Tag: nonprofit
Announcing the 2024 Full Circle Nonprofit Accelerator Cohort!
SVP Pittsburgh and the Equity | Impact Center are proud to announce the selection of participants for the 2024 Full Circle Nonprofit Accelerator Program!
2024 Cohort:
- Civically, Inc.
- City of Bridges Community Land Trust
- JADA House International
We are excited to welcome such an incredible group of nonprofit organizations addressing inequities that are challenging our region. The Full Circle program will accelerate their growth through strategic workshops, impactful mentorship by our SVP Coaches, and relationship-building and networking opportunities.
Learn more about the 2024 Full Circle cohort below.
Civically, Inc.
Civically, Inc. is a nonprofit social enterprise(501c3) that focuses on community development by promoting civic and social literacy to instill self-reliance while addressing the immediate needs of the economically underresourced in the Pittsburgh East End region.
Civically is committed to lasting social and economic development in the greater Wilkinsburg region. The organization is reframing the narrative of Wilkinsburg’s future and not leaving anyone out of the story. One of Civically’s priorities is to build healthy communities beyond Wilkinsburg, as their programs serve the greater East End region. Since the inception of the Fresh Markets, Civically has served 40,000 community members, and during the height of the pandemic, Civically held weekly produce distributions.
Civically’s commitment to Wilkinsburg’s social and economic progress is unwavering. It is one of the reasons that the organization has been firmly committed to its mission over the past decade. Through multi-prong approaches, programming, and redevelopment of the Hunter Building, Civically strives to redefine the narrative of Wilkinsburg’s future.
City of Bridges Community Land Trust
City of Bridges Community Land Trust is an affordable housing non-profit that builds community ownership, preserving permanent affordability, empowers individuals, and ensures responsible growth and stewardship. City of Bridges Community Land Trust (CBCLT) develops and stewards permanently affordable housing for households between 50-80% of Area Median Income. CBCLT was founded to create a new, desperately needed tool in our regional affordable housing toolbox. Now, in our fifth year of operation, they are scaling their development and buyer-initiated pipelines to create more homeowners and have 100 homeowners living and thriving in permanently affordable land trust homes by the end of 2025.
To date, CBCLT has overseen over $25 million in single-family housing development, creating 35 permanently affordable homes that have served 37 first-time, low, and moderate-income homeowners. As a Community Land Trust, the work of City of Bridges extends beyond simply developing affordable housing. The heart of CBCLT’s work is in getting low-income families into homeownership and ensuring their success over the long term via robust pre- and post-counseling stewardship and support. In addition to providing stewardship for City of Bridges homeowners, the organization has partnered with the Urban Redevelopment Authority to provide post-purchase stewardship services to their 100+ Own PGH homebuyers to ensure their success.
JADA House International
JADA House International empowers Hazelwood and the Greater Pittsburgh community at each stage of life. Founded in 2014 by Hazelwood native Terri Shields and named for the initials of her eldest grandchildren, JADA House International aims to encourage and empower individuals to believe, receive, and achieve the complete quality of life they deserve. JADA House International provides resources, support, and family navigation for at-risk teens and women, as well as kinship care for senior citizens. The organization believes that there are better opportunities for impact when solutions are collaborative across sectors and organizations.
Through human service navigation, peer-to-peer support, and weekly group interactions, JADA House International provides a safe space for healing and personal growth beyond one’s expectations. While the organization focuses on Hazelwood and Greater Pittsburgh communities, the “international” in their name is aspirational. JADA HouseInternational hopes communities worldwide can see them as a model and adopt their approach of serving with kindness, generosity, and love.
Please follow and support these organizations that are making a significant impact in our region. Save the date for our closing celebration on December 12th!
The Full Circle Nonprofit Accelerator, facilitated by Leigh Solomon Pugliano, Founder, President & CEO of the Equity | Impact Center, is a proven capacity-building program designed to improve organizational efficiency, program implementation, financial sustainability and increase overall impact through an equity-centered lens.
Announcing the 2023 SVP Pittsburgh Fellows
We’re excited to announce the fellows for our SVP Pittsburgh program! The 2023-2024 cohort of SVP Fellows were selected from an impressive pool of applicants. This year’s fellows will bring unique expertise and diverse experiences to SVP and the Full Circle Nonprofit Accelerator Program, along with a passion for social justice, equity, and community engagement.
The SVP Fellowship is an 18-month-long program designed to provide the opportunity for those interested in civic engagement to bring their knowledge, skills, and expertise to nonprofit organizations in the region. The program offers professional development, increases knowledge on social issues and inequities that affect our community, and allows participants to build an expanded network within the nonprofit and corporate sectors.
Read about our 2023 Fellows below and learn more about SVP Pittsburgh program!
