The POISE Foundation is accepting letters of intent for its Community Impact Grants to assist the Black community in achieving self-sustaining practices through strategic leadership, collective giving, grantmaking, and advocacy.
Donor Name: POISE Foundation
State: Pennsylvania
City: Pittsburgh
Type of Grant: Grant
Deadline: 08/18/2023
Size of the Grant: $1,000-$5,000
Details:
Through the Community Impact Grants, the Foundation provides small grants to nonprofit organizations located in the Pittsburgh Region that provide services, and seeks to bring change to the Black community which leads to empowerment and self-sufficiency. In general, grants are one year in duration.
POISE typically provides grants to Black-led, Black serving nonprofit organizations offering programs and services that fit within one or more of our Priority Areas:
- Community and Economic Development
- Programming that helps community leaders, residents and their communities build capacity to engage in civic participation, to collaborate, to make decisions and to advocate for the well-being of Black communities and the residents that live there. These types of programs also seek to engage community members in learning about and understanding community issues, and the economic, social, environmental, political, psychological, and other impacts on their way of life. In addition, these programs should aim to foster pathways from poverty to prosperity for individuals and families in Black communities. It also look for programming that encourages diverse and robust neighborhood and community economies.
- Education
- Entrepreneurial Activities
- Programming that advances the creation and development of Black businesses and cooperatives in the Pittsburgh Region.
- Young Ladies
- Programming that supports and advances the well-being of young ladies in preparation for future endeavors in the Pittsburgh Region.
- Strengthening Black Families
- Through Strengthening Black Families, it can envision a region where the Black Family is restored a core institution that is actively thriving and engaged in the re-development and transformation of Pittsburgh’s Black community. The Foundation will invest in programs and activities that build, strengthen, and support Black families.
Priority will be given to programs and projects that focus on:
- being family-driven;
- building, strengthening, and supporting family development;
- increasing family time, interaction, engagement and communication;
- being culturally and contextually responsive in approach;
- assisting families with building authentic support networks with other families;
- providing families with tools and opportunities to build the skills necessary to advocate for their needs; and
- promoting and supporting family healing and wellness.
Funding Information
Grants are typically between $1,000-$5,000.
The foundation typically fund
- Alignment with the Foundation’s mission and interests
- Clearly presented goals, objectives and results
- Detailed project plan
- Innovation
- Demonstrated community need
- Well defined target population to be serviced
- Solid financial statements
- Collaboration and partnerships
- Program evaluation plan
- Community buy-in and support
Eligibility Criteria
Only organizations classified as one of the following are eligible for grants from the Foundation:
- A 501(c)(3) tax-exempt public charity
- Organizations/Groups with a Fiscal Sponsor that is a 501(c)(3) tax-exempt public charity
- Churches seeking support for non-religious activities (i.e. food banks, after school programs, etc.)
The Foundation does not give grants to individuals or for-profit organizations. Preference will be given to organizations that are Black-led meeting two of the three following criteria:
- Executive Director is Black and/or African American
- 50% of Board is Black and/or African American
- 75% of community served is Black and/or African American
The foundation does not typically fund
- Capital campaigns
- Endowments, debt reduction, or loans
- Grants to individuals
- Multi-year grants
- Political causes, candidates, or campaigns
- Programs outside of the Pittsburgh Region
- Religious organizations for religious purposes
- Special events, conferences, or promotions
For more information, visit Poise Foundation.
