across our basic needs grantmaking, we are committed to expanding knowledge of, improving access to, and improving coordination among local resources and human services.

Basic Needs Grants: Housing

The share of renters in Allegheny County has been growing over the past two decades. Renters tend to have lower incomes and are disproportionately Black. Many thousands of renters in Allegheny County are facing housing insecurity due to insufficient wages, underemployment, increasing cost of rent, long wait lists for housing assistance, unsafe living conditions, discriminatory rental practices and threat of eviction. Evictions often lead to homelessness. In Pennsylvania, landlords have a legal duty to provide their tenants a living space that is safe, sanitary and reasonably comfortable. According to the City Planning Department, there is a supply gap of 11,126 units at 50% Area Median Income (AMI) or below with the most severe gap (8,200 units) facing households earning less than 30% AMI.

Through our grantmaking, we are interested in services and activities that:

• Support or fill gaps in a county-wide eviction prevention system for those earning less than 50% AMI that includes rental, legal and resource navigation services, mediation, landlord and tenant education and tenant advocacy.
• Expand service coordination or fill service gaps for those living in transitional housing and/or facing unexpected loss of housing. This includes programs providing housing navigation, furniture storage and moving expenses.

United Way of Southwestern Pennsylvania funds community partners focused on providing programs and services in our five-county region.

Community Impact Grants

Through United Way’s Impact Fund, nonprofit agencies may apply for general funding opportunities that support our three investment priorities: Meeting Basic Needs, Moving Toward Financial Stability, and Building For Success in School and Life.

Grants will be awarded for 3 years and may be adjusted based on the completion of annual reporting and performance requirements, and the availability of funds. 

Investment Priority Framework

• Meeting Basic Needs
  • Individuals and families have a greater opportunity to thrive when they have access to nutritious food, a safe place to live, and supportive community resources.
  • UWSWPA invests in partners committed to:
    • Addressing food insecurity and providing access to nutritious food.
    • Providing individuals and families access to safe and secure housing through programs that provide shelter, address eviction prevention, home repair, and utility assistance.
    • Providing access to reliable transportation.
    • Providing safety and support to survivors of intimate partner violence.
    • Addressing the negative health effects of social isolation by providing interventions that promote connection and community.
• Moving Toward Financial Stability
  • To break the cycle of generational poverty, it is essential that people have resources and supports to earn a living wage and the tools they need to build wealth.
  • UWSWPA invests in partners committed to:
    • Connecting people to employment through skill-building and career development programs.
    • Offering equitable opportunities across race, gender, and ability for peopleto access services and benefits that increase their income and financial security.
    • Advocating for critical policy and systems change by engaging stakeholders across the community
• Building For Success in School and Life
  • Every young person deserves the chance to have a positive start toward adulthood, to learn and succeed to the level of their educational ability and reach their full potential in life
    • UWSWPA invests in partners committed to:
      • Providing affordable, high-quality early childhood educational opportunities and family supports.
      • Working collaboratively with school districts and other community partners that provide positive out-of-school time opportunities for young people.
      • Addressing learning loss, social and emotional well-being and kindergarten readiness.
      • Providing career and college readiness tools and resources to historically underrepresented groups of students.

Mission

To provide grants to non-profit organizations in support of various charitable causes including education, health services, religious organizations, social welfare programs, the environment, and areas within the arts, culture, and humanities.

Program areas

• Education  
• Health
• Human services
• Public/society benefit

States served

• Pennsylvania 

Geographic limitations 

There are no geographic limitations; however, the trust has a practice of primarily supporting organizations located in the state of Pennsylvania. 

Population served 

• Elderly  
• Youth
• Indigent
• Homeless
• Disabled

Average giving 

• Average grant size: $3,000 to $7,000  
• Average number of grants per year: 30

About School-Based Healthcare Solutions Network (SBHSN).

Utilizing a unique framework of funding systems offered by the Department of Health and Human Services, managed care organizations, health insurers, and private donors, SBHSN promotes a system of care model (Coaching Model℠) offering a mix of evidenced-based intervention, prevention, and care coordination services to children in grades K-12. The Coaching Model aims to expand quality mental healthcare access on public school campuses and improve children's social, emotional, behavioral, family, and wellness outcomes.

