McAuley Ministries Awards Over $2 Million in Grants to 27 Local Nonprofit Organizations

PITTSBURGH (February 26, 2026) – McAuley Ministries, Pittsburgh Mercy’s grant-making foundation, awarded 29 grants totaling over $2 million. The grants help fund capacity building, education, empowerment, essential needs & social services, legacy programs, and whole-person health initiatives in Pittsburgh’s Hill District, Uptown, and West Oakland communities, its three focus neighborhoods, collectively referred to as the Mercy Corridor.

According to Marisol Valentin, executive director of McAuley Ministries, 2025 was a volatile and uncertain year for nonprofits. She noted that community partners responded through strong collaboration, resulting in several joint grants, including Holy Family Institute’s Black Educators Teaching Fellows Program. Fellows will teach at Nazareth Prep, support the Artful Spirits Program funded by the Lilly Endowment, and collaborate with Hill Dance Academy Theatre HDAT, Point Park University, and the Historic Black Churches of the Hill District—Bethel AME Church, Ebenezer Baptist Church, Grace Memorial Presbyterian Church, Wesley Center AME Zion Church, and St. Benedict the Moor Catholic Church.

Another notable collaboration is with UPMC Children’s Hospital of Pittsburgh Community Health and Ronald McDonald House Charities of Pittsburgh and Morgantown. Valentin explained, “Together, these partners are addressing health inequities for children by bringing high-quality pediatric medical care to Bedford Dwellings and Skyline Terrace with the Ronald McDonald Care Mobile, reducing barriers to care. The project will also integrate a UPMC Children’s Community Health Worker, who will play a critical role in bridging the gap between health systems and community residents.”

Reflecting on both initiatives, Valentin added, “These projects are just a few examples of how our partners are responding to the moment through collaboration, building partnerships and centering on community.”

Grouped by grant-making priorities, the recipients of the most recent grants are:

Capacity Building

• Amani Christian Community Development Corp: $10,000 for expanded operations at the Madison Arts Center.
• Hill Community Development Corporation: $150,000 for gallery space at Nafasi on Centre and general operating support.
• Mid-Atlantic Mothers Milk Bank: $30,600 for capacity expansion and donor milk access equity.
• Program to Aid Citizen Enterprise (PACE): $134,876 for nonprofit leadership and financial sustainability training.

 Education

• Allegheny Partners for Out-of-School-Time (APOST): $102,000 for out-of-school time capacity building.
• Carlow University: $100,000 or workforce development initiatives.
• Center that CARES: $209,100 for Hill District youth development.
• FashionAFRICANA: $25,500 for Pittsburgh Milliones UPREP students arts and design education.
• Girls Inc.: $30,600 for Mercy Corridor elementary school mentorship.
• Holy Family Institute: $214,200 for the Black Educators Teaching Fellows Program.
• Neighborhood Learning Alliance: $51,000 for elementary career exploration.
• Ozanam Inc.: $126,480 for Hill District youth enrichment and STEM programming.
• Venture Outdoors: $61,200 for intergenerational outdoor learning in the Mercy Corridor.

 Empowerment

• Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Incorporated®: $5,000 for student food support.

• Black Political Empowerment Project (B-PEP): $50,000 for civic engagement and community justice initiatives.
• Macedonia Church of Pittsburgh: $25,000 for due diligence toward a community-owned grocery store.
• Reimagine Reentry: $51,204 for pre-apprenticeship training for returning citizens.

 Essential Needs & Social Services

• 412 Food Rescue: $102,000 for expanded food recovery operations in the Mercy Corridor.
• Bethel-Trinity Community Development Corporation: $51,000 for facility repairs and community meals for Hill District residents.
• Familylinks Inc.: $51,000 for young adult emergency housing support.
• Homeless Children’s Education Fund: $10,000 for emergency assistance for families.
• Neighborhood Resilience Project: $153,000 for operational support and emergency aid to residents in the Hill District, Uptown, and West Oakland.
• United Way of Southwestern Pennsylvania: $76,500 to develop a nonprofit rapid response grant program.
• Womanspace-East: $150,200 for family emergency shelter sustainability.

 Legacy Programs

• Carlow University: $6,876 for development of the Sisters of Mercy oral history website.
• Carlow University: $80,000 for leadership development pilgrimages to Ireland.

Whole-person Health

• Ronald McDonald House Charities of Pittsburgh and Morgantown: $14,280 to provide mobile pediatric care in the Hill District.
• UPMC Children’s Hospital Foundation: $25,500 for children’s preventive care and asthma support in the Hill District.
• Western Pennsylvania Diaper Bank: $76,500 for hygiene supplies for Bedford Dwellings families.

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