Side Project Inc

Programs: In 2016, we undertook several initiatives focused on creating a more inclusive and welcoming community. This included the openup pgh project, the western pa disability history and action consortium project and the interdependence network program. The openup pgh project offered inclusive yoga and improv theater to more than 100 students with and without disabilities in pittsburgh. The western pa disability history and action consortium project is working to preserve and honor the historic struggle of western pennsylvanians with disabilities to attain human and civil rights. In 2016, it started its work by sending surveys to more than 600 individuals and organizations in western pennsylvania with the goals of understanding what records and what types of records exist. The consortium also educated the public about disability history both online and in several live presentations. The interdependence network (in) is a community of practice organized by individuals and human service organizations from around the united states, canada and australia. Members have committed to shifting their emphasis from the traditional medical model approach to rehabilitation, to an interdependence model, which builds and fosters social capital and social inclusion within communities as the primary strategy for enabling people with disabilities to become full members of society. The group continued to meet and share emerging best practices. In also developed a set of standard outcome measures that all human service organization can use to track community related outcomes.

side project's training and technical assistance program delivered both in person and online based education and technical assistance. We provide information and guidance to nonprofits and grassroots projects on corporate, tax and compliance issues. This includes corporate governance issues, charitable registration compliance issues, tax-exempt issues, including executive compensation, private inurement, excess benefit, and the restrictions on lobbying and political activity. In 2016, this included over 400 hours of pro bono one-on-one support to more than 200 nonprofits and would-be nonprofit organizations (with budgets less than 5,000,000) in pennsylvania and florida. Additionally, we provided on-going low bono and pro bono legal, community organizing, and operational support to more than 30 small, grassroots nonprofits focused on social justice issues. In addition to technical assistance, we also published the pro bono publico blog that helps community organizers and nonprofit executive directors to understand the state and federal legal issues impacting their organizations. In florida, we hosted three nonprofit legal clinic workshops in partnership with nonprofit first on legal and compliance issues for small nonprofits, 15 organizations attended. In pittsburgh, we partnered with the bayer center for nonprofit management and hosted a workshop for individuals thinking about starting a nonprofit. The course, so you wanna be a 501(c)(3), focused on the incorporation process and alternatives that may be more appropriate, as well as nonprofit governance issues, reporting requirements and other legal and management issues that impact nonprofit organizations, 10 organizations attended. Nationally, we are in the process of developing a webinar based education program that is free to the public. In 2016, we hosted 1 webinar on "fiscal sponsorship" in partnership with the bayer center for nonprofit management, more than 20 people attended.

side project is committed to the communities in which its board of directors, staff, and volunteer live. We work hard to raise funds that we can use to support issues and organization in the community that align with our corporate mission and values of: service to others, inclusion, competence, relationships, social justice, and fun. In 2016, we made mini- grants to 14 nonprofit organizations.

promoting civic engagement. We have a dedicated corp of young and old professionals with a passion to give back to the community. We coordinate the volunteer's efforts and match them with a charitable side project at a small nonprofit. Many of our volunteers are lawyers who help with legal issues, but we also have folks from other fields as well, including accounting, computer programming, website design, graphic design, editing, community organizing, and social administration. In 2016, we had 42 volunteers, who volunteered more than 2,000 hours of help.