School-Based Mental Health Implementation Grant

In response to the growing number of students who need mental health counseling, the School-Based Healthcare Solutions Network (SBHSN) is accepting applications from Local Education Agencies (LEA), Public and Private Universities, State and local Colleges, Charter School Management Companies, Public Schools, Charter Schools, and Non-Profit Organizations (501c3) to implement and expand mental health program services on local school campuses. Grantees will receive direct funding and reimbursement to support the following activities: 

• Expanding access to School-Based Social and Emotional Learning (SEL).
• Coordinating mental healthcare services with school administration and staff. 
• Delivering mental healthcare services and coordinating academic-support activities to students with a history of attendance, behavior, and poor academic performance.

FUNDING

5-Years, renewable based on meeting performance goals 5-year award ceiling is $5,500,000.

As a family foundation in Pittsburgh, PA, our philanthropic traditions are well rooted in our continued support of organizations that foster transformative programs which best serve the local community as a whole in the areas of arts and culture, education, environmental, health and medical, human services, and religion.

Even though the Snee-Reinhardt Charitable Foundation encompasses many broad areas of concern, or categories, there is no one area deemed more important than the next. Nevertheless, the Foundation has found it beneficial underwriting grants that are tangible in nature or serve a higher number of individuals within the community and surrounding areas. The Foundation continually aids organizations that are endlessly striving to serve the community in various ways such as improving social conditions, expanding education, and working to better the environment.

Category Definitions

The Snee-Reinhardt Charitable Foundation’s Board of Directors has designated several areas of concern comprised of specific intentions.

• Arts/Culture: Performing arts, humanities, media and communications, multipurpose museums, public broadcasting, and historical preservations.
• Education: Promotional programs for elementary, secondary and vocational systems, colleges/universities, graduate programs, adult and multipurpose libraries.
• Environmental: Support of natural resources, beautification programs, pollution control, environmental education, and horticultural/botanical programs.
• Health/Medical: Rural health care, crisis intervention, special programs in health centers, and prevention/treatment of specific diseases.
• Human Services: Youth development and recreation, disaster relief, employment training/ placement, multipurpose agencies, and abuse prevention.
• Religion: The theological education and ecumenical programs as well as the mission of many churches, synagogues, and religious charities.
• Miscellaneous: Because every grant cannot be included into a category, the Snee-Reinhardt Charitable Foundation permits grants for animal welfare, community development, sports, camps, fire and police departments and economic development as miscellaneous grants.  

About the Foundation

Joseph Kennard Skilling was a kind and generous person who cared greatly about his fellow man. In 1963 while still living, Mr. Skilling made the decision to share his wealth by leaving a memorial through the creation of this trust. Although he passed away in 1974, Mr. Skilling’s generosity continues to touch the lives of those in the Philadelphia community, and will continue to do so in perpetuity.

Mission

To provide support to social welfare agencies for programs benefiting the citizens of the community of Philadelphia.

Criteria

• The overall effectiveness of the proposed program. 
• The professionalism and the ability of the organization to deliver the program with a measurable outcome.
• The ability of the organization’s management to manage the program effectively, including proper financial controls.
• The necessity rating of the program in the community.

Program areas

• Arts, culture, and humanities 
• Education
• Environment/animals
• Health
• Human services
• International/foreign affairs
• Public/society benefit
• Religion

Our Mission

The Provident Bank Foundation invests in marginalized communities within Provident Bank's branch network by collaborating with nonprofit organizations that align with the values we care about. Together, we empower individuals on their paths to economic self-sufficiency by addressing the multifaceted issues that perpetuate the cycle of poverty.

Empowerment Grant

The Empowerment Grant program provides two years of flexible funding support for programs, projects, or initiatives that are based within our geographic footprint and that align with at least one of PBF’s newly revised funding priorities and the corresponding areas of interest. Funding requests must demonstrate community enhancement and meaningful impact over the grant term.

Funding Priorities and Areas of Interest

Our vision is to build strong and healthy communities where everyone can live a fulfilling and prosperous life. Organizations applying for an Empowerment Grant must measure their program’s impact in a manner that aligns with at least one of our newly revised funding priorities and one of the specific areas of interest.

