R.K. Mellon Foundation to distribute $5 million for region’s economic recovery from pandemic
Includes $250k grant to Downtown Partnership
The Richard King Mellon Foundation will distribute more than $5 million to help jump-start the region’s economy in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic.
Grants to 37 groups include funding for disaster loans, job training, financial counseling and free Wi-Fi for underserved communities.
“These projects will lead the way in showing all of us how to reverse the daunting economic impacts of this pandemic,” Sam Reiman, the foundation’s director, said in a statement.
The foundation, the largest philanthropy in the Pittsburgh region, said in April it would earmark $15 million to address the coronavirus crisis.
Besides the allocations announced Monday to spur economic recovery, the foundation has already distributed $3.2 million in emergency operating grants to nonprofits assisting with the COVID-19 crisis and has channeled funds for health care initiatives such as vaccine research and development at the University of Pittsburgh.
The new economic recovery grants include $250,000 to the Pittsburgh Downtown Partnership to reconfigure streets for more outdoor dining options and other initiatives as restaurants and other businesses reopen in the Golden Triangle.
Other groups that received the maximum grant amount of $250,000 include the Economic
Growth Connection of Westmoreland for a disaster loan fund; the Healthcare Council of Western Pennsylvania for a crisis employee support program; Pittsburgh Ballet Theatre for recovery programming; Community Foundation of Johnstown for the Greater Pittsburgh Farmers Market Network; and Sustainable Pittsburgh for an initiative to adapt the local food chain to better support economic recovery.
After the foundation sought ideas to help the region emerge from the economic fallout of COVID-19, it received 235 submissions that represented 500-plus collaborating organizations.
It selected 80 finalists, and those were asked to submit more details about their proposals.
The 37 grants awarded represent collaborations among 125 groups, the foundation said.
For instance, Carnegie Mellon University’s School of Computer Science received a grant of $125,000 to work with partners in Homewood and the New Kensington-Arnold School District to provide free Wi-Fi for families and students engaged in remote learning.
Wi-Fi “bubbles” will be located at homes and community centers.
A grant of $50,000 to the KellyStrayhorn Theater will allow the arts organization to partner with local businesses in East Liberty to boost commerce and employment.
The R.K. Mellon Foundation’s endowment totaled $2.7 billion at the end of 2019, and last year, it awarded grants totaling $129 million for education, human services, economic development and environmental conservation.