PITTSBURGH, March 12, 2026 –With an increased focus on boosting employment options for the youngest members of the southwestern Pennsylvania workforce, The Heinz Endowments has awarded $11.3 million in grants to 40 organizations helping young people on paths to life-sustaining careers.
The grants have been approved by the Endowments’ board of directors, with the majority of the funding set for disbursement over the next 24 months.
The grants reflect the Endowments’ increased commitment to strengthening southwest Pennsylvania’s workforce and focus on four distinct areas of action:
• Individual path navigation will build education-to-career connections that address potential detours and dead ends that young people can face when entering the workforce.
• Funding for skill building supports career training in industries that pay at least a livable wage of $23 per hour or more and provide opportunities to advance to a family-sustaining wage.
• A focus on responsible employer action will include collaboration with employers to identify opportunities that meet the talent needs of the corporate sector while also providing well-paying opportunities for job seekers.
• The fourth area of action focuses on system integration with the aim of building cross-sector partnerships, resource sharing, shared strategies and systems-level goals in the workforce sector.
Grants in all four areas of action include support for research and data collection that will inform the Endowments’ future workforce efforts.
“An economy that provides young people with pathways to life-sustaining wages is key to the future of a dynamic, competitive southwestern Pennsylvania,” said Endowments President Chris DeCardy “A truly vibrant region must be anchored by employment opportunities that keep our next drivers of growth from leaving and attract emerging talent to move here to realize their dreams.”
Beginning in 2024, the Endowments began to examine regional population migration, household income, job skills training and obstacles faced by young adults who are seeking careers that provide life-sustaining wages. Analysis of that data led the Endowments to believe that strategic action in the workforce sector is paramount to building an economy that offers opportunities for all while sustaining or increasing the population of southwestern Pennsylvania.
As a result of that data analysis, the Endowments has integrated Workforce as a new primary strategy in its grantmaking portfolio, joining its other main areas of focus: Arts & Culture; Civic Participation; Climate, Environment & Health; Community & Economic Development; Food Systems; and Veterans.
Grants related to skills-building are directed to programs that target regional industries with the most future growth potential, including healthcare, social services, education, advanced manufacturing and information technology.
“Meeting our young adults where they are with grace and providing a curriculum that gives them a strong base of skills so they can pursue entry into a specialist program that sparks their interest allows them to see their potential,” said Chaquita Barnett, Executive Program Director for Introduction to the Construction Trades at Pittsburgh Gateways Corporation. “That combination of skills and confidence can make all the difference when they transition from training to full-time employment.”
The slate of grants includes funding to build partnerships with regional employers, with the aim of increasing training and experience opportunities.
“We’re excited to join forces with the Endowments in our shared aim of narrowing the opportunity divide for young adults in southwestern Pennsylvania,” said Susan Murray, Chief Executive Officer at nonprofit Year Up about their $200,000 grant to expand their Pittsburgh United program. “We have had a great partnership with BNY for our southwestern Pennsylvania work, and this grant will help us expand our internship opportunities to include an even larger slate of regional corporations.”
Workforce grants will be directed to organizations in a 10-county region: Allegheny, Armstrong, Beaver, Butler, Fayette, Greene, Indiana, Lawrence, Washington, and Westmoreland counties. Those counties are home to approximately 300,000 people between the ages of 15 and 24.
Tax data reveals that nearly 12 percent of those 300,000 young people claim head of household status and that more than half of them do not make a living wage to afford adequate shelter, food, healthcare and other basic expenses.
Ongoing data collection and analysis about how young adults interact with the workforce system, including training, education, human services and networking, will guide the Endowments’ Workforce strategy as it advances.
"Young adults in our region navigate a complex landscape of organizations and services that aim to support them on their journey to good-paying jobs with opportunities for advancement,” said Brian Phillips, Policy Researcher at RAND’s Pittsburgh Office. “By learning from young adults' experiences over time, this research will identify the policies, programs and resources that can best support their transition into family-sustaining career pathways.”
The Endowments believes a comprehensive approach to the region’s workforce challenges offers the best prospect for lasting change.
