Jefferson Regional Foundation

Programs: Grants totaling $767,000 awarded to increase health access and prevention:foundation grants support opportunities at various community sites, such as churches, libraries, and childcare centers to improve healthy living of residents using both experts and trained peers. The consumer health coalition ($75,000 for two years) hires and trains part-time peer community health workers to work in their own communities of clairton and the bhutanese refugee community to provide culturally appropriate information, health education and advocacy. One on one fitness & training ($45,000) partners with local churches to offer the jefferson community challenge program for healthy lifestyle choices, while vintage ($99,000 for 3 years) offers an evidence-based peer led self-management course called better choices, better health for people living with chronic disease at libraries, churches, and residential facilities. Pittsburgh mercy health ($18,000 for 2 years) offers the dancing classrooms program to west mifflin middle school students which improves social skills and self-confidence in addition to encouraging physical activity. Women for a healthy environment ($40,000) is working in early childcare settings to strengthen the environmental health of children by increasing awareness of employees and childcare families. Local school students directly benefitted from jefferson hospital/ahn ($10,000 school screenings) nursing staff who work onsite to assist nurses in several local school districts to screen for vision, hearing and health issues), and the foundation also supported jefferson hospital/ahn health initiatives ($25,000 and $25,000) through sponsorships. Graduate students from the university of pittsburgh (bridging the gaps $30,000 for 2 years) health-related professions intern onsite with local organizations to develop health projects to respond directly to community needs. Health challenges include behavioral health - the community health assessments document a tremendous need in this area with a particular need to address the opioid epidemic. Prevention point pittsburgh ($200,000 for 2 years) will expand harm reduction services in the jefferson area, initiate a peer outreach project for people in addiction & recovery and also work with a communications firm on education and anti-stigma strategies. Saltworks ($20,000) offers a prevention program focused on the opioid epidemic through powerful live theatre productions and discussions with middle and high school students. Jefferson hospital behavioral health ($180,000 over 3 years) is expanding its capacity for community outreach with a full-time position which will strengthen community access to both inpatient and outpatient mental health services.

grants totaling $315,000 awarded to improve child and family outcomes:afterschool and summer programs can provide important positive alternative activities, skills and education for youth. Using its centers in mckeesport and duquesne, the boys & girls club of western pa ($50,000) is working directly with teens to develop new programming which meets their needs and will attract 200 teens from the mon valley area. Serving students and their families from baldwin-whitehall, bethel park and south park schools, melting pot ministries ($50,000 for 2 years) is a year-round program which will build its outreach capacity to serve families new to the area. Musa (methodist union of social agencies for $50,000) provides year-round out-of-school time programs for 150 low-income youth and families from homestead, west homestead and munhall and nearby communities. Youth opportunities development (yod- $50,000) engages clairton youth and numerous partners through a community leadership program. Based in duquesne, the virtuous academy ($25,000) provides out-of-school time programming for underserved children in the area which focuses on social, behavioral and academic challenges. Several partnerships with youth-serving programs use the arts and outdoor opportunities to promote problem-solving, teamwork, access to mentors and a renewed focus on health and wellness. The center of life ($25,000) is infusing its expertise using the arts as a positive catalyst with youth to build the capacity of other youth programs. The student conservation association ($40,000) partners with melting pot ministries to provide paid summer employment through conservation work in south park while increasing physical activity, environmental knowledge, and job skills. Venture outdoors ($25,000) is partnering with several programs to expand youth experience in outdoor recreation such as kayaking & geocaching while building awareness and appreciation of the environment, healthy lifestyles and local parks.

grants totaling $925,000 awarded to strengthen vulnerable populations and communities:the foundation has a strong interest and commitment to build the capacity of community organizations for local impact, as well as strengthening local leadership. Two of its largest grants will provide capital support for this purpose. Best of the batch foundation ($250,000) will build a new education center in homestead offering multi-purpose rooms, a gym, dance studio, and computer labs to expand its capacity to serve youth and the broader jefferson community. Shim (south hills interfaith movement, $300,000) will expand its human services programs in the south hills through the relocation of its prospect park family center and early childhood program to new, safer and larger space at the former wallace school in whitehall. A grant to the forbes funds ($20,000) builds capacity through individual executive coaching and group training offered to local nonprofit organizations by experienced nonprofit peers. The ymca of greater pittsburgh ($25,000) will engage in a community planning process to identify community needs, build community partnerships and responsive programming for its new spencer family branch facility in bethel park. Grant support is also targeted to vulnerable populations to build on their strengths and resiliency. A grant award to the veteran's breakfast club ($95,000 for 2 years) is designed to build staff and program capacity for its expanded work to engage younger veterans through its storytelling events, interviews, and podcasts. The mission continues ($50,000) will engage post-911 veterans as community volunteers through a new service platoon supporting the local refugee and immigrant population in partnerships with local organizations. The south hills area has become home to at least 40% of the county's immigrant population who are eager to contribute to the economic vitality of our area. The bhutanese community association of pittsburgh (bcap $50,000) provides programs and services for its 5,000+ local residents with a particular focus on youth and families, older adults, and women and builds community partnerships. Global solutions pittsburgh ($100,000 for 2 years) promotes effective, coordinated efforts to build on the strengths of immigrant and international residents by implementing a community-wide blueprint and targeting efforts in the south hills on expanding language access, community conversations and capacity-building. Jewish family and children's service ($35,000) partners with local organizations to provide career development services and expand its immigrant legal services to help south hills residents live healthier lives and contribute to the economic vitality of our region.

strategic planning & priorities: the jefferson regional foundation is committed to operate as a learning organization, and we continually seek to understand changing and emerging needs in our area. Our work continues to be guided by recent community health assessments conducted by allegheny health network, jefferson hospital and the allegheny county health department and regular meetings with hospital leadership. During the past year the foundation also engaged in additional planning and opportunities to review community priorities. Our board of directors held a retreat in september 2016 with a particular focus on our grantmaking. The retreat included an analysis of our first two full years of grantmaking, a review of the grantmaking decision process, and the identification of community trends and challenges to address. The retreat articulated and confirmed a theory of change which depends upon technical assistance and a commitment to community convening and information-sharing. The foundation used a live polling tool at our 3rd annual jefferson forum in may 2017 to further identify community trends with over 200 participants - which revealed workforce issues and food access as issues and reinforced existing priorities such as behavioral health, diversity & inclusion and youth development. These priorities were shared with our grants committee and our collaborative leadership to guide their work as they each held retreats in the summer of 2017. Operational changes: the foundation renegotiated a five-year renewal of its lease with jefferson hospital/ahn, upgraded its technology and facility which includes a conference room in which it hosts community meetings, implemented a spending policy and developed a loss contingency guideline. 3rd annual jefferson forum: taking action for healthy communities in may 2017, the foundation hosted another highly successful daylong conference for 150 organizations focused on the jefferson area with a capacity crowd of 255 participants (100% highly satisfied and 97% are likely to attend next year). The eight workshops offered were developed through an rfp process and a big ideas poster fair highlighted strong practices and programs. Live polling through text messaging collected important demographics (30% of the participants are residents as well as working in the area) and was used to identify key community issues and also collected post-forum commitments (i. E. Coordinate with our local library). Participants worked with a local graphic artist onsite to create a mural which highlighted the story of good things happening in jefferson. In addition to generous networking opportunities, group experiences such as a post-lunch office chair exercise routine were embraced by attendees.