Mark S. Lewis, President and Chief Executive Officer, POISE Foundation
The year 2021 marks 40 years of the POISE Foundation, 40 years of philanthropy in Pittsburgh’s Black community.
The New Pittsburgh Courier has learned that the POISE Foundation will be holding a number of events to commemorate the milestone year. The Courier will be covering a number of the following events that POISE has planned:
May 13 – The Cousins Event
June – Community Conversation
June 24 – Community Conversation: Economic Justice
July 8 – Scholarship Celebration
August – Black Philanthropy Month Community Conversation: Why Do I Give?
September – Community Conversation: Education
October – Grantee Spotlight
November – Community Conversation: Mental Health
December – Year End Event
“In the midst of a pandemic, the POISE Foundation has positioned itself to thrive and make even greater investments in the Black community. For example, we successfully launched a Critical Community Needs Fund which supports small to mid-size Black Led organizations helping to sustain our community during the crises of COVID-19 and anti-Black violence. This has resulted in awarding more than $1 million to these local organizations. This is one of the many reasons we are celebrating,” said Greg Spencer, Chair of the Board of Trustees, POISE Foundation, in a statement to the Courier.
“POISE Foundation is the second Black public foundation created in the United States, and the first and only one in Pennsylvania. Its founder, Bernard H. Jones Sr., believed in self-sufficiency and growing assets in, for and by the Black community. In 1980, the foundation began with three funds valued at $164,000. We now manage over 200 funds valued at over $11 million. That’s a reason to celebrate,” added Mark S. Lewis, President and Chief Executive Officer, POISE Foundation, in a statement.
The POISE Foundation continues to educate the community on the power of collective giving and collective action. The year-long activities scheduled will celebrate Black excellence, while emphasizing the importance of strengthening the Black community through wealth-building.
For more information about POISE Foundation, visit www.poisefoundation.org
The POISE Foundation was established in 1980 in the format of a community foundation. Its mission is to assist the Black community in achieving self-sustaining practices through strategic leadership, collective giving, grantmaking and advocacy. POISE receives funds from a variety of donors. These funds may be unrestricted, and used to support its grantmaking strategy, or donor-directed for specific charitable purposes.
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