• Education
  • Quality education and vocational training to build the skills needed to participate fully in the economy.
  • Areas of Interest:
    • Community colleges
    • Vocational programs
    • Special education services
• Human Services
  • Social safety nets to support vulnerable populations in times of greatest need.
  • Areas of Interest
    • Housing assistance
    • Food security
    • Healthcare access for un-/underinsured individuals
    • Youth mental health services
• Workforce Development
  • Career opportunities and skills development to support pathways to economic self-sufficiency.
  • Areas of Interest:
    • Job training
    • Employment supports
    • Reentry programs

Funding

Empowerment Grants will be awarded in the range of $5,000-$10,000 per year for two years for organizations with operating budgets between $50,000-$1 million per year, and in the range of $10,000-$25,000 per year for two years for organizations with operating budgets between $1 million-$15 million per year.

Passion Grants

Thanks to visionary donors over time, Passion Grants support a broad range of impact areas including human services, the environment, human rights & inclusion, the arts, early child development, and projects in Eastern Lancaster County.

The John J. Snyder Fund is a distinct type of passion grant that supports the preservation of historical buildings. This fund has a separate application form and evaluation criteria

Passion Grant Funds

Human Services

• Grant range $10,000 - $32,000
• For home health or custodial care for people impacted by illness or disability.

• Grant range $10,000 – $27,200
• Dollars from this fund now supplement grants offered by the Lancaster County Homelessness Coalition through its Homelessness Services Joint Funding program. 

Eastern Lancaster County

• Grant range $10,000 - $29,000
• For community projects based in Eastern Lancaster County. Specifically Eastern Lancaster County (ELANCO), Pequea Valley, and Conestoga Valley School Districts

Environment

• Grant range $10,000 – $32,400
• Supports environmental protection, conservation, and education.

Human Rights/Inclusion

• $15,000 available, grant range $7,500 – $15,000
• Supports programs that fight hate and bigotry while promoting social justice.

Visual Arts

:

• $15,000 available, grant range $10,000 - $36,400
• Provides support to visual arts programs in Lancaster County, with a preference given for those that serve underrepresented or underserved groups in our community.

Performing Arts

:

• Grant range $10,000 - $36,400
• Supports performing arts programs in the Lancaster County community, with a preference given for those that serve underrepresented or underserved groups in our community.

Infant, Toddler, and Preschool Children

• Grant range $10,000 – $25,000
• Supports early childhood development from birth to age five.

Gupta Family Foundation is a private, nonprofit foundation headquartered in Herndon, Virginia, USA. Our mission is to support organizations that provide focused intervention in the lives of people who have been disadvantaged in some way to help them become self-reliant. We take a very broad view of “disadvantage” to include anything that holds a person back from realizing their potential, such as poverty, physical or mental disability, social alienation, etc. The foundation also supports relief agencies that serve people affected by emergencies such as natural disasters.

The foundation evaluates and awards annual and multi-year grants ranging from $5,000 to over $250,000 (USD). Our focus is on funding smaller organizations all around the world that are led by individuals with a deep personal commitment to their missions. 

Our selection criteria include:

• Mission alignment
• The organization is run by the founder or, if not, by a successor who embodies the original inspiration, passion and commitment of the founder.
• At least 90% of grant monies reaches the intended beneficiaries.
• The organization is non-sectarian, i.e.,
  • It does not, directly or indirectly, support or condone the proselytization of any religion,
  • It is not supported by or affiliated to a religious organization.

There is an often quoted parable that tells of two people fishing downstream who are startled to see a person floating down the river, struggling for life. Working together, the fisher folk pull the person to safety but shortly after they notice another person crying for help. Again, they pull the person to safety. Other community members hear what is happening and rush to help. As the fisher folk tire, volunteers take their place, and the community works together all day and all night to safely pull more and more people from the river. The next morning the community members have a new idea—we need to go upstream and find out why so many people are falling in the water. Upon walking upstream, the community members find that people are drawn to the edge of a cliff to look at the river and its beauty. Unfortunately, there is no safe way to do this and many of them fall. The community members return and report the number of people who have fallen into the river due to the lack of a protective barrier on the cliff. In response, the community builds a wall behind which people may safely view the water. Some still fall, but there are far fewer.

