2020

The Black Lives Matter movement challenges us all to work against the systemic racism that pervades our culture and institutions. At FISA, we recognize that our disability-focused work has not benefitted communities of color as much as it should. We believe we should more intentionally address the intersection of ableism … Read More >

FISA Foundation continues its longstanding commitment to promoting equity and justice for women, girls and people with disabilities by awarding nearly $450,000 to 14 organizations working to advance the rights and address the needs of these populations. “Our grantee partners are working boldly and creatively to address longstanding inequities that … Read More >

On November 19 at 8pm, WQED TV will broadcast the premiere of a new documentary, Childhood Lost: The Adultification of African-American Girls. The film will explore adultification, a form of racial bias where Black girls are viewed as less innocent and more adultlike than their white peers. Researchers found that … Read More >

FISA Foundation's grantee and partner, Gwen’s Girls, and the Black Girls Equity Alliance released a new report: Disrupting the Pathways to Juvenile Justice report.  Local data presents a stark picture of the ways Black youth and students of color with disabilities are disproportionately arrested and cited at school, often for minor offenses. Read More >

FISA Foundation has been funding the ACLU of PA, in conjunction with the Black Girls Equity Alliance, to address the disproportionate negative consequences of school policing on Black girls and Black youth with disabilities. ACLU published this report: Research on School Policing by Aaron Kupchik, July 2020 It begins: Following … Read More >

The COVID-19 pandemic has had disproportionate negative consequences for people with disabilities. In an effort to be responsive to these changing needs, FISA Foundation is issuing an open call for letters of inquiry for projects and services to advance the rights and address the needs of people with disabilities in a ten-county area of southwestern Pennsylvania. There are two deadlines to apply: July 27, 2020 and again in February 2021. Average grant size will be under $25,000. Read More >

Building upon its decades’ long commitment to social justice for women, girls and people with disabilities, FISA Foundation’s Board of Directors approved more than $250,000 in grants since April to advance gender-specific racial justice advocacy initiatives and for COVID-19 relief efforts focused on vulnerable groups including people with disabilities and … Read More >