January 29, 2020 Census Mini-Grants Now Available The Pittsburgh Foundation, Allegheny County-City of Pittsburgh Complete Count Committee, and Census 2020 Philanthropic Fund recently partnered together to create a mini-grants program to support census-related activities. Community-based organizations in Allegheny County are eligible to apply for a grant of up to $2,500 to advance the work of the 2020 Census with populations identified to be at risk of an undercount. Eligibility Eligible applicants must be either: an incorporated 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization operating in the City of Pittsburgh and/or Allegheny County; a school or educational institution operating in the City of Pittsburgh and/or Allegheny County; or a municipality in Allegheny County. Community-based organizations that are not schools, municipalities, or incorporated 501(c)(3)s must obtain a fiscal sponsor that is an eligible 501(c)(3) in Allegheny County to apply. For questions on how to obtain a fiscal sponsor, contact Emmie Calland at callande@pghfdn.org. Priorities Proposal submissions should focus on outreach activities to increase participation in the 2020 census and must benefit historically undercounted and hard-to-reach communities in Allegheny County. These populations include: seniors, people of color, foreign-born residents, children ages birth to five, low-income residents, persons experiencing homelessness, persons with disabilities, and persons who do not live in traditional housing. Use of Grant Funds Proposed activities should take place between now and July 31, 2020. Grant activities should focus on increasing census participation among the hard-to-count groups above. Activities could include: alleviating language barriers in promoting census awareness and completion, hosting events that encourage people to answer the census, creating unique materials to encourage census participation for the populations you serve, and purchasing technology to allow people to fill out the census on the spot. How to Apply To apply for a mini-grant, complete the online application. All applications must be submitted no later than February 1, 2020. For technical questions related to the application, contact Jennifer Steinmetz at steinmetzj@pghfdn.org. More Information To learn more about the 2020 Census, visit the Allegheny County-City of Pittsburgh Complete Count Committee website. For questions about the program or content of the grant application, contact Emmie Calland at callande@pghfdn.org. *Information provided by The Pittsburgh Foundation
October 10, 2019 Support Pittsburgh Nonprofits by #GivingTogether Trying Together is excited to announce our participation in this year’s Give Big Pittsburgh event! What is Give Big Pittsburgh? Give Big Pittsburgh is an annual day-of-giving hosted by the Pittsburgh Magazine. With this year’s event happening on December 3, Give Big Pittsburgh is a great opportunity for stakeholders and community members to collaboratively raise funds for and learn more about nonprofits working in the Pittsburgh area. Fundraising on the website will remain open until December 31 at 11:59 p.m. Why Should You Participate? Because Give Big Pittsburgh uses an online platform, the donation process for #GivingTuesday is quick and simple. Simply add nonprofits and individual donation values to your “Gift Basket” to complete all of your donations in one go. Donors can access their donation receipts online, making it easy to track and report your tax-deductible donations. Visit the website to get acquainted with the platform and add nonprofits to your basket. How You Can Participate: While Give Big Pittsburgh places a focus on raising funds for nonprofits, there are multiple ways to give this #Giving Tuesday: Donating to Nonprofits One of the primary ways to participate in #GivingTuesday is to do just that, give. Outside of a small platform fee, all of the money that is donated will go directly to the nonprofit. Sharing Your Story Trying Together believes that every person has a place in #GivingTuesday, and with that, we want to ensure that we’re fostering community and relationships during the experience. Because we are an early childhood nonprofit, Trying Together encourages community members to #GiveThanks to an early childhood educator or professional who impacted your life in a positive way. Use #GiveThanks or #GivingTogether on social media to share your story with others as well. Everyone has a place in #GivingTuesday, and with that, it's important to foster community and relationships during the experience. Sharing kindness, a story, a financial donation. There are plenty of ways to give. #GiveBigPittsburgh #GivingTogetherClick To Tweet Sharing Nonprofit Donation Pages On the Give Big Pittsburgh website, there is an arrow button to share a fundraising page link with your network. Another way to give would simply be sharing this opportunity with others. We encourage individuals to interact with us and our pages, whether that’s through sharing our posts or contributing yourself! Learning More Although not every Pittsburgh nonprofit will be present, Give Big Pittsburgh is a great opportunity to learn more about local nonprofits and their work in Pittsburgh communities. Visit the website to start exploring. Save the Date Give Big Pittsburgh Tuesday, December 3, 2019 12:00 a.m. – 11:59 p.m. givebigpittsburgh.com More Information For questions regarding participation, donation matching, or access, please contact Lainey Yockey at 412.567.3935 or lainey@tryingtogether.org.
