Launched in March 2025, the Community Partners Fund has provided fast-response funding to our grantees and partnerships to support southwestern Pennsylvania’s vulnerable populations affected by executive orders and rapidly changing federal policies and programs. About 50 grants totaling close to $7 million have been awarded for uses that included capacity building, technical assistance, legal needs, physical or data security needs, education and advocacy, communications and outreach, organizational change management, and scenario planning and risk analysis.
While The Heinz Endowments and other grantmakers make adjustments to address the long-term implications of numerous policy and funding changes, the Community Partners Fund is now focused on supporting coordinated efforts by regional and statewide nonprofits and philanthropies to move from responding to crises to addressing more durable, systemic needs due to ongoing reductions in government funding. As a result of this evolved approach, the fund is no longer accepting grant applications.
We at the Endowments have been inspired by the leadership and dedication of our nonprofit community partners in providing vital work that received financial assistance through the Community Partners Fund. Because of our abiding mission to help southwestern Pennsylvania become a region where everyone prospers and belongs, we are committed to supporting our neighbors when they face threats to their long-term stability. Our approaches must continually evolve based on feedback from grantees and partners along with changes in the world around us. Throughout, our commitment endures.