Advancing Economic Mobility in Times of Uncertainty

2025 Impact Report

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In 2025, five decades after opening, owner Roberta “Ms. Bert” Cole Brassel, along with her three children – Tracy, Frank, and Kim – celebrated the reopening of the restaurant as the Black Beauty Bar & Grill following more than a year of renovations. Neighborhood Allies was a core partner on the project and continues to support Black Beauty Bar and Grille’s continued development.

Neighborhood Allies is the intermediary that:

Deploys capital
Strengthens organizations
Builds cross-sector partnerships
Advances equitable development

This report reflects our progress, aspirations, and values—as we lead reinvestment in Pittsburgh’s neighborhoods—equitably, effectively, and efficiently. All of this work is to ensure that we foster neighborhoods of opportunity and social mobility, in service of those most at risk of being systemically isolated and removed from economic opportunities.

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Letter from Leadership

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Our Impact

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2025-27 Strategic Plan Progress

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Financials

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Thank You

our north star goal

Our North Star goal is to expand our resources to accelerate, scale, and sustain the work of our community partners to create healthy neighborhoods of opportunity and move 100,000 low-to-moderate-income Pittsburghers up the socio-economic ladder by 2030.

Here is a glimpse at the progress and impact Neighborhood Allies made in 2025:

In Flexible Grants Provided to Local Small Businesses

Dollars of Debt Reduced for Pittsburgh Residents

Hours of Financial Education and Technical Assitance Provided

Dollars Leveraged Towards our Partners' Equitable Real Estate Projects

Dollars Invested in Minority/Women-owned Businesses or Organizations

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Explore Progress Made

Our 2025-27 Strategic Plan

We create healthy neighborhoods of opportunity and help move
low-to-moderate income Pittsburghers up the socio-economic ladder by facilitating transformative change across four areas of impact: Neighborhood Development, Economic Mobility, Mental Health, and Impact-driven Partnerships. We create this transformative change by deploying services including: Funding, Public Programming, Capacity Building, and Partnerships. In 2025, we made significant progress towards our goals.

OUR 2025-27 STRATEGIC PLAN PROGRESS

Image of the Digitial Inclusion Learning Center at the YMCA. Includes white front desk with a mural on the wall behind it, a bright pink wall in the background, light brown flooring, computers lining the walls, and tables and chairs in the middle of the room.

2025 marked the first year of our Strategic Plan Update. Capacity building emerged as one of the clearest indicators of Neighborhood Allies’ impact, strengthening the conditions that make economic mobility and wealth-building possible.

PARTNERING TO BRING AFFORDABLE HOUSING TO OUR NEIGHBORHOODS

In 2025, Neighborhood Allies played a key role in seven PHARE funded housing projects here in Pittsburgh, offering a combination of technical assistance, financial investment, and capacity building that helped community developers move their ideas and projects forward.

SUPPORTING SMALL BUSINESSES

Image of the Allegheny County Financial Empowerment Center counselors. A team of all women, they sit on concrete stairs with greenery behind, smiling at the camera, wearing matching FEC vests.

In 2025, we launched the HomeBase Program, which empowers small businesses to grow by providing microgrants up to $5,000 for eligible activities that increase revenue and leverage additional funding opportunities.

2025 Highlights

2025 was a year of both meaningful progress and real challenges. In an evolving economic landscape, Neighborhood Allies remained focused on expanding opportunity for people and strengthening the communities they call home. Across our work, we delivered strategic programs that created real-life impact, advancing financial stability and upward mobility for individuals and families across our region. Check out two stories of impact on the pages linked to the right!

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Partnering to Bring Affordable Housing to Our Neighborhoods

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Supporting Small Businesses

FInancials

In 2025, we invested 82% of all our resources back into community serving programs and services and invested $1.65M in minority/women-owned businesses or organizations (MWBE).

Invested in Neighborhoods in 2025

thank you to our funders

We are extremely grateful to our dedicated community partners and funders. Together, we are propelling our neighborhoods and residents towards a better tomorrow. Thank you to the following organizations for providing the financial resources and partnerships that make our city healthier, safer, and stronger.