Pittsburgh Penguins Foundation
The Pittsburgh Penguins Foundation is a public charity based in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. Founded in 2010 as the charitable arm of the Pittsburgh Penguins, it supports children and families through youth hockey, education, wellness, and community programs.
Pittsburgh Penguins Foundation at a glance
In short: Pittsburgh Penguins Foundation reported $1.3M in grants paid in 2025 (a total; its filing lists no individual grants). 93% of 2024 grantees were new. Source: 2025 IRS Form 990.
- Grants paid (2025)
- $1,331,909 — reported as a total on the IRS filing, without an itemized list
- +126.6% vs 2024
- Total assets
- $1,065,907
- -41.6% vs 2024
- Revenue (2025)
- $3,685,471
- -9.0% vs 2024
- Net investment income (2025)
- $21,890
- -53.9% vs 2024
- Expenses (2025)
- $4,280,166
- -6.5% vs 2024
- Latest 990 filing
- Form 990, 2025 View filing
Data from IRS Form 990, 2025; updated September 2026. New grantees are estimated by matching recipient names across years (methodology).
How to apply to Pittsburgh Penguins Foundation
- How to Apply
-
Grantmaking is currently closed. The Foundation’s website describes a two-phase grant process funded by 50/50 raffle proceeds, but does not provide an open application process at this time.
- Contact
Mailing address: One Chatham Center 300, Pittsburgh, PA 15219
Phone: (412) 255-1952
Website: https://pittsburghpenguinsfoundation.org
Application details from Grantable's research on the foundation's public materials; confirm on its website before applying.
Who Pittsburgh Penguins Foundation funds
How this funder distributes its grants
Grant Size Distribution
87 grants across all recorded years
The most common grant size was under $50K: 74 grants of 87 (85%).
Geographic Focus
Where this funder awards grants
The Foundation says its grant funding is directed to organizations in Western Pennsylvania. Its auction and raffle donation requirements also identify Southwestern Pennsylvania, Northeastern Ohio, and Northern West Virginia as eligible locations for those requests.
Grant Distribution by State
Cities
Is Pittsburgh Penguins Foundation open to new grantees?
93%
first-time grantees, 2024
In 2024, 14 of 15 grantees (93%) were first-time recipients. With only 15 grantees, that is a small sample: one grantee more or less moves the share by about 7 points. First grants averaged $31K; repeat grants $150K. How we count
Medians: $17K first-time, $150K repeat.
Estimate from itemized grant lists in IRS Form 990 filings (2019–2024). Recipient names are matched across years, so a renamed or misspelled grantee can look new; grants to individuals are left out. Methodology.
Giving History
Giving Over Time
Total grant dollars and number of grants per year
From 2019 to 2025, annual grant giving ranged from $588K (2024) to $1.8M (2019). In 2025 it reported $1.3M in grants paid, as a total without an itemized list.
Hatched bars: grants paid as reported on the IRS filing, which lists no individual grants for that year.
Grants by year
Grant recipients and amounts by year
| Recipient | Purpose | Amount |
|---|---|---|
| Pittsburgh Penguins Elite Pittsburgh, PA | General Support | $150,000 |
| UPMC Western Behavioral Health Foundation Pittsburgh, PA | General Support | $64,243 |
| UPMC Western Behavioral Health Foundation Pittsburgh, PA | General Support | $54,450 |
| UPMC Western Behavioral Health Foundation Pittsburgh, PA | General Support | $50,000 |
| UPMC Western Behavioral Health Foundation Pittsburgh, PA | General Support | $45,000 |
| Thread International PBC Inc Day Owl Pittsburgh, PA | General Support | $25,000 |
| United Way Pittsburgh, PA | General Support | $25,000 |
| UPMC Presbyterian-Shadyside Pittsburgh, PA | General Support | $25,000 |
| AIU3 Homestead, PA | General Support | $20,000 |
| UPMC Children's Hospital Foundation Pittsburgh, PA | General Support | $20,000 |
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Financial History
Multi-year comparison from IRS filings
| Filing year | Total Assets | Revenue | Expenses | Grants paid | Grants | Net Investment Income |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | $1,065,907 | $3,685,471 | $4,280,166 | $1,331,909 | Total only | $21,890 |
| 2024 | $1,824,869 | $4,050,721 | $4,576,495 | $587,810 | 18 | $47,484 |
| 2023 | $2,208,424 | $3,955,939 | $4,134,719 | $681,740 | 25 | $6,796 |
| 2022 | $1,462,003 | $5,417,110 | $5,195,039 | $1,740,648 | 37 | — |
| 2021 | $2,223,981 | $2,837,586 | $2,252,680 | $1,191,280 | 7 | — |
| 2020 | $1,173,825 | $4,319,964 | $4,256,388 | $1,495,596 | 19 | — |
| 2019 | $813,660 | $3,910,105 | $5,459,276 | $1,763,491 | 56 | — |
"Total only": grants paid as reported on the IRS filing, which lists no individual grants for that year.
Research compiled by Grantable AI from public sources. Last updated September 2026.
Mission & Focus Areas
The Foundation’s stated mission is to promote physical well-being, encourage teamwork, stress the value of education, and provide essential life skills to young people through youth hockey and other activities. Its four stated pillars are youth hockey, education, wellness, and community.
Its programs include Little Penguins Learn to Play, which introduces children to hockey and provides equipment; Heads Up Pittsburgh, which includes concussion testing and educational programs; and community food drives. The Foundation also says it supports local youth sports and other charitable organizations that share its mission.