2023 SVP Fellows
Markeya Lowry – Markeya, born and raised in Pittsburgh, PA, started her journey with writing just a short time ago. After graduating from Cal U of PA in 2009, with a BA in Sociology, Markeya went off to do her due diligence in social service working with high school students, troubled youth, homeless families, and individuals diagnosed with mental health and substance abuse. It was shortly after the birth of her lovely daughter, Navi Ahavah, that she was inspired to write her children’s book series, On a Mission, and created Birth of Ahavah LLC which provides trained birth doula and life coaching services.
Lindsey Aquino-Robles – Lindsey, originally from Santa Cruz, CA, currently works in the Mayor’s Office as a Community Liaison, supporting the 90 neighborhoods in the city. After graduating from Saint Mary’s College of California with a BA in Politics and a BA in Spanish Linguistics, Lindsey moved to Pittsburgh to complete the year-long Coro Fellowship in Public Affairs. She serves on the board of ALPFA, and continues to support Senderos, a nonprofit organization in Santa Cruz that teaches Latino culture and history through dance and music. In her free time, she enjoys going on runs, volunteering, and finding new places to eat!
Shanae Phillips – Shanae has served as the Managing Director at Radiant Hall since 2018. She has a background in the visual arts and nonprofit administration and holds a Master’s Degree in Arts Management from Carnegie Mellon University’s Heinz College of Management. Since moving from Austin, TX, in 2010, Shanae has worked in Pittsburgh’s nonprofit arts sector for organizations including the Frank-Ratchye STUDIO for Creative Inquiry at CMU, The Andy Warhol Museum, Bach Choir of Pittsburgh, The Denis Theatre Foundation, and City of Asylum. She also currently serves as a board member for the Society to Preserve the Millvale Murals of Maxo Vanka.
Christine Gameos – Christine is currently the Program & Community Engagement Coordinator with Strong Women, Strong Girls, where she builds community partnerships and opportunities for youth. Christine’s career matches her passion for youth development and advocacy for survivors of domestic violence, trauma, and displacement. After earning her Master’s degree from the University of Pittsburgh (GSPIA), she conducted postgraduate research on Education in Emergencies (EiE) in Greece’s largest refugee camp. She also supports the Pittsburgh Metropolitan Area Hispanic Chamber of Commerce, the Girl Scouts of Western PA, and the Mayor’s Office of Immigrant and Refugee Affairs (OIRA) initiatives, while striving for equitable access to advocacy, education, and opportunity for all.
Kaceme Djellouli – Kaceme currently serves as the Director of Operations at The Education Partnership where he distributes school supplies to local under-resourced schools. He earned a business administration degree in Supply Chain Management from Duquesne University in 2018 and a Certification in Planning and Inventory Management in 2019. Kaceme leverages his expertise to build an infrastructure that serves Pittsburgh’s communities in need. Previously, he served in the US military from 2006-2011 and was awarded the Humanitarian Service Medal for his work in Haiti. The experience inspires him to continue helping communities in need where the impact is greatest in the US.
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Announcing the Spring 2021 Full Circle Cohort!
The five organizations selected represent a diverse group of nonprofits making an impact on, and meeting the needs of, our community. The selected nonprofits will engage in the intensive 14-week program that combines consulting, workshops, networking, and a pitch event. The program is designed to enhance each nonprofit’s programming impact, financial sustainability, and communication and storytelling. The nonprofit leaders in the cohort will work with teams of coaches with various areas of expertise skills, and experience to develop strategic solutions to their growth challenges. The Full Circle program culminates with the Final Pitch event which provides a platform for non-profit leaders to share their organization’s story and impact in the community.
Spring 2021 Cohort:
Awaken Pittsburgh promotes personal and community well-being through mindfulness programs and compassionate actions. Our vision is a Pittsburgh region where people are in touch with their inherent worth and can cultivate the confidence and dignity to create a more just and enlightened world.
Divine Intervention Ministries
The DIM mission provides currently and formerly incarcerated adults and at-risk youth with coordinated resources that will connect them to supportive services and job training opportunities focusing on realizing their maximum potential spiritually, physically, and economically.
Pittsburgh Learning Commons (PLC) is an educational nonprofit whose mission is to provide educational opportunities that break down disciplinary boundaries and relate to real-world contexts where learners can claim ownership over their education and build lifelong learning skills, and develop expertise in applied STEAM fields.
Western Pennsylvania Diaper Bank
To ensure babies in need are clean, healthy and dry. We serve babies, families, senior citizens and girls and women. We are making a great impact in the community supplying basic needs.
When She Thrives is dedicated to empowering single mothers to move their families from poverty to prosperity through advocacy, education, and personal and professional development.
The Full Circle Accelerator program is facilitated by Leigh Solomon Pugliano of Straightforward Consulting. The 2021 Full Circle program is a collaboration between The Forbes Funds and Social Venture Partners (SVP) Pittsburgh.