October 9, 2019 Give Big Pittsburgh 2019 Celebrate the giving spirit and support the work of local nonprofits by participating in this year’s Give Big Pittsburgh! What is Give Big Pittsburgh? Tied with #GivingTuesday, a nationally recognized annual day of giving, Give Big Pittsburgh is a local platform that works to raise awareness, collect donations, and build stronger ties between members of our community. To participate in this #DayofGiving, community members are invited to explore and collaborate in raising funds for nonprofits that are doing great work in Pittsburgh. Visit the website to get acquainted with the platform and add nonprofits to your basket. Why Should You Participate? Because Give Big Pittsburgh uses an online platform, the donation process for #GivingTuesday is quick and simple. Simply add nonprofits and individual donation values to your “Gift Basket” to complete all of your donations in one go. Donors can access their donation receipts online, making it easy to track and report your tax-deductible donations. More Information To learn more, read our news post! For questions, please contact Lainey Yockey at 412.567.3935 or lainey@tryingtogether.org.
May 29, 2019 HundrED Announces Pittsburgh Spotlight Selections In March of 2019, HundrED released their full list of Pittsburgh Spotlight innovation submissions. Now, after two months of careful deliberation and assessment, HundrED has announced their 12 featured innovative solutions. About the Spotlight In partnership with the Grable Foundation and Remake Learning, HundrED’s Pittsburgh Spotlight shines a light on the educators and innovators doing extraordinary things to help students in southwestern Pennsylvania succeed. Receiving 82 individual submissions from southwestern Pennsylvania and northern West Virginia schools, museums, libraries, nonprofits, government agencies, and more, the Pittsburgh Spotlight is a great opportunity for changemakers to highlight, celebrate, and learn more about the work happening in local communities. While HundrED Spotlights are designed to identify 10 of the most inspiring innovations that focus on a location or theme, Lasse Leponiemi, Executive Director and Co-Founder of HundrED said, “Pittsburgh broke that mold. The response was so robust that we chose to expand our selection to 12 innovations.” Selected Innovations Simple Interactions: This research project of the Fred Rogers Center creates free tools and resources to give educators a language for noticing and affirming their interactions with young children. These simple interactions support relationships between children and adults. Fabricating Change in Mental Wellness: Students diagnosed with mental health conditions work side by side with social workers, therapists, and teachers in this digital Fab Lab at Intermediate Unit 1. The results: increased participation, improved engagement, and fewer disruptions. The Finch: Borne out of research about what engages and excites students in learning computer science, this robot developed by BirdBrain Technologies can be programmed to do physical actions in 9 different coding languages. A free loan program makes it widely available to schools. Global Minds Initiative: Founded, designed, and run by students, this after-school program combats intolerance by fostering intercultural friendships and global understanding. Immigrant and refugee students come together with their peers in safe, inclusive spaces. Hillman Academy: At this 8-week full-time summer program at UPMC Hillman Cancer Center, high school students perform cancer research under the mentorship of world-renowned scientists in a rigorous, supportive, real-world STEM environment. JAM: Two first-grade girls’ interest in making things to help their community has blossomed into an after-school maker learning program at Avonworth School District that is a catalyst for kindness in school and an engine for raising funds for community causes. MAKESHOP: The first museum makerspace, this permanent exhibit at the Children’s Museum of Pittsburgh is a research-based learning environment where children and families make, play, and design using “real stuff.” And they offer professional development, maker learning resources, and more. Manchester Craftsmen’s Guild: This neighborhood-based community center is focused on educating and inspiring youth through the arts, with STEAM-based learning in four art-making studios. 