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$1.6 Million Makes Its Way to Neighborhoods
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PPND is proud to announce its 2008 support of community
development organizations with roots in 13 Pittsburgh neighborhoods. This year's
annual funding commitment of $1.6 million will provide vital
operational and "capacity building" support for small
nonprofits across the city. With PPND's
investment, our grantees can hire staff, enlist volunteer support, and
engage their neighbors in revitalization planning. Most importantly,
our funding helps these groups secure their financial stability so they
are best prepared to spur revitalization in our
neighborhoods.
Our applicants work hard to prove their worthiness of
investment and produce sustainable changes in their communities. We
congratulate this year's grantees. Visit our website for a
complete list.
Our investments are made
possible by the generous contributions of local
and national supporters.
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LISC Affiliation Leads to Real Estate Ramp-Up
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 Last fall, our Board of Directors finalized a new
affiliation with the Local
Initiatives Support Corporation (LISC), the
nation's leading community development support organization.
As a LISC affiliate, PPND can
expand its support for Southwestern Pennsylvania's community
development field with resources such as redevelopment capital,
including loans, grants, and equity investments; a network of national
experts for technical and management assistance in strategies such as
housing, commercial development, and public safety; and advocates for
local, statewide, and national policy that affects community
development.
Topping our to-do list is the
hiring of a loan officer, who will work closely with our new Real
Estate Committee. Together, they will launch a new pre-development
fund that's designed to support large-scale projects along the major
corridors that connect our neighborhoods.
In the upcoming months, we'll roll out more details about
how local communities can tap into this new range of resources through
PPND.
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New Voices Join PPND Committees
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PPND's Board of Directors unites diverse
perspectives to work in partnership and guide our investments. This
year, our board has expanded our committee membership to include even
more voices from the field. By doing so, we hope to broaden our point
of view, learn from their expertise, and align the strategies of our
region's many community development advocates.
Our Investment Committee welcomed two new members to join
in our 2008 investment decisions:
- Brenda B. Wells is the Director
of Western Region at the Pennsylvania
Housing Finance Agency (PHFA), the
commonwealth's leading provider of capital for affordable homes
and apartments.
- Jason Vrabel is the Design Fund Program Director at
the Community
Design Center of Pittsburgh (CDCP).
CDCP is a non-profit organization that improves the quality of
life by encouraging good design of the built environment.
Our newly formed Real Estate Committee will review
applications to the national loan pool that will be available through
our LISC affiliation. This committee also welcomed two new members in
2008:
- Peter J. Licastro is Vice President of Grubb & Ellis, a leading
sponsor of real estate investment programs.
- Cassandra
H. Collinge is the Assistant Manager,
Consumer Programs for the Housing and Human Services Division of Allegheny County Economic
Development (ACED). ACED collaborates with a variety of
partners on economic and residential development.
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Reinforcing Our Core Values
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The themes of "transparency" and
"accountability" are hot topics in today's non-profit world.
In 2007, PPND's staff and board adopted new
communications policies that translate our core values into everyday
work practices. Our new standards formalize our commitment to fair,
honest, and timely communications with our investors, grantees, and
other partners in the field. Throughout the year, we'll roll out new
ways to share information about our finances, investments, and other
news of importance to our community development collaborators.
Questions? Contact Maureen Hogan at 412.471.3727 x 20 or email maureen@ppnd.org.
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Staff Updates
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We extend a very warm "welcome back" to Ellen
Kight, President of PPND, who left the office on medical leave in
December and returned at the end of January.
Also in January, Linda Holsing
joined our staff as Administrative and Program Coordinator. She will
support us with office administration, communications, and program
assistance. Contact Linda at 412.471.3727 x 14 or
linda@ppnd.org.
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Mission:
PPND supports the revitalization
of the Pittsburgh
region's distressed neighborhoods into desirable and diverse
communities by raising funds and making strategic investments in
community development and community improvement organizations.
Copyright
2008 Pittsburgh Partnership for Neighborhood Development
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