2021

In response to an open call for letters of inquiry for projects and services to advance the rights and address the needs of people with disabilities, the Foundation awarded $469,700 to 18 organizations to address a range of critical issues affecting people with disabilities. “In this most challenging of years, we are so grateful to our grantee-partners who doubled down with determination and imagination to address longstanding injustices made even more serious by the pandemic,” said Kristy Trautmann, FISA’s executive director. Read More >

"Dear Men" is a powerful series of videos to shed light on the importance of men taking action to address a serious issue affecting as many as one in three women. In the series – one six-minute and four two-minute videos - eleven local men read letters from survivors, recounting abuse they experienced and an action a man took that made a difference to her at the time, whether he knew it or not. The men are visibly moved by the letters, based on actual stories. View the video series here: https://southwestpasaysnomore.org/initiative/fathersdaypledgepa/ Read More >

FISA partnered with The Heinz Endowments and The Pittsburgh Foundation to promote a series of webinars exploring the intersection of race and disability. You can find out more about the series here. If you missed them, you can still view the recordings from: Fostering Cultural Humility in Disability Services Inside-out … Read More >

FISA Foundation invites Letters of Inquiry for programs and services that advance the rights and address the needs of people with disabilities in Southwestern Pennsylvania FISA Foundation is accepting Letters of Inquiry until June 29, 2021 for grants to be awarded in October 2021. As a Foundation committed to equity, … Read More >

For Black History Month in February, FISA hosted a series of Racial Wealth Gap Learning Simulations for our grantees and partners.  This program was very well received.  It’s an excellent way to learn about the ways income inequality has developed over time because of federal policy. Many organizations were eager … Read More >

The second webinar in the RACE + DISABILITY series: Cultural Humility in Disability Services was recorded and is now available to view: You can also access the slides here:

Announcing Fostering Cultural Humility in Disability Services webinar on April 7 and Dismantling the School to Prison Pipeline for Students of Color and Students with Disabilities on June 8. Read More >

The local statistics about poverty and hunger are sobering: 1 in 5 Pittsburgh residents has food insecurity, and 1 in 3 Black residents of Pittsburgh lives in a food desert. People with disabilities are three times more likely than others to live in poverty. The rates of disability are higher in communities of color: 1 in 3 Black Pittsburghers has a disability. Read More >