“Opportunities for the education necessary to find success in our region’s workforce vary greatly depending on where young people live and go to school, and there are numerous obstacles that can temporarily or permanently throw them off course,” said Megan Andros, Director of Workforce for The Heinz Endowments. “By approaching this work from multiple angles, we are hopeful that we can advance our goal of a future where all of our region’s young adults can envision – and achieve – meaningful, life-sustaining careers.”
The funding includes 42 grants totaling $11,377,205 to 40 organizations:
12 Plus ($195,000) to develop a plan for implementation of its postsecondary success model in under-resourced high schools in Allegheny and Greene counties during 2026–27 school year.
A's Vision ($30,000) to reduce barriers to employment for Pittsburgh’s young adults through expansion of its driving license program.
Allegheny County Airport Authority Charitable Foundation ($300,000) to expand PIT2Work, a pre-apprenticeship program creating equitable access to construction careers for underrepresented young adults through hands-on training, certifications and comprehensive support.
Allegheny Health Network/Highmark ($200,000) to support tuition and related academic expenses for a portion of AHN’s Talent Attraction Program participants over a two-year period of performance, more fully integrating TAP into the organization’s workforce development strategy.
Allegheny Intermediate Unit ($200,000) for BridgeUP, an alternative pathway to advance special education teaching career opportunities for high school graduates.
Butler Coffee Lab ($200,000) to support empowerment of vulnerable young adults aged 18 to 24 as they gain manufacturing skills, confidence and purpose through meaningful employment.
Catalyst Connection ($200,000) to partner with Council for Adult and Experiential Learning and Pittsburgh Gateways in developing plan for improved coordination of advanced manufacturing sector opportunities for young adults.
Community College of Allegheny County ($200,000) to expand access to advanced manufacturing careers for K-12 students through a mobile mechatronics lab and increased industry partnerships.
Community Forge ($200,000) to support a multi-tracked workforce development pilot program that removes barriers to work, teaches technical skills and includes innovative approaches to social skills education.
Community Kitchen Pittsburgh ($200,000) to support job training, social skills development, placement and barrier removal for 18–24 year olds who are disconnected from school and workforce.
Council for Adult and Experiential Learning ($650,000) to partner with Catalyst Connection and Pittsburgh Gateways in developing plan for improved coordination of advanced manufacturing sector opportunities for young adults.
Energy Innovation Center/Pittsburgh Gateways ($418,445) to provide young adults who are underemployed, unemployed, veterans and/or re-entering the workforce with pre-apprenticeship opportunities in Allegheny County, and to expand the program to Fayette County.
For Inspiration and Recognition of Science and Technology ($28,000) to support six teams in Fayette County to participate in the FIRST Robotics competition and gain marketable skills for careers in robotics and manufacturing.
Flourish Beaver County ($200,000) to collaborate with partners from every sector of the region in ensuring 16–19 year olds in Beaver County understand the diverse career and training pathways available to them and the key steps - academic, financial and experiential - needed for access.
German American Chamber of Commerce ($198,000) to support expansion of advanced manufacturing pre-apprenticeship and apprenticeship programs for regional students and young adults.
Greene County Career & Technology Center ($199,000) to partner with fiscal sponsor Greene County Community Foundation in expanding Commercial Driving License certification and Licensed Practical Nursing programs for young adults in Greene County.
Impact Aid ($35,556) to support justice-impacted young adults ages 18-24 in the regional workforce via paid job placement, training and customized support.
Ithaka Harbors, Inc. ($650,000) to launch the Southwestern Pennsylvania Comeback Program, an initiative to assist adult learners with some college and no credentials in their return to higher education.
Literacy Pittsburgh ($500,000) to design and deliver educational pathways for young adult students and those who are parents, to post-secondary education, job training and/or family-sustaining careers.
National Center for Urban Solutions Tech ($600,000) to expand its Advanced Manufacturing program to SWPA, including comprehensive support services, transportation assistance, childcare resources and access to mental health support.
Neighborhood Learning Alliance ($55,000) to design a scalable healthcare career pathway that includes dual enrollment credits, real-world work experience and individualized support to prepare high school students for medical sector employment.