98% of students who attend the program graduate high school on time. Summer Dreamers Academy: By combining the academic benefits of summer school with the fun of camp, this free summer program run by Pittsburgh Public Schools reduces summer learning loss while giving Pittsburgh students fun, enriching summer experiences. The Labs @ CLP Summer Skills Intensives: Part of the Carnegie Library of Pittsburgh‘s commitment to providing teen-driven programs and access to technology, these week-long summer programs offer teens a chance to explore topics like photojournalism, beat-making, filmmaking, and more. transformED: Allegheny Intermediate Unit is rethinking teacher professional development and support for school districts implementing innovative practices. At transformED, educators explore, discover, invent, and learn. Youth Express: Students use the tools of radio to create and distribute original programming through Saturday Light Brigade‘s 24/7 radio station. Programming is based on the idea that when youth realize that their voice matters, they realize that they matter. To learn more, visit the HundrED website. See HundrED’s official release. About HundrED HundrED is a not-for-profit organization that researches, highlights, and propels K-12 education innovations in an effort to improve education and inspire a grassroots movement by encouraging pedagogically sound, ambitious inventions to spread across the world. The Pittsburgh Spotlight is one of 6 individual spotlight categories, all centered around specific regions or topics. Through this spotlight, HundrED seeks to highlight educators and innovators in our area that are doing extraordinary things to help students. Interested in highlighting your innovative solution? Submit your innovation for HundrED’s 2020 Global Collection by June 30, 2019. *Information provided by HundrED
December 13, 2018 DHS Releases Request for Information The Department of Human Services (DHS) recently released a Request for Information (RFI) to explore existing individual or family needs assessments, methods of connecting individuals and families to community resources, and models for providing whole-person or whole-family case management. Purpose The department recognizes the frustration individuals and families may experience while trying to access much-needed services in a timely manner when receiving case management from multiple agencies. DHS wants to make it easier for individuals to obtain meaningful information and access to the services they need to achieve overall wellbeing, positive health outcomes, and financial self-sufficiency. Their goal is to build a system that addresses each family’s needs and amplifies the work of health care providers and community organizations. Submissions and Deadlines If your organization has experience in any of the areas outlined in this RFI, respond by January 18, 2019 by visiting the Pennsylvania eMarketplace website. *Information provided by PA Early Ed News
November 12, 2018 Annual PENN SACCA Conference Join the Pennsylvania School-Age Child Care Alliance (PENN SACCA) on November 9 for their 22nd Annual Statewide Conference! This year’s theme: Afterschool time is STEM time! About Featuring keynote speaker Jeff Remington, this year’s theme will explore all things STEM in afterschool. As one of ten National STEM Teacher Ambassadors, an international STEM advocate, trainer, and consultant, Jeff has a unique perspective of how the daily practice of STEM impacts the big picture of educational systems tied to a global 21st Century economy. This year’s conference will be held at Toftrees Golf Resort in State College, PA. Click here to make reservations. Participants will receive PQAS hours, but must provide their Registry ID number upon registration. For Act 48 credits, participants must submit their PPID number, complete necessary paperwork, and pay a $10 fee. National and State Experts Will Discuss: STEM in afterschool STEM career readiness 21st-century skills Makerspaces Implementing STEM Registration To register for the conference, visit the event webpage. Group discounts are available for organizations registering four or more participants. To receive the group discount, all group attendees must be a PENN SACCA Comprehensive Member. Learn More For more information, visit the event webpage or contact
PSAYDN Annual Partners’ Retreat Focusing on policy development, coordination of quality initiatives, and sustainability, the PSAYDN Annual Partners’ Retreat provides professional development opportunities for OST professionals, school administrators, teachers, nonprofits, policymakers, and more. Register here to attend. PSAYDN Retreat and PENN SACCA Conference For the first time, the PSAYDN Retreat and PENN SACCA Conference will run consecutively to provide additional opportunities for OST advocates and professionals to receive professional development and participate in networking activities. National and State Experts Will Discuss: STEM and Advocacy Career Pathways Social-Emotional Learning Behavioral Development Substance Abuse Prevention Sustainability and Partnerships Leadership Development Act 48 credits available.
