McAuley Ministries Awards Over $3.1 Million in Grants to 30 Local Nonprofit Organizations

Dec. 9, 2024 | News Releases

PITTSBURGH (December 9, 2024) – McAuley Ministries, Pittsburgh Mercy’s grant-making foundation, awarded 30 grants this year totaling over $3.1 million for capacity building, education, empowerment, essential needs and social services, and whole-person health initiatives in Pittsburgh’s Hill District, Uptown, and West Oakland communities, its three focus neighborhoods, as well as to Southwestern Pennsylvania legacy programs of the Sisters of Mercy.

“These investments are not just financial contributions; they are commitments to fostering resilience, equity, and growth,” stated Marisol Valentin, executive director of McAuley Ministries. “By supporting these initiatives, we are building stronger, more inclusive communities where everyone has the opportunity to thrive.”

This grant cycle, investments in education and housing were prioritized to respond to neighborhood needs. Additionally, McAuley Ministries added 2% to the amount awarded to each organization to help support the mental health and spiritual well-being of the employees that commit to being changemakers every day.

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

Capacity Building

  • Oakland Planning & Development Corporation: $51,000 to support the Community (Re)Connections in West Oakland three-part initiative.
  • Pittsburgh Playwrights Theatre Company: $7,500 for attendance at the 2024 International Black Theatre Festival that afforded their actors, designers, technicians, and playwright opportunities to be seen in a new, elevated context, meet new colleagues, and potentially secure work in other theaters.

Education

  • ACH Clear Pathways: $204,000 for general operating support to allow ACH to continue to serve children, families, and community members who have not had the opportunity to thrive in the arts.
  • A+ Schools Pittsburgh: $10,000 to support the A to Z fund which distributes funds directly to schools based on needs and opportunities identified by school staff as part of the Circle Our Schools partnership in the Hill District.
  • Allegheny Partners for Out-of-School Time: $51,000 to build an effective intermediary and strengthen out-of-school time organizations in Allegheny County.
  • Center That CARES: $204,000 to continue inspiring children and youth from the Hill District to learn and achieve through quality afterschool programs that include unique learning opportunities, innovative programming, and cutting-edge STEM education.
  • Early Excellence Project: $153,000 to increase access to high quality early childhood education for families in the Hill District, including children with exceptionalities.
  • M-PowerHouse of Greater Pittsburgh: $127,500 to launch the Nurturing Opportunities for Workforce (NOW) program that integrates animal and plant therapy with a biomimetics curriculum, preparing students for careers in biomimetics, drone technology, AI, and cybersecurity.
  • Ozanam Inc.: $63,240 to continue the Hill Legacy Project to inspire children and youth through culturally relevant frameworks, fostering their success through innovative educational experiences that promote STEM and digital literacy while equipping them with 21st century skills.
  • Schenley Heights Community Development Program: $204,000 to further SHCDP’s mission to nurture, support and develop its community through wholesome year-round programming that addresses the academic, moral, cultural, health and recreational needs of children, youth, and their families in the Hill District and metropolitan Pittsburgh.
  • Small Seeds Development Inc.: $204,000 to provide interventions and supportive direction to single mothers as they face challenges that can hinder the growth and development of the family.
  • Strong Women, Strong Girls Inc.: $25,500 to continue the Intergenerational Mentorship for Girls in the Hill District program.
  • United Way of Southwestern Pennsylvania: $153,000 to develop and implement Welcome Back Summer 2024 with a focus on providing high-quality, in-person summer programming with hands-on social and emotional learning opportunities for youth in kindergarten through high school.
  • Venture Outdoors Inc.: $76,500 to continue the Outdoor Learning Lab that connects Pittsburgh residents to the special powers of nature by providing the gear, access, transportation, and confidence to spend time outside.

