POISE Foundation Announces New Fund in Response to COVID-19 Pandemic

PITTSBURGH, PA (PittsburghNewsWire.com) — Today, POISE Foundation announced the creation of a new fund to provide support to small and mid-sized Black Led Organizations (BLOs) responding to critical needs in the Black community resulting from the COVID-19 pandemic. The Critical Community Needs Fund (CCNF) will provide grants between $5,000 and $25,000 to small and mid-sized BLOs that serve the most vulnerable members of the Black community in the Pittsburgh region. Interested applicants are encouraged to visit http://poisefoundation.org/ccnf for application instructions and more information.

Mark S. Lewis, President and CEO of POISE Foundation commented: “As we have seen across the nation, the Coronavirus has had a devastating impact on communities of color, and in particular the Black community. We have also seen that many of our small to mid-sized Black led organizations and businesses have been left out or left behind from accessing many of the government relief programs. These are often the very organizations that are nimble, cost effective and have deep and intimate relationships with the people they serve. It is our hope that this fund will assist many of these organizations to continue their care for our community.”

Traci Johnson, Program Officer at POISE Foundation noted: “Black Led Organizations and Churches have historically served as anchors and hubs to meet critical needs within the Black community. With the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic, these organizations are on the frontlines, day after day, to ensure that members of the Black community who are experiencing the most disparities are being supported. Many of our Black Led Organizations and Churches are depleting their resources to provide for their communities. We have to work to ensure that Black Led Organizations and Churches are able to continue providing critical services and resources to the Black community during this pandemic and after”.

The Heinz Endowments and the Richard King Mellon Foundation, both of Pittsburgh, PA, have generously contributed to the CCNF and POISE Foundation hopes to attract additional funding for it from individuals and institutions throughout the region. Those interested in contributing to the CCNF are encouraged to visit http://poisefoundation.org/ccnf. The Heinz Endowments is devoted to the mission of helping the Pittsburgh region prosper as a vibrant center of creativity, learning, and social, economic and environmental sustainability. Core to the foundation’s work is the vision of a just community where all are included and where everyone who calls southwestern Pennsylvania home has a real and meaningful opportunity to thrive. With an endowment of $1.7 billion in 2019 and grantmaking totaling $63 million across 502 awards distributed last year, the Endowments has publicly committed to responding quickly and collaboratively to the COVID-19 crisis, paying special attention to the needs of black and brown people and other marginalized groups. “We at The Heinz Endowments recognize the impact that COVID-19 is having on communities of color, particularly African Americans, and have been directing funding to meet those needs and to address the systemic racism that contributes to this disproportionate vulnerability in the first place,” said Endowments President Grant Oliphant. “Black leadership in the Pittsburgh region must be at the forefront of addressing these issues, and we welcome the chance to work with POISE both on the short-term emergency and the longer-term solutions that will produce a healthier society for all of us.”

Founded in 1947, the Richard King Mellon Foundation is the largest foundation in southwestern Pennsylvania. The Foundation’s 2019 endowment was $2.7 billion and its Trustees in 2019 awarded 172 grants totaling $129 million, focused on the Foundation’s strategic priorities: Education, human services, economic development, and environmental conservation. “The data is clear: COVID-19 is having a disproportionate impact on our African American community. And those numbers are inflicting a painful human toll,” said Richard King Mellon Foundation Director Sam Reiman. “We are grateful for the opportunity to help organizations such as the POISE Foundation work to address the health and economic impacts of this virus.”

POISE Foundation was founded in 1980 by Bernard H. Jones, Sr., a prominent community and civic leader in Pittsburgh. It is one of the oldest Community Foundations in the United States established and managed by African Americans. The mission of POISE Foundation is to assist the Pittsburgh Region’s Black Community in achieving self-sustaining practices through strategic leadership, collective giving, grantmaking and advocacy.

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