Corporate, individual donations push relief fund to $5M
Aid will assist people upended by pandemic
Google Pittsburgh, the Pittsburgh Steelers and Duquesne Light were among the first large companies to step up with contributions to an emergency relief fund for those in the region whose lives have been upended by the COVID-19 pandemic.
The fund, seeded by Pittsburgh’s largest philanthropies, has received more than $1 million in contributions since its launch March 16 and now totals more than $5 million.
Donations from individuals have been pouring in as well and account for just over 30% of the money raised in the past week.
Individual gifts include $5,000 donated in honor of a 9-year-old Sewickley boy who died unexpectedly in 2014 and a large contribution from a retired H.J. Heinz Co. executive who has a history of giving in the wake of global disasters.
The Emergency Action Fund, housed at the Pittsburgh Foundation, is expected to provide resources to nonprofits and government agencies that provide food, shelter, health care, child care, services for seniors and other support for vulnerable individuals and families.
The Pittsburgh Foundation and its affiliate, the Community Foundation of Westmoreland County, are working with the United Way of Southwestern Pennsylvania and health and human services leaders in city and county government to help identify the most pressing
needs and where the funds will be channeled.
In a message to regional nonprofits on Tuesday, Lisa Schroeder, president and chief executive of the Pittsburgh Foundation, said the criteria and application process for the fund will be available by the end of this week.
“We’re coordinating each day with our colleagues in philanthropy, with government officials, with medical authorities and with grantees to assess the challenges and determine needs for support,” Ms. Schroeder wrote in an email to the nonprofits.
The Pittsburgh Foundation collaborated with the
Richard King Mellon Foundation, the Heinz Endowments and the Hillman Family Foundations to provide initial donations of $4 million for the emergency fund.
The four charities said they would direct another $6 million in individual grants to provide relief from the novel coronavirus fallout.
Corporate donations totaling nearly $750,000 in the past week include $500,000 from Duquesne Light and $100,000 each from Google Pittsburgh and the Steelers.
Matt Galluzzo, president and chief executive of Riverlife, a Pittsburgh nonprofit that has led redevelopment of the city’s riverfronts into trails and parks, said he and his wife, Meghan, were talking Sunday about how they could help the community as it copes with repercussions from the virus.
The couple started a donor-advised fund at the Pittsburgh Foundation after their 9-year-old son, Owen, died from complications of surgery for a congenital heart condition.
The Owen Galluzzo Memorial Fund typically contributes to causes for children who are medically fragile and holds an annual fundraiser picnic featuring Wiffle ball and other activities.
After learning about the local emergency relief fund for COVID-19, the Galluzzos held a virtual board meeting for directors of Owen’s fund and agreed to donate $5,000.
“It was an unprecedented moment for us,” Matt Galluzzo said. “Our board agreed this could be our way to do a small part to put our fund to work in a different way.
“We view this as furthering Owen’s memory. … And hopefully inspiration for others to practice generosity and empathy during this desperate hour.”
Bill Goode, of Wexford, who retired as senior vice president and chief administrative officer of H.J. Heinz Co. 17 years ago, created a family charitable fund at the Pittsburgh Foundation after Heinz was sold in 2013 and shares of stock he held in the food conglomerate were converted to cash.
His fund focuses mainly on medical research and education causes, he said, and he has directed donations to relief efforts after a number of disasters including floods and hurricanes.
When he learned about the coronavirus emergency fund for the Pittsburgh region, Mr. Goode said, “It was in line with the types of things we’d been doing in the past.”
Instead of selecting the recipients who could use his donation for coronavirus relief, Mr. Goode said, “I felt the [Pittsburgh] foundation was in a much better position to assess the needs locally and how to get the biggest bang for the buck and have the most impact.”
He declined to disclose the amount of his donation but said it was the largest single gift his fund has made.
“I responded so quickly with a grant because I was very concerned about people living hand to mouth and who don’t know beyond the next paycheck how they are going to live.”
To donate to the emergency fund, go to https:// pittsburghfoundation.org/.