Pittsburgh Foundation Economic Mobility Grants: Access to Post-Secondary Education

The Pittsburgh Foundation Economic Mobility Grants aim to enhance access to post-secondary education for low-income families. By prioritizing initiatives that support college readiness, admissions navigation, and non-traditional students, the foundation seeks to empower communities. Grants typically range from $10,000 to $150,000 over one to two years, focusing on programmatic and policy-level interventions to foster economic mobility and address historical inequities in education.

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.
Both programmatic- and policy-level interventions are needed for low-income families and communities to build financial security and increase economic mobility. Access to post-secondary education, homeownership, career advancement and entrepreneurship are grantmaking areas that The Pittsburgh Foundation will support to improve economic mobility in our community.
Economic Mobility Grants: Access to Post-Secondary Education
Post-secondary education opportunities help to increase economic mobility. Access to post-secondary education includes:
Programs that enable students to earn college credit while in high school.Admissions navigation support, academic and financial counseling.Re-engagement strategies for students who have stopped attending school.Supports for non-traditional students.
Priority will be given to proposals that:
Offer scheduling flexibility, including nights and/or weekends.Support participants through graduation.Prioritize high demand credentials (such as manufacturing, drafting, information security).

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.