The Forbes Funds

TO FOCUS ON STRENGTHENING THE MANAGEMENT CAPACITY AND IMPACT OF COMMUNITY NONPROFITS INDIVIDUALLY AND COLLECTIVELY.

CAPACITY BUILDING: PROVIDING NONPROFITS WITH RESOURCES, THROUGH GRANTMAKING AND COHORTS, AND LEARNING FORUMS TO ENABLE THEM TO MANAGE A DISRUPTIVE EVENT, REFRAME THEIR THINKING ABOUT A SPECIFIC ISSUE THAT IMPACTS OPERATIONS, AND PREPARE FOR THE FUTURE. PRIORITY IS GIVEN TO HUMAN SERVICES AND COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT ORGANIZATIONS IN ALLEGHENY COUNTY.

SOCIAL INNOVATION: ACCELERATING THE DEVELOPMENT OF PARTNERING MODELS AND TECHNOLOGICAL INNOVATION TO REDUCE EXPENSES AND/OR INCREASE THE IMPACT OF COMMUNITY NONPROFIT ORGANIZATIONS.

THE FUND SITS AT THE INTERSECTION BETWEEN FUNDERS AND THE NONPROFIT COMMUNITY. THE FUND'S WORK HAS EVOLVED OVER THE YEARS TO BUILD A MORE SYSTEMIC TRANSFORMATIONAL MODEL ANCHORED IN A NEARLY 41-YEAR HISTORY OF ADVANCING THE WELL-BEING OF OUR REGION. THE MISSION OF THE FUND FOCUSES ON BUILDING THE MANAGEMENT CAPACITY AND IMPACT OF HUMAN SERVICES AND COMMUNITY-BASED NONPROFITS - BOTH AS INDIVIDUAL ORGANIZATIONS AND AS A UNIFIED COALITION OF LEADERS, FUNDERS AND ADVOCATES WORKING COLLABORATIVELY THROUGHOUT SOUTHWESTERN PENNSYLVANIA.CONTINUED ON SCHEDULE OOVER THE PAST FOUR YEARS, THE FUND HAS ALIGNED ITS TRADITIONAL PROGRAMMING TO INCREASE ENGAGEMENT WITH OUR REGIONAL PARTNERS AND TO IDENTIFY WHERE GAPS AND OVERLAPS OF SERVICES AND INVESTMENTS EXIST. TODAY, THE FUND HAS CONVENED THOUGHT LEADERS WITHIN THE NONPROFIT SECTOR THROUGH THE GREATER PITTSBURGH NONPROFIT PARTNERSHIP ("GPNP"), EXECUTIVE-IN-RESIDENCE ("EIR"), MANAGEMENT ASSISTANCE GRANTS ("MAGS"), CATALYTIC COMMUNITY COHORTS ("C3"), THE COMMONS, PERFORMANCE IMPERATIVE, THE TRANSFORMATIONAL LEADERSHIP COHORT, AND LARGE AND SMALL AGENCY COHORTS, THE FUND WORKS WITH NONPROFIT ORGANIZATIONS IN ALLEGHENY COUNTY AND SOUTHWESTERN PENNSYLVANIA AND IS BUILDING A GROWING NETWORK OF PARTNERSHIPS ACROSS THE COMMONWEALTH OF PENNSYLVANIA, THE NATION, AND THE GLOBE.IN 2020, THE FUND'S BOARD OF DIRECTORS (THE "BOARD") APPROVED A RACIAL JUSTICE EQUITY FRAMEWORK THAT INFORMS OUR PROGRAMMING TODAY AND IN THE FUTURE. THIS FRAMEWORK INCLUDES INVESTING IN DIVERSE LEADERSHIP, INCREASING THE CAPACITY OF MINORITY-LED ORGANIZATIONS, DEVELOPING SCENARIO PLANNING AND INCREASING COLLABORATIVE CAPACITY OF REGIONAL ORGANIZATIONS. FINALLY, AS A RESULT OF COVID-19, THE FUND HAS BEEN WORKING WITH THE REGIONAL NONPROFIT SECTOR TO NOT ONLY HELP ORGANIZATIONS SURVIVE THE PANDEMIC BUT TO PREPARE FOR THE CHANGES THAT WILL LIKELY OCCUR INCLUDING CHANGES TO FUNDING CYCLES, PHILANTHROPIC PRIORITIES, AND AN INCREASE EMPHASIS ON COLLABORATION. THIS HAS LED TO THE LAUNCH OF VARIOUS LEARNING COHORTS WITH NONPROFITS