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Posner Foundation of Pittsburgh

Annual Giving
$17.1M
Grant Range
$50K - $8.0M

Posner Foundation of Pittsburgh

Quick Stats

  • Annual Giving: $17,092,753 (2023)
  • Total Assets: $181,408,264 (2023)
  • Number of Grants: 75 awards (2023)
  • Average Grant Size: $227,903
  • Decision Time: Varies by RFP competition
  • Geographic Focus: Pittsburgh region and global
  • Application Method: Invitation only / Targeted RFP competitions
  • Spenddown Strategy: Planning to sunset operations by 2040

Contact Details

Website: https://posnerfoundation.org
Phone: 412-928-7701
Address: 535 Smithfield St #960, Pittsburgh, PA 15222-2393
Email: Available through grantee portal for funded organizations

Overview

Founded in 1963 by Henry Posner Sr., the Posner Foundation of Pittsburgh has evolved from supporting local Pittsburgh charitable causes to a sophisticated global and local grantmaking operation. Now led by Henry Posner III as chairman, the foundation underwent significant restructuring in 2019 by hiring its first professional staff, establishing a formal mission statement, and defining priority areas. In 2020, the trustees made the pivotal decision to operate as a spenddown foundation, planning to "significantly spend down its assets and end its formal operations" by 2040. This 20-year sunset strategy focuses resources on issues with "timely opportunities for impact."

The foundation's mission is to seek "high-leverage opportunities to advance long-term structural solutions to social, economic, and environmental challenges." With approximately $181 million in assets and distributing over $17 million annually to 75 organizations, the foundation operates both globally and in Pittsburgh, with particular emphasis on partnership longevity. As stated on their website: "We value strong relationships with our partners and seek to invest in their long-term visions."

The foundation describes itself as "a small but mighty team" with three staff members and a five-person board comprised primarily of family members and a long-time adviser, maintaining governance centered on the Posner family legacy while incorporating outside perspective.

Funding Priorities

Priority Areas

Education
The flagship initiative is Student Success, helping first-generation students access, afford, thrive in, and complete college education. The foundation prioritizes students of color, immigrants and refugees, students from lower socioeconomic backgrounds, and first-generation college students. Beyond Pittsburgh, they fund programs supporting vulnerable youth displaced by conflict and literacy initiatives across age groups. Recent 2024 grants include support for Bhutanese Community Association of Pittsburgh (college prep and mentorship for immigrant families), Community College of Allegheny County (Latino ESL Support Coordinator), and an $8 million commitment to Carnegie Mellon University Libraries.

Environment
Major focus on preventing food waste globally, examining consumer behavior and supply chain solutions. Additional investments include climate-smart agriculture and landfill diversion efforts. Recipients include ReFED (food waste solutions), WRAP, and Red BAMX.

Civil Society
Addresses domestic challenges including immigrant and refugee support, local journalism, gun violence reduction, and voting rights protection. The foundation participates in national funding collaboratives. Recipients include ACLU, CeaseFirePA Education Fund, Spotlight PA (investigative journalism), and Rebuild Local News.

Global Initiatives
Supports international leaders tackling refugee dignity, global health technologies, civil society development, and migrant rights at the US-Mexico border. Recipients include International Rescue Committee, Global Links (material redistribution to Western Hemisphere), and Save the Children (Rohingya refugee relief).

Jewish Life
Supports Jewish congregations and populations globally, with emerging focus on antisemitism prevention through creative channels like film and disaster relief, plus youth education and historic preservation. Recipients include Jewish Story Partners (documentary film grants) and Religious Action Center of Reform Judaism.

Incubators
Emerging issue areas identified by trustees; some evolve into major initiatives. Both journalism and gun violence prevention originated as incubator initiatives.

Spotlight Grants

The foundation uses Spotlight Grants to highlight exceptional partner organizations worldwide, organizing these across their six priority areas. As they state: "We measure our progress through the results of their work."

What They Don't Fund

The foundation does not provide information about explicit exclusions, though their strategic focus areas indicate concentrated rather than broad-based grantmaking.

Governance and Leadership

Board of Trustees

  • Henry Posner III — Chairman (third-generation family leadership)
  • Paul Posner — Trustee
  • Anne Molloy — Trustee (wife of Henry Posner III)
  • John Hensler — Trustee (long-time adviser)
  • Ida Posner — Trustee (daughter of Henry and Anne)

All trustees serve without compensation.

Staff

  • Anne Marie Toccket — Executive Director (hired 2019 as foundation's first staff member; works globally with social enterprises and nonprofits, focuses on building strong, lasting, effective institutions)
  • Hana Uman — Program Officer (originally from Northern Virginia, permanent Pittsburgh resident since 2011)
  • Naomi Morris — Program Associate (originally from Boston, came to Pittsburgh for Repair the World fellowship)

Leadership Perspective

Henry Posner III has stated: "Across generations my family has believed in the power of education, including the unique role and impact of libraries." This reflects the foundation's multi-generational commitment to strategic philanthropy rooted in family values but focused on contemporary challenges.

Application Process & Timeline

How to Apply

The Posner Foundation does not accept unsolicited proposals. This is explicitly stated throughout their communications and website.