Grantmaking
Reported grantmaking totaled $681,740 across 25 grants in 2023 and $587,810 across 18 grants in 2024. Those totals work out to average grants of about $27,270 and $32,656, respectively. The 2025 filing reports no grants.
Examples of recipients listed by the Foundation include the Children’s Museum of Pittsburgh, which received $40,000 and $35,000 for two phases of a science education project; Boys & Girls Clubs of Western Pennsylvania, which received $12,500 for league or clinic participation expenses and scholarships; and Beaver County Ice Sharks Special Hockey Association, which received $5,000 for equipment.
The Foundation says 50/50 raffle proceeds fund grants to qualifying organizations in two phases during a Penguins season. Its grants page currently says grantmaking is closed and directs organizations to check back for funding opportunities. Separately, it considers in-kind auction or raffle donation requests from qualifying 501(c)(3) organizations in Southwestern Pennsylvania, Northeastern Ohio, or Northern West Virginia; those donations cannot be used as door prizes, and ticket requests are not accepted. Larger donations are considered case by case.
Leadership & Key People
Leadership team and compensation from IRS filings
The 2025 filing lists Kevin Acklin as president and Yvonne Maher as executive director. Trustees listed are Deborah Rice-Johnson, Francis Muracca II, David Malone, Angela Wheland, Dan Onorato, Don Heberle, Melissa Armstrong, and David Farner.
Pittsburgh Penguins Foundation is led by Kevin Acklin, President since 2024 (on filings since 2019); none of the 11 officers listed in 2025 report compensation.
Officers on the 2025 filing
Kevin Acklin
President
Secretary → President, 2024
On filings since 2019
1 hr/week
No compensation reported
Yvonne Maher
Executive Director
On filings since 2023
40 hrs/week
No compensation reported
Angela Wheland
Trustee
On filings since 2019
1 hr/week
No compensation reported
Dan Onorato
Trustee
On filings since 2019
1 hr/week
No compensation reported
David Farner
Trustee
On filings since 2019
1 hr/week
No compensation reported
David Malone
Trustee
On filings since 2019
1 hr/week
No compensation reported
Deborah Rice-Johnson
Trustee
On filings since 2019
1 hr/week
No compensation reported
Don Heberle
Trustee
On filings since 2019
1 hr/week
No compensation reported
Francis Muracca II
Trustee
On filings since 2019
1 hr/week
No compensation reported
Melissa Armstrong
Trustee
On filings since 2019
1 hr/week
No compensation reported
Michael Dillion
Treasurer
On filings since 2024
1 hr/week
No compensation reported
Former officers (9)
- Former: Kevin Hart (2019–2023) — Treasurer
- Former: Kristin Wells (2019–2023) — Trustee
- Former: Sy Holzer (2019–2023) — Trustee
- Former: Jim Britt (2021–2023) — Executive Director
- Former: David Morehouse (2019–2021) — Chairman
- Former: Dave Soltesz (2019–2020) — President
- Former: Lindsay Berdell Bock (2019–2020) — Trustee
- Former: Max Wetzel (2019–2020) — Trustee
- Former: Tommy Johnson (2019–2020) — Trustee
Data from IRS Form 990 filings, 2019–2025. "On filings since" is the earliest filing we hold that lists the person; hours are average hours per week as reported.
Frequently asked questions about Pittsburgh Penguins Foundation
How much does Pittsburgh Penguins Foundation give each year?
Pittsburgh Penguins Foundation reported $1.3M in grants paid in 2025 on its 2025 IRS Form 990, as a total without an itemized list of grants. In 2024 it gave $588K across 18 grants.
How large is Pittsburgh Penguins Foundation?
Pittsburgh Penguins Foundation reported $1.1M in total assets on its 2025 IRS Form 990. Its revenue that year was $3.7M.
What does Pittsburgh Penguins Foundation fund?
The Foundation’s stated mission is to promote physical well-being, encourage teamwork, stress the value of education, and provide essential life skills to young people through youth hockey and other activities. Its four stated pillars are youth hockey, education, wellness, and community. See mission & focus areas ↑
How do I apply for a grant from Pittsburgh Penguins Foundation?
Grantmaking is currently closed. Eligibility and process details are in the grantmaking section of this profile. See how to apply ↑
Where does Pittsburgh Penguins Foundation make grants?
The Foundation says its grant funding is directed to organizations in Western Pennsylvania. Its auction and raffle donation requirements also identify Southwestern Pennsylvania, Northeastern Ohio, and Northern West Virginia as eligible locations for those requests.
What is Pittsburgh Penguins Foundation's EIN?
Pittsburgh Penguins Foundation's EIN (Employer Identification Number) is 27-3431123. IRS Form 990 filing data is available on this page for 2019–2025.
Data last updated September 2026. Sourced from IRS Form 990 filings. Research dossier generated September 2026.
Data update history
(6)
When this profile's IRS filing data changed on Grantable
- Updated Form 990 for fiscal year 2019 (received by the IRS May 19, 2020)
- Updated Form 990 for fiscal year 2020 (received by the IRS May 11, 2021)
- Updated Form 990 for fiscal year 2021 (received by the IRS May 16, 2022)
- Updated Form 990 for fiscal year 2022 (received by the IRS May 22, 2023)
- Updated Form 990 for fiscal year 2023 (received by the IRS May 14, 2024)
- Updated Form 990 for fiscal year 2024 (received by the IRS May 13, 2025)
Live grants for the work Pittsburgh Penguins Foundation funds
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Figures come from Pittsburgh Penguins Foundation's IRS filings (methodology). AI-written summaries, news items and logos are not covered by the open licence. Spot an error? Email hello@grantable.co.
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