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.YEARLY, THE FUND HAS INTERACTS WITH OR CONVENES APPROXIMATELY 2,500 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), PERFORMANCE IMPERATIVE AND LARGE AND SMALL AGENCY COHORTS. THIS NUMBER REPRESENTS NEARLY HALF THE NUMBER OF CURRENT NONPROFIT ORGANIZATIONS IN ALLEGHENY COUNTY AND OVER 25% OF THE TEN-COUNTY REGIONAL'S NONPROFIT SECTOR.

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 40-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.SINCE 2018, 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. ADDITIONALLY, IN 2020, TFF'S 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. THIS HAS LED TO THE DEVELOPMENT OF AN INTERNATIONAL ANTI-RACISM INSTITUTIONAL COHORT (ARC) THAT IS BEING LAUNCHED IN COLLABORATION WITH THE HEINZ ENDOWMENTS, THE UNIVERSITY OF PITTSBURGH, AND THE DEPARTMENT OF THE FUTURE IN SOUSSE, TUNISIA. BY CO-DESIGNING SOLUTIONS, OUR GRANTMAKING HAS INCREASED OVER 400% AND FOR EVERY $1 INVESTED IN TFF, THE RESULT IS A RETURN ON INVESTMENT OF MORE THAN $7 OR APPROXIMATELY $28 MILLION WORTH OF CAPACITY BUILDING RESOURCES IN THE TEN-COUNTY, SW PENNSYLVANIA REGION.SINCE THE ONSET OF COVID-19, TFF HAS HELD MORE THAN 4,198 VIRTUAL MEETINGS WITH MORE THAN 35,887 PARTICIPANTS ACROSS THE REGION AND ACROSS THE STATE, NATION, AND GLOBE.FINALLY, AS A RESULT OF COVID-19, TFF 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, AND SCENARIO PLANNING. TFF 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 AND UNITED NATIONS SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT GOALS (UNSDGS) TO SHOW THE IMPACT OF THE REGION. THIS APPROACH TO SYSTEMS MANAGEMENT REQUIRES LEVERAGING PARTNERSHIP AND TOOLS AND ESTABLISHING SHARED GOALS. THE GOAL IS TO NOT ONLY IMPROVE ORGANIZATIONAL CAPACITY OF NONPROFITS BUT TO ENSURE THAT THE POPULATIONS SERVED BY ORGANIZATIONS WE SUPPORT BENEFIT AS WELL. THE PREMISE IS THAT INDIVIDUALS SERVED BY THE ORGANIZATIONS WE SUPPORT ARE OFTEN TIMES DEALING WITH MORE THAN ONE ISSUE AND A HOLISTIC APPROACH IS NECESSARY THAT INVOLVES MULTIPLE ORGANIZATIONS.TFF'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. THE FORBES FUNDS IS EXPLORING CO-DESIGNED APPROACHES THAT ARE ITERATIVE AND AGILE, ESPECIALLY AS OUR SECTOR ADDRESSES THE REALITIES OF SCENARIO PLANNING - ECONOMIC STRESSES AND SHOCKS TO THE REGION THAT WILL PUT UNTOLD STRAIN ON SOUTHWESTERN PENNSYLVANIA.

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 VARIOUS TOPICS OF INTEREST FOR NONPROFITS THAT FOSTERS CAPACITY BUILDING AND SOCIAL INNOVATION.

SOCIAL INNOVATION - ACCELERATING THE DEVELOPMENT OF OPERATING MODELS AND TECHNOLOGICAL INNOVATION TO REDUCE EXPENSE AND/OR INCREASE IMPACT OF OUR COMMUNITY NONPROFIT ORGANIZATIONS.