FISA Foundation champions equity, justice, safety and inclusion for women, girls, and people with disabilities, combatting systemic racism that impedes progress for these populations in southwestern Pennsylvania. We further our mission through grantmaking, and also through investing in projects and initiatives like those found below.
We have a responsibility to believe that abuse is not inevitable. But preventing abuse requires a coordinated community response. FISA co-convenes Southwest PA Says NO MORE, a regional effort to prevent domestic violence and sexual assault.
Disability Inclusion & Access: Moving Forward is a joint initiative of FISA Foundation and The Heinz Endowments This initiative encourages grantees and foundation colleagues across the greater Pittsburgh area to explore “a better equity agenda,” one that includes the largest minority group in the world: people with disabilities.
In 2016, Disability advocate and activist Vilissa Thompson started the hashtag #DisabilitySoWhite and catalyzed overdue conversations about race and intersectionality in the disability community. This issue is not new, it’s been an open secret for many years that people of color with disabilities are not always well served by mainstream disability services and supports.
