FISA Foundation Grant

The FISA Foundation Grant supports initiatives aimed at improving the health and well-being of people with disabilities, particularly women and girls. Priorities include enhancing access to healthcare, addressing biases in the system, and preventing violence against vulnerable populations. The foundation emphasizes projects with clear outcomes and realistic evaluation plans, focusing on marginalized groups, especially those facing systemic barriers. Eligible organizations must operate within southwestern Pennsylvania and benefit women, girls, or people with disabilities.

Strategic Priorities
NOTE: FISA Foundation focuses disability-related grantmaking on adults and children with physical, intellectual, sensory, and developmental disabilities. While we recognize that mental health intersects with many of our other priorities, the primary diagnosis of mental illness is outside our scope. FISA does fund cross-disability efforts that include mental health.
Improve the health and well-being of people with disabilities, women and girls
Priority will be given to proposals that address:
Improve access to health care and dental care for people with significant disabilities or complex health conditions;Address bias among healthcare professionals;Address the specific needs of women, girls, and people with disabilities who are Black or other people of color;Influence policy and practice to change systems.
Prevent domestic and sexual violence, and support the most vulnerable victims in pursuit of safety, healing, and justice.
Priority will be given to proposals that:

• specifically address the needs of people with disabilities; Black people and other people of color; immigrants and refugees; members of the LGBTQ+ community.
• Remove societal barriers and promote equitable opportunities for women, girls, and people with disabilities.
• Priority will be given to proposals designed to:

Promote equal rights, access, and full inclusion for people with disabilities, particularly Black people and other people of color with disabilities, in all aspects of life;Include programs, services and advocacy efforts focused on girls who have been marginalized, particularly Black girls and other girls of color, girls with disabilities, and girls in under-resourced areas;Address the needs of women that society marginalizes and fails to serve, particularly those who struggle with addiction, homelessness, trauma, and poverty.
What types of funding will be considered?
FISA Foundation believes in and invests in innovation; however we also recognize the economic challenges facing nonprofits. In light of the fact that funds are limited, FISA carefully considers where it can have the greatest impact, as well as the availability of other funding sources (including focus areas of other local foundations). The Foundation will consider grants for:
General operating support for programs that advance our strategic prioritiesOngoing programs and projectsNew and innovative projects or programsCapacity building initiativesAdvocacy

Eligibility

FISA Foundation funds nonprofit organizations providing services in southwestern Pennsylvania, limited to the following counties: Allegheny, Armstrong, Beaver, Butler, Fayette, Greene, Indiana, Lawrence, Washington and Westmoreland [view map].All grants benefit women, girls or people with disabilities.

Ineligibility

The Foundation does not make grants in support of:

• Organizations without an Internal Revenue Code charitable, tax-exempt status under Sections 501(c)(3) and 509(a)
• Programs taking place outside the ten-county area of southwestern Pennsylvania
• Individuals
• Political campaigns or lobbying
• Religious organizations for religious purposes
• Travel, study and scholarships
• Issues related to disabilities that result from the aging process
• Renovations to improve the physical accessibility of buildings

Programs with the primary purpose of providing mental health services (though we do recognize that mental health is often an interrelated issue in FISA’s priority areas)
Programs that happen to serve women and girls but are not designed to be gender specific
Parenting programs, unless they specifically relate to one of our stated priorities
Biomedical research.