ON TOPICS LIKE HUMAN RESOURCES, EQUITABLE ENTREPRENEURISM, FUNDRAISING AND ADVOCACY, SUCCESSION PLANNING, OPERATIONAL RESERVES, AND SCENARIO PLANNING. THE FUND ALSO WORKED WITH A GROUP OF SKILLED PRACTITIONERS, EDUCATORS, DOCTORS, SCIENTISTS, AND PHILANTHROPISTS TO ADDRESS THE IMPACT ON THE PANDEMIC ON RESILIENT BLACK, BROWN, AND LGBQTIA+ COMMUNITIES AROUND THE COMMONWEALTH OF PENNSYLVANIA. THIS WORK WAS IN COLLABORATION WITH THE PA SECRETARY OF HEALTH AND IS FOCUSED ON ADDRESSING CURRENT HEALTH AND HEALTHCARE INEQUITIES, EQUIPPING FEDERALLY QUALIFIED HEALTH CENTERS WITH RESOURCES LIKE CONTACT TRACERS, AND SUPPORTING WORKFORCE AND SOCIAL SECTOR INVESTMENTS FOR ESSENTIAL WORKERS WHO ARE MORE LIKELY TO CONTRACT THE DISEASE. THE FUND NOW ALIGNS ALL SERVICES WITH THE SOCIAL DETERMINATES OF HEALTH (SDOH) AND UNITED NATIONS SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT GOALS (UNSDGS) TO SHOW THE LOCAL AND GLOBAL IMPACTS OF THE REGION. THIS NEW APPROACH TO ECOSYSTEMS DEVELOPMENT REQUIRES LEVERAGING PARTNERSHIPS AND TOOLS TO ESTABLISH SHARED GOALS. THE GOAL IS TO NOT ONLY IMPROVE THE ORGANIZATIONAL CAPACITY OF NONPROFITS BUT TO ENSURE THAT THE POPULATIONS SERVED BY ORGANIZATIONS THE FUND SUPPORTS WILL BENEFIT AS WELL. THE PREMISE IS THAT INDIVIDUALS SERVED BY THE ORGANIZATIONS THE FUND SUPPORTS ARE OFTENTIMES DEALING WITH MORE THAN ONE ISSUE, AND A HOLISTIC, COLLABORATIVE APPROACH INVOLVING THE INPUT OF MULTIPLE ORGANIZATIONS IS NECESSARY. THE FUND'S WORK IS CENTERED AROUND MORE THAN TRANSACTIONAL RELATIONSHIPS AND APPROACHES; THE AIM IS TO FOSTER TRANSFORMATIONAL PARTNERSHIPS AND TO OPTIMIZE HOW THE NONPROFIT ECOSYSTEM INTERACTS WITH FUNDERS, GOVERNMENT, PRIVATE SECTOR AND OTHERS IN THE PITTSBURGH REGION. CURRENTLY, THE FUND IS EXPLORING CO-DESIGNED APPROACHES THAT ARE ITERATIVE AND AGILE, ESPECIALLY AS THE NONPROFIT SECTOR ADDRESSES THE REALITIES OF ECONOMIC STRESSES AND SHOCKS TO THE REGION. RECOGNIZING THAT THESE STRESSES AND SHOCKS WILL PUT UNTOLD STRAIN ON SOUTHWESTERN PENNSYLVANIA, THE FUND'S INTENTION WILL BE MOVING FROM SYSTEMS CHANGE TO ECOSYSTEMS COCREATION--WHERE DIVERSE NETWORKS AND CROSS-SECTORAL PARTNERSHIPS CAN HAVE VIBRANT EXCHANGES OF IDEAS AND WHERE TRANSFORMATIONAL LEADERS CAN DRIVE SHARED SOLUTIONS.

GREATER PITTSBURGH NONPROFIT PARTNERSHIP (GPNP): LEVERAGING THE COLLECTIVE STRENGTH OF THE SECTOR TO INFORM POLICY, GIVE INPUT TO COMMUNITY PRIORITIES AND STRATEGIES, AND INCREASE THEIR PURCHASING POWER. BI-ANNUALLY, GPNP ORGANIZES THE GREATER PITTSBURGH NON-PROFIT SUMMIT WHICH BRINGS TOGETHER LOCAL NONPROFIT STAFF AND BOARD MEMBERS PLUS OTHER INTERESTED PARTIES TO DISCUSS OVER AN AFTERNOON, VARIOUS TOPICS OF INTEREST FOR NONPROFITS THAT FOSTERS CAPACITY BUILDING AND SOCIAL INNOVATION.