Black Arts Pittsburgh is a new initiative that will provide a multifaceted platform to increase marketing capacity and serve as a touchpoint for providing sustained, robust support and visibility to southwestern Pennsylvania's Black arts community.
Bridgette Perdue, Executive Director, Alumni Theatre Company
Darcel Madkins, PNC and Founder, African American Leadership Association
Linsey McDaniel, Executive Director, Balafon West African Dance Ensemble
LaKeisha Brown, Founder, Nice 2 Media Marketing & Promotions
Leigh Solomon Pugliano, Executive Director, Equity Impact Center
Seth Whitted, Founder, Whitted Media Service
Kilolo Luckett, Executive Director + Chief Curator, Alma | Lewis
Michael Chapman, Executive Director, Guardians of Sound/Hip Hop Orchestra
Maggie Richardson, Chief Creative Strategist, Jazzspace Consulting
Sadie Treese, Associate Strategist, Jazzspace Consulting
Black Arts Pittsburgh is a phase III project funded by the generous support of the Pittsburgh Cultural Treasures initiative (PCTI). The Heinz Endowments is honored to join the Ford Foundation and its national partners on the America’s Cultural Treasures Regional Challenge Initiative. Ford’s goal for the program is to “provide regionally significant cultural organizations of color with meaningful sums of operating support during this period of unprecedented upheaval, and to encourage related local efforts to strengthen cultural endeavors that reflect and benefit BIPOC communities over the next five years.” The Ford Foundation will provide $5 million that will be matched with $5 million by the Endowments. Given Pittsburgh’s demographics, the Ford Foundation and the Endowments have agreed that our regional focus will center support for the Black cultural sector, highlighting organizations whose historic contributions, commitment to cultural activities in the region, and future promise we will celebrate as “Pittsburgh’s Cultural Treasures. The primary objective of the Pittsburgh’s Cultural Treasures initiative is to develop and implement the most celebratory, elegantly strategic, streamlined and appropriately measured regional challenge program in the nation.
The POISE Foundation partnered with The Heinz Endowments to design and manage Pittsburgh’s Cultural Treasures program. The mission of POISE is to assist the Black community in achieving self-sustaining practices, through strategic leadership, collective giving, grantmaking and advocacy. Created in the format of a Community Foundation, POISE receives funds from a variety of donors. These funds may be unrestricted, and used to support our grantmaking strategy, or donor-directed for specific charitable purposes.
Jazzspace is the professional consulting firm appointed to serve as project manager of Black Arts Pittsburgh. The mission of Jazzspace is to work with leaders of nonprofit organizations, private and public foundations, and other creative changemakers to bring hope and prosperity to all communities. Learn more at jazzspaceconsulting.com.
