Pittsburgh Foundation Basic Needs Grants: Employment

Pittsburgh Foundation Basic Needs Grants: Employment

Status: ACTIVE
Funder: Pittsburgh Foundation
Amount: US $10,000 - US $75,000
Last Updated: January 08, 2026

Summary

The Pittsburgh Foundation Basic Needs Grants: Employment aims to enhance job opportunities for low-income individuals facing barriers such as disabilities or housing insecurity. With a focus on equitable community development, these grants support programs that provide skills training, job placement, and comprehensive assistance. Grants typically range from $10,000 to $150,000 and are awarded for up to two years. The foundation prioritizes funding for organizations that serve disadvantaged communities and address historical social injustices.

Overview

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: Employment In this area, we seek to support youth and adults who experience significant barriers to employment, including limited math and reading skills. This includes support for programs that prioritize the employment needs of individuals who are low-income, have a disability, are formally incarcerated, experience housing insecurity, in or aging out of foster care, and single parents. These needs are complex and not easily resolved by one agency alone. We are specifically interested in services and activities that: Offer comprehensive assistance for adults and include interest and skill assessments, soft- and hard-skill development, employer and human service partnerships, job placement with wages of at least $13.00 an hour and at least six-month follow up.Align with career pipeline programs and local industry partnership strategies targeting technology, health care, financial services, advanced manufacturing and construction activities.Provide age-appropriate youth programs that include life and social skills training, career exploration or career planning with work-based learning such as employer visits, job shadowing, adult career mentoring, internships, summer youth employment, occupational skills training, pre-apprenticeships, industry recognized credentialing and employment in targeted industries.Seek to identify and implement best practice/innovative strategies that support single parents, people with justice system involvement and people in recovery.

Eligibility

You can learn more about this opportunity by visiting the funder's website. 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.