Equity and Inclusion in Action

2023 Impact Report

a letter from leadership

2022 was a challenging year—from continued social and economic inequities to many feeling further isolated and disconnected as a result of the ongoing pandemic. Faced with these prolonged challenges, the question we have asked ourselves is “How did we respond?”

Equity and Inclusion in Action

2023 Impact Report

a letter from leadership

In 2022, we mobilized more than $5 million of investments into neighborhoods.

We launched the Neighborhood Capital Fund with $2.5 million to support 10 transformative real estate projects and bridge the gap for Black developers in the Greater Hill District.

We supported over 500 local small businesses to grow and sustain their businesses.

2022 was a challenging year—from continued social and economic inequities to many feeling further isolated and disconnected as a result of the ongoing pandemic. Faced with these prolonged challenges, the question we have asked ourselves is “How did we respond?” At Neighborhood Allies, our response has been robust. We promised to continue strengthening our programs on all fronts, scaling our work to address the root causes of inequity and injustice, and to make progress toward our North Star Goal of moving 100,000 low-income Pittsburghers up the socio-economic ladder by 2031.

Over the past year, we invested $5 million into Pittsburgh’s communities and leveraged an additional $10 million. We engaged 40,000 people and directly served nearly 10,000 residents, supported over 500 small businesses with technical assistance and financial resources, and organized over 130 community-building events. Specifically, we accomplished the following:

Launched the Neighborhood Capital Fund with $2.5 million, which is supporting 10 transformative real estate projects and bridging the gap for Black developers in the Greater Hill District.

The Pittsburgh Financial Empowerment Center (a Partnership with the City of Pittsburgh) expanded its reach and services to 1,800 individuals, now offering financial counseling services to small business owners and entrepreneurs.

Helped 500 youth with bank account access and money management education through our Bank On Allegheny County initiative.

Steel Smiling, our Organization-in-Residence, secured a historic $1 million grant that is helping to scale and deepen the impact of their work connecting Black community members to mental health support.

We formally partnered with the Greater Pittsburgh Digital Inclusion Alliance (GPDIA) to convene a network of 24 local and regional leaders around collective digital equity efforts.

Created a new and improved Neighborhood Allies Website that engaged 27,000 visitors last year alone.

Introduced the Social Impact Design program that translates community visions into architectural design packages and ensures that development projects are community-driven.

Reduced barriers that women of color face in building generational wealth by completing the first Money Talks cohort.

Built the capacity and positively impacted the mental health of 30 local nonprofit leaders across 20 community-serving organizations through The Nonprofit Resiliency Program.

In 2023, we will continue to support people and organizations by providing onramps to prosperity and connecting community builders together with a shared vision to drive long-term, transformative change. Our priorities are to build on our progress of unlocking and increasing access to capital that addresses the underlying conditions that fuel neighborhood decline and disinvestment, building community wealth and restoring hope and opportunity. We will engage our partners, thought leaders, and community stakeholders more intentionally; accelerate racial equity, mental health, and community healing resources; and reduce harmful neighborhood practices in development and design.

Thank you to our committed and talented staff, Board of Directors, and partners. Without your dedication, passion, and commitment, we could not carry out the challenging work that we do.

To all our supporters, funders, investors, and residents, we are immensely grateful for your generosity and trust. Without you, we could not work towards our vision for all neighborhoods to be thriving, resilient, and equitable for all.

With Gratitude,