Pittsburgh Foundation Arts and Culture Grants: Small and Mid-Size Arts Organizations

The Pittsburgh Foundation offers Arts and Culture Grants to support small and mid-size arts organizations in Allegheny County. Established in 1945, the foundation focuses on equitable grantmaking in areas like arts, culture, and social justice. Grants typically range from $10,000 to $150,000, aimed at enhancing community engagement through artistic expression and cultural exchange. Organizations must be 501(c)(3) public charities and prioritize those addressing social injustices and serving underserved communities.

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.
The Pittsburgh Foundation believes in the transformational power of art and in the talent and strength of Pittsburgh-based artists and organizations. Funding aims to create opportunities for artists and organizations to practice their craft, pursue new ideas, produce thought-provoking work, celebrate the totality of the experience of the artist, and encourage cultural exchange through shared artistic experiences. We support endeavors to amplify voices, share narratives and provide more equitable funding throughout the art and culture landscape.
Arts and Culture Grants: Small and Mid-Size Arts Organizations
We seek to support organizations producing and presenting art in any discipline, such as, but not limited to:
Concert/performance/theatrical presentation: including artists' fees and other reasonable costs associated with the presentation.Creation of new work/commissioning: including commissioning fees and costs to present the work.Curation/exhibition: including space rental, installation, shipping and documentation.Residencies: including artists' fees, housing, travel and project budgets.Arts education programs: including out-of-school time arts education for students of all ages.Cultural activities: activities that enhance, celebrate and elevate narratives represented in the community member's lives, work and varied cultures, including activities led by cultural workers/bearers.
Priority will be given to organizations with budgets under $2 million.

Eligibility

To qualify for a grant, your nonprofit organization must be:
Located within Allegheny County and/or primarily serve Allegheny County residents (unless otherwise specified in the grant criteria).Designated by the IRS as a 501(c)(3) public charity. (If your organization does not have 501(c)(3) status, you may apply utilizing a fiscal sponsor.)

Ineligibility

What We Do Not Fund
The Pittsburgh Foundation does not make grants to any organization not listed in Internal Revenue Code Section 170(b)(1)(A), including private non-operating foundations or any “disqualified supporting organizations” as defined in Internal Revenue Code Section 4966(d) (4).Organizational start-up support.Statewide or national organizations, unless they have an established local office or chapter that meets the above eligibility criteria and priorities.Projects that expressly advocate for or endorse a specific candidate for elected office.Annual appeals or event sponsorships.Episodic and/or one-time programs and events.Capital expenses and/or campaigns.Direct funding for individuals (except individual artists).Payments on organizational debt.Costs and activities that are completed before a requested grant has received a decision from our board.University overhead costs.Single-disease support organizations.Educational scholarships. Academic research.