Heinz Endowments

Overview: The Heinz Endowments was formed in 2007 from the Howard Heinz Endowments, established in 1941, and the Vira I. Heinz Endowment, established in 1986.

The Howard Heinz Endowments was established in 1941. The Vira I. Heinz Endowment was established in 1986. In Jan. 2007, the Vira I. Heinz Endowments merged into the Howard Heinz Endowment, and the organization changed its name to The Heinz Endowments.

The Heinz Endowments is based in Pittsburgh, where it uses the region as a laboratory for the development of solutions to challenges that are national in scope. Although the majority of the giving is concentrated within southwestern Pennsylvania, it works wherever necessary, including statewide and nationally, to fulfill its mission. That mission is to help the region thrive as a whole community - economically, ecologically, educationally and culturally - while advancing the state of knowledge and practice in the fields in which it works. The fields of emphasis include philanthropy in general and the disciplines represented by its following five grantmaking programs: Arts & Culture; Children, Youth & Families; Education; Environment; and Innovation Economy.

• Arts & Culture: The goals of the program are to:
  
  1. Expand arts learning and participation-support programs that inspire understanding of, appreciation for, and active participation in arts and cultural activities by the people of western Pennsylvania
  
  2. Build creative capital-advance the creative excellence of artists and cultural institutions
  
  3. Advance Pittsburgh as a cultural center-continue support for the Pittsburgh cultural district and establish the key position of cultural resources within regional revitalization efforts.
• Children and Youth: The goals of the program are:
  
  1. Children as learners-enhance the cognitive, emotional and social development of young children, improve the literacy status of young children, and expand approaches to pediatric care to help parents foster the healthy growth and development of their young children
  
  2. Adolescents as citizens-increase learning opportunities in the non-school hours to nurture the development of adolescents both as individuals and as members of larger communities
  
  3. Parents as teachers-promote responsible parenthood to improve children's emotional, economic and social well-being.
• Economic Development: The goals of the program are:
  
  1. Regional growth-support targeted, high-leverage initiatives that help increase the region's rate of net new job creation
  
  2. Human capital-support efforts to change the way the region and its institutions invest in the skills of its residents
  
  3. Jobs and enterprise-avoid the creation of a dual economy that permanently strands low-skill workers in low-paying jobs.
• Education: The goals of the program are:
  
  1. Schools that work-increase the performance capabilities of schools in the region
  
  2. Teachers for the future-develop exemplary professional education programs for pre-service teachers
  
  3. Technology for learning-increase the capability of schools and communities to use technology for learning, communication and decision-making.
• Education, K-12:
• Education, Literacy & Reading:
• Employment:
• Environment: The goals of the program are:
  
  1. Promote sustainable urban design-promote the design of urban environments in ways that eliminate inefficiency and waste, and build sustainable communities
  
  2. Prevent human health problems linked to environmental factors through greater public-and private-sector involvement in environmental health and protection.
  
  3. Protect watersheds and ecosystems-restore and protect essential watersheds, ecosystems and landscapes.
  
  
• Environment, Energy Conservation:
• Environment, Natural Resources:
• Environment, Water Resources:
• Family Services, Parenting:
• Sustainable Communities:
• Technology, Internet & Technology Access:
• Youth Development, Citizenship:

Sample Grants
$ 26,750 to African American Cultural Center of Greater Pittsburgh , Pittsburgh , PA
$ 150,000 to Air and Waste Management Association , PA
$ 75,000 to Aliquippa Alliance for Unity & Development , Aliquippa , PA
$ 1,000,000 to Allegheny Conference on Community Development , Pittsburgh , PA
$ 20,000 to American Farmland Trust , Washington , DC
$ 30,000 to Appalachian Voices , Boone , NC
$ 5,000 to Autumn House Press , Pittsburgh , PA
$ 75,000 to BSR Education Fund , San Francisco , CA
$ 9,000 to Bulgarian-Macedonian National Educational and Cultural Center , PA
$ 50,000 to Chesapeake Bay Foundation , Annapolis , MD
$ 25,000 to Community College of Allegheny County , Pittsburgh , PA
$ 50,000 to Earth Force , Alexandria , VA
$ 50,000 to Environmental Law Institute , Washington , DC
$ 150,000 to Families & Work Institute , New York , NY
$ 400,000 to Greater Pittsburgh Convention and Visitors Bureau Educational Foundation , Pittsburgh , PA
$ 75,000 to Rocky Mountain Institute , Snowmass , CO
$ 1,000,000 to Sarah Heinz House Association , Pittsburgh , PA
$ 250,000 to Three Rivers Connect , Pittsburgh , PA
$ 400,000 to W Q E D Metropolitan Pittsburgh Public Broadcasting , Pittsburgh , PA
$ 1,000,000 to Waterford Institute , Provo , UT
$ 50,000 to Zero to Three: National Center for Infants, Toddlers & Families , Washington , DC

Application Procedures:: The Regional Focus
The Heinz Endowments concentrates its efforts and resources in southwestern Pennsylvania. Given its primarily regional focus, the foundation is generally unable to consider applications for funding for projects outside the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania unless they have been specifically requested by the foundation.

Letter of Inquiry

All applicants seeking a grant from the Endowments must complete the "Online Letter of Inquiry". The only exceptions to this rule are requests for the Arts & Culture Operating Support Program, the Small Arts Initiative, or in response to a formal request for proposals. Applicants will be notified if additional materials are needed to support the form.

In order to complete the online form, you must first complete a three-question eligibility quiz. If you have any questions concerning the results of the eligibility quiz, please feel free to contact the foundation.

You do not need to complete the form in one sitting. The system assigns applicants to an online account, which allows work time before submitting.

After completing the form, click on the "submit" button at the bottom of the page. You will receive an immediate confirmation that your application has been received, and you will have access to a printable copy. Please note, however, that after you hit the "submit" button, you will no longer be able to log in to access the online form. You will be notified as quickly as possible about the status of your application, including whether further information is required.

You will need to have cookies enabled in your Web browser in order to complete the application form.

Please note that the session will "time out" after two hours of inactivity, so please click on the "save" button throughout your session to avoid losing your work.


What the Endowments Look for

The Endowments have adopted a set of principles to guide their grantmaking in all program areas. Prospective applicants should be aware of these principles as they consider applying for support. The Endowments seek to support programs that:

• will have a significant and continuing impact. The Endowments tend not to be interested in programs that are one-time events or that are not integrated into a larger strategy for continuous change.

• intervene at the appropriate level. The Endowments seek to address the causes of problems rather than simply ameliorate their symptoms.

• offer opportunities for leverage. The Endowments seek to amplify resources by forming partnerships with other grantmakers, organizations of government, and the private sector.

• are grounded in the community. An important aspect of the Endowment's mission is to develop models with potential application elsewhere, but southwestern Pennsylvania remains the geographic focus of the grantmaking of both Endowments.

• are appropriate in relation to the work of other grantmakers. The Endowments seek to support work that complements rather than duplicates the efforts of other foundations. Furthermore, we tend to limit support to programs that are consistent with our areas of expertise.


When to Submit an Inquiry

Letters of inquiry can be submitted at any time during the year. If an application is being recommended for funding, program staff will schedule it for consideration at an upcoming meeting of the Endowments’ board of directors.

Grants Paid

2004 ($41,100,000 )

2005 ($39,413,997 )

2008 ($65,000,095 )

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