Funding Priorities

• The Greater Harrisburg Community Foundation (GHCF) UPstream grant opportunity seeks to improve our area communities by supporting existing or new “upstream” systems, interventions, programs, or projects that attempt to create positive social change by addressing a problem at its source rather than managing its “downstream” symptoms.
• This grant opportunity is open to singular or collective nonprofit organizations whose proposals will serve the GHCF service area of Cumberland, Dauphin, Franklin, Lebanon, and/or Perry Counties and the Dillsburg Area of Northern York County.
• GHCF UPstream is available to organizations of all sizes, budgets, and reaches.
• The number of grant awards will be dependent upon the quantity of qualified applicants and funds sought.

GHCF UPstream welcomes creative and strategic solutions that seek to address the source of systemic issues within the communities you serve. Applicants may seek support for ANY “upstream” project, program, or intervention that best meets the needs of the population to be served. Examples of upstream projects include, but are not limited to: access to quality education, access to a safe and healthy environment; life skills training; materials that increase accessibility or improve an individual’s self-sufficiency; availability of reliable and safe transportation that improves an individual or group’s ability to grow, learn, or address a key need; animal spay/neuter clinics; early health screenings; job training and placement; support of basic needs that work to support an individual or group’s ability to grow, learn, or address a key need. The principal focus of GHCF UPstream is the support of any grant application that best presents upstream solutions to any area of community need. In addition, GHCF is empowered by a range of special funds which serve to collectively strengthen our area communities through shared themes and also welcomes upstream applications that address:

• Education: Early childhood education; education & development programs for children & youth; educational programs serving adults
• Environment & Parks: Environmental stewardship; horticulture & the arts; health & environment; park beautification & improvement
• Health & Wellness: Health & human services; programs and projects focusing upon: cancer awareness and/or research, dental care for those in need, HIV & AIDS, individuals with debilitating or terminal illness, Individuals with intellectual disabilities, prevention of head and/or spinal cord injury, purchasing of devices that improve accessibility
• Homelessness & Hunger: Programs & projects addressing homelessness & hunger
• Mental Health: Counseling for children with terminally ill family members; guidance, counseling, or programming that includes guidance and/or counseling for youths; programs and projects that address mental health
• Seniors: Programs & projects serving older adults
• Communities of Focus: Programs and projects that benefit residents of Millersburg, a borough of Dauphin County, Pennsylvania. Disaster relief & human services that serve the communities of Lebanon City, PA and Cressona, PA. Projects to enhance Camp Hill Borough parks provided by youth organizations such as Scout programs or other youth organizations; programs & projects that focus upon or nurture access to early childhood education within Camp Hill.
• Please note: each community of focus is supported by special funds and parameters established by caring community members and is specific to the respective community.

Attention Prospective Arts Applicants! – The Greater Harrisburg Community Foundation recognizes the artistic, cultural, and economic value of the arts and is pleased to offer funding opportunities for the arts through The Arts for All Partnership, a collaboration between the Greater Harrisburg Community Foundation and the Cultural Enrichment Fund. This unique collaborative funding initiative aims to improve the efficiency of arts grant funding and increase the overall impact of grant funding for arts programming in our communities. Prospective grant applicants whose project is centered upon the arts and access to the arts, will be best served by seeking funding support through The Arts for All Partnership rather than GHCF Upstream.

Community Fund

The Community Fund is an annual grant opportunity hosted by the Philadelphia City Fund in which community organizations are invited to submit proposals for charitable projects that address Philadelphia’s greatest areas of need and align with the City of Philadelphia’s goals to improve the quality of life for all residents.

The Community Fund is made possible through the Philadelphia City Fund’s partnership with the Philadelphia Marathon Weekend, which allocates a portion of its annual revenues toward this grant opportunity. The average funding allocated each year is $250,000.

The Harry C. Winslow Foundation is a private foundation based in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, that provides grant support primarily for various community and educational purposes. Focus areas include health, community and civic improvement, arts and humanities, environment, and education. The Foundation supports projects mainly in northwestern Pennsylvania, with a particular focus on Meadville. It awards various nonprofit organizations in Pennsylvania with an average grant amount of $4,069.