The foundation operates through two primary mechanisms:

  1. Invitation-Only Partnerships: Most grants are awarded to organizations strategically identified by foundation staff and trustees based on alignment with priority areas and capacity for long-term impact.

  2. Targeted RFP Competitions: Occasionally, the foundation announces issue-specific open Requests for Proposals (RFPs) in particular program areas. Organizations submit brief Letters of Inquiry (LOI) through an online portal.

Recent RFP competitions include:

  • Student Success Initiatives (2024): Focused on Pittsburgh region college access and completion, LOI deadline April 1, 2024
  • Preventing Food Waste (2022): Focused on food waste prevention globally, LOI deadline April 28, 2022

Organizations should monitor the foundation's news page (https://posnerfoundation.org/news) for announcements of new RFP opportunities.

Getting on Their Radar

The foundation has hired professional staff specifically to identify and cultivate partnerships aligned with their priority areas. Organizations doing exceptional work in education (particularly student success), environment (particularly food waste prevention), civil society, global initiatives, Jewish life, or emerging issues in the "incubators" category may come to the foundation's attention through:

  • Visibility in their focus areas: The foundation's program officers actively research and monitor work in their priority areas
  • Participation in funding collaboratives: The foundation notes they "participate in national funding collaboratives," suggesting networking through collaborative funding initiatives
  • Pittsburgh regional presence: For education initiatives, strong presence in Pittsburgh's student success ecosystem appears valuable, as evidenced by their community of practice approach
  • Demonstration of systemic impact: Given their focus on "long-term structural solutions," organizations demonstrating systems-change approaches rather than direct service alone may align with their interests

Decision Timeline

Timelines vary by mechanism:

  • RFP Competitions: Specific to each competition; the 2024 Student Success RFP had an April 1 LOI deadline
  • Invitation-Only Grants: No public timeline; determined by foundation's strategic planning and board meeting schedule

Success Rates

With 75 grants distributed annually from a foundation that does not accept unsolicited proposals, success rates are not applicable in the traditional sense. Organizations invited to apply or submit LOIs through targeted RFPs likely have substantially higher success rates than typical open-application processes.

Reapplication Policy

Not applicable given the invitation-only model. However, the foundation emphasizes "long-term partner relationships," suggesting multi-year support for aligned organizations rather than one-off grants.

Application Success Factors

Given the foundation's unique invitation-only model, traditional "application tips" are less relevant. However, their public communications reveal what they value:

Alignment with Strategic Priorities: The foundation operates with clearly defined priority areas established in 2019. Organizations must fit squarely within Education, Environment, Civil Society, Global Initiatives, Jewish Life, or emerging Incubators themes.

Systems-Change Orientation: The mission explicitly seeks "long-term structural solutions to social, economic, and environmental challenges" rather than immediate relief. Successful partners demonstrate how their work addresses root causes.

High-Leverage Opportunities: The foundation looks for maximum impact relative to investment. Their spenddown timeline through 2040 creates urgency around "timely opportunities for impact."

Partnership Capacity: The foundation states they "value strong relationships with our partners and seek to invest in their long-term visions," suggesting they prefer organizations capable of multi-year strategic partnerships rather than transactional grant relationships.

Measurable Results: Regarding Spotlight Grants, they state "We measure our progress through the results of their work," indicating expectations for clear outcomes and impact measurement.

For Student Success Initiatives Specifically: The 2024 RFP prioritized "students of color, immigrants and refugees, students from lower socioeconomic backgrounds, and first-generation college students," with focus on helping students "afford, access, thrive in, and complete college." Recent grant examples show preference for integrated approaches (BCAP's combination of college prep, career exploration, mentorship, and family resources) and culturally specific support (CCAC's Latino ESL Support Coordinator).

Investment Where Others May Not: The foundation describes itself as investing "where others may not," suggesting appetite for innovative, unproven, or higher-risk approaches that other funders might avoid.

Key Takeaways for Grant Writers

  • This is an invitation-only funder: Do not attempt to apply unless invited or responding to a specific RFP announcement. Monitor their news page for rare open RFP opportunities.

  • Think long-term systems change: With a 20-year spenddown timeline and explicit focus on "structural solutions," demonstrate how your work creates lasting change, not just immediate impact.

  • Build visibility in their priority areas: Since they actively seek partners, exceptional work in their six priority areas (especially student success in Pittsburgh, food waste prevention, civil society challenges, or combating antisemitism) may lead to foundation outreach.

  • Average grant size is substantial: At approximately $228,000 average, this foundation makes meaningful investments. If invited to discuss partnership, think comprehensively about multi-year strategic initiatives rather than small project grants.

  • Partnership matters more than transactions: The foundation's language consistently emphasizes "relationships," "long-term visions," and "partners." If you get an opportunity to engage, approach it as building a strategic partnership rather than submitting a proposal.

  • The spenddown timeline creates urgency: With plans to sunset by 2040, the foundation is actively deploying capital and seeking high-impact opportunities. They may be more willing to take calculated risks or fund ambitious initiatives than perpetual foundations.

  • For Pittsburgh organizations working on student success: This appears to be the most accessible area for new partnerships, as evidenced by their 2024 open RFP and stated goal of building a "community of practice" in the region. Organizations serving first-generation students, immigrants/refugees, and students of color in college access and completion have clear alignment.

References

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