Empowerment

  • 100 Black Men of Western PA Inc.: $10,200 to support their Career Development Initiative that addresses disparity for underserved African American youth.
  • Amani Christian Community Development Corporation: $244,800 to increase organizational capacity in the real estate department, expand the Amani Landcare Program, and launch the Amani Labor Free Repair Program.
  • Amizade: $7,000 for a piloted expansion of the Puerto Rico-Pittsburgh youth exchange program centered in the Hill District. In the spirit of Roberto Clemente’s lifelong commitment to service, the program aims to unite young people from two communities where Clemente remains a beloved figure to learn from each other and grow together as the next generation of empathetic, community-focused leaders.
  • NeighborWorks Western Pennsylvania: $51,001 for Comprehensive Homeownership Services that will empower residents to pursue their financial goals, including homeownership, and assist existing homeowners in maintaining their assets.
  • Partner4Work: $51,000 to develop a plan that identifies methods for creating equitable pathways for Hill District residents to access job opportunities in the emerging clean energy sector.
  • Rebuilding Together Pittsburgh: $244,800 to provide zero-cost home repairs to low to moderate-income households in the Hill District over the next three years.
  • Regional Housing Legal Services: $102,000 to continue to address Pittsburgh’s shortage of affordable housing, housing conditions that are unsafe or unhealthy, and the displacement of poor and working families, particularly Black residents.
  • Uptown Partners of Pittsburgh: $280,500 to launch a community and economic development project to tackle blight and vacancy and rebuild the Forbes and Fifth Avenue corridor into an Eco-Innovation District.

Essential Needs & Social Services

 Legacy Programs

  • Carlow University: $80,000 for pilgrimages to Ireland to prepare students, members of the Carlow community, and future leaders to be conversant with and about the Sisters of Mercy mission and values.
  • The Intersection Inc.: $35,700 to serve individuals and families in McKeesport and the surrounding areas who are economically poor, disadvantaged, and in need.
  • Pittsburgh Mercy: $60,000 for pilgrimages to Ireland to provide the opportunity for Pittsburgh Mercy colleagues to grow in their understanding of the legacy of the Sisters of Mercy and deepen their connection with the social service organization’s heritage through works of service.
  • Westmoreland Land Trust: $25,500 to gather and record the history of the Pittsburgh Sisters of Mercy, St. Xavier Academy, and the Sisters of Mercy Convent.

Whole-Person Health

  • American Heart Association: $20,400 to support the Cardiac Emergency Response Readiness program in the Hill District.
  • Shepherd’s Heart Fellowship: $132,600 to support men and women who work at Shepherd’s Heart Fellowship, veteran participants at Shepherd’s Heart Veteran’s Home, beneficiaries of other Shepherd’s Heart Fellowship programs, or those who are experiencing or threatened by homelessness.

About McAuley Ministries

Named in honor of Catherine McAuley, founder of the Sisters of Mercy, McAuley Ministries is the grant-making foundation of Pittsburgh Mercy. McAuley Ministries serves as a catalyst for change, committing resources and working collaboratively to promote healthy, safe, and vibrant communities. Grant-making priorities include capacity building, education, empowerment, environmental care, essential needs and social services, peacemaking, and whole-person health initiatives for nonprofit organizations which focus on the Hill District, Uptown, and West Oakland, the three Pittsburgh communities historically served by the Sisters of Mercy. McAuley Ministries also provides support to organizations in Southwestern Pennsylvania that are sponsored by the Sisters.

Since its founding by the Sisters of Mercy in 2008, McAuley Ministries has awarded 1,052 grants and community support totaling over $59 million. It awards on average $3.5 million in grants annually, making it one of the largest philanthropic foundations in Southwestern Pennsylvania. To learn more about McAuley Ministries and the initiatives it supports, visit www.mcauleyministries.org, follow us on Facebook and LinkedIn, or chat with IᖇEᑎE, our new AI assistant named to acknowledge the birthplace of Catherine McAuley.

About Pittsburgh Mercy

Pittsburgh Mercy is one of the largest community health and social service providers and employers in Southwestern Pennsylvania. We offer help – and hope – to 18,000 of our community’s most vulnerable in 60+ locations:

  • People who have complex behavioral and physical health challenges
  • People who have intellectual and developmental disabilities
  • People who are experiencing homelessness
  • People who need wrap-around services to live safe, healthy, and well in the community.

Pittsburgh Mercy is the largest Integrated Community Wellness Center (ICWC) in Pennsylvania and the only one in Southwestern Pennsylvania. We are a five-time awardee of Substance Abuse & Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) Certified Community Behavioral Health Center (CCBHC) expansion grants. Pittsburgh Mercy is a member Trinity Health, serving in the tradition of the Sisters of Mercy. Our mission is to be a compassionate and transforming, healing presence within our communities. To learn more about Pittsburgh Mercy or to make a donation in support of its important work in the community, please visit www.pittsburghmercy.org. Follow Pittsburgh Mercy on Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn, and X.

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