Social Venture Partners Pittsburgh and The Forbes Funds Announce Strategic Partnership to support Pittsburgh Nonprofits

SVP Pittsburgh’s Full Circle Program, in collaboration with The Forbes Funds, will help nonprofits to navigate the challenges caused by COVID-19

PITTSBURGH, PA – Social Venture Partners Pittsburgh (“SVP Pittsburgh”) and The Forbes Funds announce a new collaborative effort to provide SVP Pittsburgh’s hands-on capacity-building program to small and mid-size nonprofits. SVP Pittsburgh’s nonprofit accelerator model, Full Circle, will be restructured to specifically address the key strategic and tactical operational challenges that nonprofits are experiencing due to the impact of COVID-19. The program will target nonprofits that serve underrepresented groups in the Greater Pittsburgh Area community, particularly those focused on building inclusive, comprehensive, and integrated programming.

Through this collaboration, ten nonprofits will be selected to engage in the intensive 14-week Full Circle program that combines consulting, workshops, seminars, networking, and a pitch event to build awareness in the community. The program is designed to enhance each nonprofit’s impact, goal setting ability, financial sustainability, and the communication of their organization’s story. During the program, each nonprofit will be matched with teams of SVP volunteer Partners who serve as coaches, working hands-on to add a layer of support to the nonprofits by providing new strategies, ideas, methods, and connections to increase their impact.

The Full Circle program culminates with the final pitch event, which provides a platform for non-profit leaders to share their organization’s mission, impact, and organizational goals and needs to a broader audience.

SVP Pittsburgh and The Forbes Funds have engaged Straightforward Consulting to facilitate the Full Circle Program. Leigh Solomon Pugliano, the firm’s principal, is a former SVP Pittsburgh Partner and has facilitated multiple Full Circle cohorts.

“The Forbes Funds is committed to helping nonprofits of all sizes navigate the changing demands of COVID-19,” commented Fred Brown, president and CEO of The Forbes Funds. “As a team, we are excited to partner with SVP Pittsburgh to extend our learning and education programming and increase the capacity of nonprofit leaders individually and collectively.”

Jon Halpern, board chair of SVP Pittsburgh, commented that, “Both SVP and The Forbes Funds have experience in capacity building work. This strategic partnership unlocks synergistic opportunities, and resources to expand Full Circle within the robust Forbes Funds ecosystem with greater efficiency.”

Nonprofits interested in applying to participate in the Full Circle program are invited to join The Forbes Funds call for community solutions on January 25th for additional information. Click here to register. The nonprofit Full Circle application will launch at the beginning of February 2021 and the Full Circle program will kick off in early April 2021.

Individuals interested in becoming an SVP Partner or Fellow and serving as a coach for the Full Circle Program should contact us by emailing leigh@svppittsburgh.org.