Pittsburgh Foundation Economic Mobility Grants: Entrepreneurship

The Pittsburgh Foundation's Economic Mobility Grants: Entrepreneurship aim to support low-income families and communities by enhancing access to entrepreneurship opportunities. Established in 1945, the foundation prioritizes funding for organizations that serve communities disproportionately affected by poverty. Grants typically range from $10,000 to $150,000, with a focus on interventions that promote financial security and economic growth through business ownership and career advancement.

PLEASE NOTE: For 2026, applications in this area will be accepted by invitation-only. If you are not a current grantee but are interested in funding under our Economic Mobility/Entrepreneurship focus area, please complete this form. You will be contacted by a member of our team if your organization is invited to participate in an informational meeting and/or apply for support.
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.
Business ownership is one pathway to build wealth more quickly than traditional employment, create jobs for others in the community and build assets that can be transferred within or passed down to a generation. Sole proprietorships whose owners are primarily self-employed often have difficulty in accessing lines of credit, working capital or venture capital. Utilizing e-commerce, crowd sourcing and social media reduces immediate need for capital, but those tools are not widely utilized.
Our grantmaking in this area will be responsive for the next several years.

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.