PITTSBURGH, PA, June 18, 2020 — Today, POISE Foundation announced the latest round of grants awarded through its Critical Community Needs Fund (CCNF) to support small to mid-sized Black Led Organizations (BLOs) responding to critical needs in the Black community resulting from the COVID-19 pandemic. POISE is also announcing today that it has exceeded its original $750,000 fundraising goal. The CCNF is providing grants between $5,000 and $25,000 to small to mid-sized BLOs serving the most vulnerable members of the Black community in the Pittsburgh region. In this latest round, a total of 34 organizations were awarded grants totaling $349,000.
An updated list of all organizations funded under the CCNF can be found at: https://www.poisefoundation.org/ccnf-grants-awarded
Mark S. Lewis, President and CEO of POISE remarked: “For 40 years, POISE has raised funds for critical needs, human equity and social justice causes in the Black community. We are excited that so many organizations and, especially, individuals across the country view us as a trusted partner at this pivotal moment. We hope these small investments we are making in our grantees through the CCNF help them take one step closer to bringing stability, equity and humanity to the Black community.”
Gregory R. Spencer, Chairman of the Board of Trustees of POISE Foundation stated: “I am appreciative of the overwhelming support of the foundations, organizations and individuals that are contributing to the success of the CCNF. Through the diligence and hard work of the POISE staff and board, we are distributing these funds to an additional 34 organizations in this latest round to maintain their operations and offer critical services. We know these organizations will continue to struggle as the region opens, so we are continuing our fundraising for new programs to support them and for the future sustainability of POISE Foundation.”
Important initial funding for the CCNF was originally provided by The Heinz Endowments and the Richard King Mellon Foundation. In turn, more organizations and individuals joined in supporting the CCNF including The Pittsburgh Foundation and the Henry L. Hillman Foundation. The Pittsburgh Foundation awarded $150,000 to POISE Foundation’s Critical Community Needs Fund, which supports small, Black-led organizations responding to the COVID-19 pandemic. An additional $90,000 has been donated to POISE through The Emergency Action Fund, which was created with $4 million in seed funding – $1 million each from The Pittsburgh Foundation, The Heinz Endowments, the Henry L. Hillman Foundation and the Richard King Mellon Foundation. That brings total Pittsburgh Foundation-related support for POISE Foundation’s CCNF to $240,000. “Since its beginning 40 years ago, POISE Foundation has been a tremendous advocate for strengthening the Black community in our region”, said Pittsburgh Foundation President and CEO Lisa Schroeder. “With the coronavirus pandemic disproportionately affecting communities of color, it’s critically important that philanthropic institutions partner with POISE and other organizations tied directly to the Black community”, she said. “Black-led nonprofits need operating support and the freedom that comes with it to determine how best to meet critical needs.”
The Henry L. Hillman Foundation originally awarded a grant in the amount of $100,000 then followed up by committing another $50,000 to the initiative, bringing its total support to $150,000 for the CCNF. David K. Roger, President of The Hillman Family Foundations commented: “The Hillman Foundations have had a long history of working with POISE Foundation to help improve the lives of Black people in the Pittsburgh region and they are an essential partner for us. Mark and his team can always be relied upon as strong and informed advocates for Black families and creating healthy communities.”
POISE is encouraged that numerous individuals throughout the United States and Canada have been sending in contributions to support the CCNF since its inception.
People interested in contributing to the CCNF can visit: https://poisefdn.fcsuite.com/erp/donate/create?funit_id=1825.
An updated list of donors to the CCNF can be found at: https://www.poisefoundation.org/ccnf-contributions-to-the-fund.
For more information about POISE Foundation or to schedule interviews, please contact:
Karris M. Jackson
kjackson@poisefdn.org
(412) 302-5130 (Mobile)
(412) 281-4967 (Office)
About POISE Foundation:
POISE Foundation was founded in 1980 by Bernard H. Jones, Sr., a prominent community and civic leader in Pittsburgh. It is one of the oldest Community Foundations in the United States established and managed by African Americans. POISE Foundation envisions a nation in which all members of the Black community are empowered and self-sufficient. With this vision at the core of the Foundation’s philosophical approach to its work, POISE’s mission is to assist the Black community in achieving self-sustaining practices through strategic leadership, collective giving, grantmaking and advocacy. Created in the format of a Community Foundation, POISE receives funds from a variety of donors. These funds may be unrestricted, and used to support our grantmaking strategy, or donor-directed for specific charitable purposes. For more information, please visit https://www.poisefoundation.org/
NOTE: When writing about POISE Foundation, please spell out the word POISE in capital letters and do not use the article “The” or “the” before POISE Foundation.
About The Pittsburgh Foundation:
Established in 1945, The Pittsburgh Foundation is one of the nation’s oldest community foundations and is the 15th 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 a deep commitment to the Pittsburgh region. The Foundation currently manages more than 2,400 individual donor funds and has, together with its supporting organizations and its affiliate, The Community Foundation of Westmoreland County, assets of $1.3 billion. Grantmaking benefits a broad spectrum of basic needs and development opportunities within Pittsburgh and beyond. Learn more at https://pittsburghfoundation.org/
About The Hillman Family Foundations:
The Hillman Foundations have partnered with people and organizations to improve the quality of life in Pittsburgh since 1951. For more than 65 years, Hillman philanthropy has helped to identify and support ways to make southwestern Pennsylvania a more competitive, innovative, and interesting place to live and work. Historically, much of the foundations’ grantmaking has aimed to build and leverage Pittsburgh’s strengths: world-class research universities and medical institutions, innovative technology, a thriving cultural community, a high-performing social services sector, and livability. For more information, please visit https://hillmanfamilyfoundations.org/
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