Pittsburgh Partnership for Neighborhood Development (PPND) began life in 1982 at a Minneapolis conference on neighborhoods. Representatives from the national Ford Foundation and local philanthropic organizations Howard Heinz Endowment and Mellon Bank Foundation discussed the current state of community development efforts and how to provide even greater impact to Pittsburgh. The Ford Foundation expressed its desire to expand the impact of its national community development efforts by creating local networks. Ideas were exchanged and follow-up discussions ensued between the Ford Foundation, the Pittsburgh foundation community and City of Pittsburgh officials.

In the spring of 1983, PPND was officially born and took life as a funding collaborative established to support community development efforts in the City of Pittsburgh. It was one of the first intermediaries in the country and was frequently asked to provide technical assistance to new intermediaries as they began to form nationally. The collaborative was created in the context of the collapse of the steel industry and the appearance, both locally and nationally, of CDCs. Initial funding was provided by the Ford Foundation, Howard Heinz Endowment, Mellon Bank and the City of Pittsburgh, through its City Planning Department and the Urban Redevelopment Authority (URA). In 1988, PPND was incorporated as a supporting organization of The Pittsburgh Foundation and first staffed in 1989.

PPND functioned as an intermediary or clearinghouse between funders and CDCs. The organization provided not only capital to local community development efforts but also vision, strategy and technical and training assistance to the system. Financial operating support of CDCs was critical to the process. Without it, CDCs would be unable to recruit, hire and retain competent staff necessary to carry out the grassroots efforts in the neighborhoods.

The Ford Foundation played a major role in the early 1980s in deciding which local CDCs would initially be supported by PPND. Locally, Henry Beukema was a major catalyst and very passionate and persuasive as he secured support of this newly formed partnership from the local foundation community and the City of Pittsburgh. Over the years, Mr. Beukema has been a consistent advocate of neighborhood empowerment and development and remains a very active board member of PPND.

PPND’s board is comprised of a mix of partners in community development, including foundation representatives, bankers, public agencies, private business and educational and community institutions. The staff possesses a blend of expertise in the areas of community development, including program planning and development, outcome measurement, finance, fundraising, advocacy and relationship building, among others. Today PPND continues to strive to be a leader in the community development efforts in distressed communities in the City of Pittsburgh by forging new relationships and partnerships, both locally and nationally for the greater good of Pittsburgh.