New Century Careers ($217,000) for outreach and marketing to increase community awareness of its Manufacturing 2000 program, with an aim of growing enrollment and utilizing training slots.
Northwestern University ($172,431) to reduce career path obstacles for young adults by promoting evidence-based practices for the development, implementation and management of integrated health and human service referral networks.
Partner4Work ($65,000) for enhancements to the Learn & Earn program that engages youth participants in robust, paid workforce development experience, including coaching in resume building, interview skills and professional networking opportunities.
PA Women Work ($139,811) to launch a career readiness program that empowers immigrant and refugee young adults with the skills, confidence and support needed to find meaningful employment in the healthcare sector.
Pennsylvania Association for the Education of Young Children ($400,000) to increase families' access to high-quality childcare provided by an appropriately compensated workforce, and for childcare policy and advocacy efforts at the state and federal levels.
Pennsylvania Partnership for Children ($400,000) – to elevate the critical role of childcare in successful workforce navigation through sharing sector research and data with state and federal officials.
Pennsylvania’s State System of Higher Education Foundation ($513,400) to partner with Burning Glass Institute in development of data-informed planning tools that align academic offerings with high-opportunity occupations.
Per Scholas ($300,000) - to support tuition-free tech career training and employer connections for young adults at its Pittsburgh campus and new Glassport satellite campus.
Phase 4 Learning Center ($198,588) to expand and market its pre-apprenticeship program Tech Launch and related initiatives that focus on preparing economically challenged 18–24-year-olds for careers in the trades, technology and advanced manufacturing.
Pittsburgh Chapter National Tooling and Machining Foundation ($60,000) to expand its BotsIQ programs for students across classrooms, after-school clubs and summer camps through partnerships with school districts, community organizations and homeschool networks.
Prototype PGH ($50,000) to launch two six-month cohorts with 30 or more participants in the Maker to Manufacturer workforce development program, which trains and places skilled women and vulnerable individuals in advanced manufacturing careers.
RAND ($595,469) to develop the survey infrastructure and project management plan for a longitudinal study of 18–24 year olds across southwestern Pennsylvania that will document the contours of this critical period of transition for young adults in the region.
RAND ($500,000) - to develop a multidimensional survey measure of underemployment, benchmark underemployment among veterans and non-veterans to measure future progress, and disseminate broadly among veteran- and workforce-serving organizations and policymakers.
Research for Action ($200,000) to support two research projects: a study of the rate southwestern Pennsylvania students continue their higher education by returning to college for their second year or subsequent semesters at any institution, and a study exploring secondary career and technical education opportunities in Allegheny County.
Rivers of Steel ($85,000) to support a program providing hands-on, industry-informed training for young adults ages 18 to 24 in traditional building trades that are essential to preserving our nation's historic assets, while adapting for future use.
United Way of SWPA ($50,000) for a ten-week feasibility study to understand how its PA211 program would develop and deploy a closed-loop network that integrates workforce and human service supports for 16–24-year-olds in southwestern Pennsylvania.
United Way of SWPA ($1,191,505) to support PAWorkLift Youth Social Services Navigation Hub, a program for young adults who work but still struggle to afford basic necessities like housing, childcare, food, transportation, healthcare and technology.
University of Pittsburgh ($180,000) for Justice Scholars Institute to partner with its colleagues in engineering, business, health and rehabilitation sciences, education, humanities, and computer science to design half-day career exposure experiences for rising seniors from three partner schools.
VisAbility ($200,000) to support the empowerment of visually impaired young adults ages 18–24 from Allegheny and Fayette counties by providing them with skill building, confidence and purpose through meaningful employment.
Westmoreland County Community College Educational Foundation ($200,000) to research, design, and implement an education program to build clear pathways to family-sustaining careers in health care in Fayette County.
Year Up ($200,000) to support the expansion of the Year Up United Pittsburgh program, offering young adults with a high school diploma or GED who are disconnected from living-wage jobs with a wider variety of training opportunities that lead to livable wage employment in growth-projected industries.
For more information, please contact:
Scott Roller
Strategic Communications Manager
The Heinz Endowments
412-725-0023
[email protected]