Overview

Our Core Programs

PACE is dedicated to advancing a more equitable community by increasing the capacity of individuals, groups, and organizations that challenge injustice.

We know that effective nonprofit organizations increase the well-being of the communities they serve and that capacity-building increases the effectiveness of nonprofits.

We believe that building organizational capacity is a long-term, evolutionary process.

Did you know…only 11% of nonprofits in the Southwestern PA region receive the ideal amount of capacity building to maintain their critical work in their communities? Learn more in our Regional Nonprofit Effectiveness Study and try out the Regional Indicators of Wellbeing Interactive Map.

Assemble
The Kingsley Association
The Legacy Arts Project
Macedonia FACE
Melanin Mommies
Neighborhood Learning Alliance
New Century Careers
Open Up Pittsburgh
RealTime Arts
Za’Kiyah House

Assemble
Bible Center Church – The Oasis Project
Center of Life
Crossroads Foundation
Dress for Success Pittsburgh
Elizabeth Seton Center
Healthy Start, Inc
Open Up
The Legacy Arts Project
Veterans Place of Washington Blvd

Assemble
Bethany Community Ministries
Center of Life
Community Theater Project Corp dba Kelly Strayhorn Theater
Crossroads Foundation
Dress for Success Pittsburgh
Foster Love Project
Gateway Medical Society
Just Harvest Education Fund
Kingsley Association
North Hills Affordable Housing dba HEARTH
Northside Partnership Project
The Alliance for Police Accountability
The Legacy Arts Project
When She Thrives/Brown Mamas/NCJW’s Center for Women

Assemble
Bible Center Church Oasis Project
BOOM Concepts
Casa San Jose
Dress for Success Pittsburgh
Greater Valley Community Services
Hazelwood Initiative
Macedonia FACE
The Kingsley Association
The Legacy Arts Project

Amachi
Bible Center Church Oasis Project
Coroapolis Youth Creations
Crossroads Foundation
Dress for Success Pittsburgh
Foster Love Project
Gwen’s Girls
Melting Pot Ministries
New Century Careers
The Legacy Arts Project

A Philip Randolph Institute
Ambassadors Football
Bible Center Church Oasis Project
Crossroads Foundation
Dress for Success Pittsburgh
Franklin Center of Beaver County
Gwen’s Girls
Healthy Start
Heritage
Latino Community Center
New Century Careers
The Open Door
W PA Diaper Bank
Will Allen Foundation
Zellous Hope Project

1Hood
A Giving Heart
Divine Intervention Ministries
Ujamaa Collective
Veterans Place of Washington Blvd
Youth Enrichment Services

Coraopolis Youth Creations
Hill CDC
Homewood Children’s Village
Hope for Tomorrow
Western PA Community of Hope
Western PA Diaper Bank

Please check back soon for a list of Cohort II Strategic Action Planning Participants.

Please check back soon for a list of Cohort I Strategic Action Planning Participants.

A. Phillip Randolph Institute
The Open Door Youth Outreach Center
Black Women’s Policy Center
Casa San Jose
City of Bridges Community Land Trust
Office for Public Art
Hazelwood Initiative
Homewood Children’s Village
Infinite Lifestyle Solutions
Landforce
New Sun Rising
Office of Children, Youth, and Families
Pittsburgh Action Against Rape
The Legacy Arts Project
The Neighborhood Academy
The Pittsburgh Project

Bethany Community Ministries
Brashear Association
Dress for Success Pittsburgh
Fund My Future (Propel Schools)
Greater Valley Community Services
Healthy Start Inc.
Kelly Strayhorn Theater
Legacy Arts Project
M-Powerhouse of Greater Pittsburgh
Macedonia FACE
Neighborhood Academy
Northside Partnership Project
Sojourner House
The Center that Cares

B-Pep
Developing Internal Gifts of God (D.I.G.G.)
Franklin Center of Beaver County
Grow Pittsburgh
Kelly Strayhorn Theater
Life Ain’t Scripted
Macedonia FACE
Mission Commission
Neighborhood Allies
SouthWing
Stepping Stone Pathways
The Legacy Arts Project

1Nation Mentoring
Advance African Development, Inc.
African American Chamber of Commerce of Western PA
Amachi Pittsburgh
Franklin Center of Beaver County
Greater Valley Community Services
Hill CDC
Homewood Children’s Village
Macedonia FACE
Operation Better Block
Ruth’s Way
Ujamaa Collective
Western PA Community of Hope

Please check back soon for a list of Cohort II Leadership Development Participants.

Please check back soon for a list of Cohort I Leadership Development Participants.

Intensive Services Capacity-Building

“We meet you where you are” is more than just a phrase. It’s a commitment.

The Intensive Services program is PACE’s oldest ongoing program, designed to develop stronger, more resilient community-based nonprofit organizations that effectively serve the community. The year-long program consists of individualized organizational assessments, peer learning, and training, identification of one or more short-term projects, the assistance of one or more specialty consultants, project management and coaching by PACE staff, implementation grants, and opportunities to present to influential members of the community, including funders.

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Capacity Building Deep Dives

Formerly known as Strategic Action Planning program. PACE incorporates the deep dive characteristics of that successful 10-year program into other areas. Supported by leading regional foundations, PACE’s Strategic Action Planning program measurably increased the organizational capacity of 23 African American-led and governed organizations.

Strategic Action Planning* (SAP)

Leadership Development

In 2017 the nonprofit sector spent $29 per person on leadership development compared to $120 in the private sector. Additionally, in 2018 the Bayer Center for Nonprofit Management’s What Now study documented, due to retirement, that the Pittsburgh region could lose nearly 69% of nonprofit executives within the next 10 years. To address these challenges PACE created the Leadership Development Program.

Since 2016, the PACE Coaching Program has provided certified BIPOC executive and life coaches to BIPOC nonprofit executives and next-generation leaders, at no-cost to their organizations for six-months, strengthening their personal and organizational effectiveness.

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PACE Consulting

PACE works with regional philanthropic partners to create special capacity-building projects and programs that strengthen nonprofits and the communities they serve.

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Special Programs

Since 2019, PACE has been engaged with the Non-Profit Effectiveness Study, a collaboration with data scientist Peter York of BCT Partners. The study examines the impact on communities of nonprofit effectiveness through machine learning and big data from nonprofit IRS 990s, foundation and government funding, zip code level economic data, and population demographics. PACE intends to use the outcomes of the study to enhance and inform the development of future programs and services.

Using our direct fee-based consulting and training services, PACE works with regional philanthropic partners to create special capacity-building projects and programs that strengthen nonprofits and communities they serve.

Programs include:

  • Nonprofit Effectiveness Study and Regional Indicators of Wellbeing Map
  • Arts Equity Reimagined in partnership with multiple funders
  • The Pittsburgh Cultural Treasures Initiative with The Heinz Endowments
  • Building Productive Partnerships in collaboration with The Bayer Center of Nonprofit Management

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25 Carrick Ave Project / Community Cohort
Alumni Theater Company
Arcade Comedy Theater
Artsmiths of Pittsburgh Arts & Cultural Center
Assemble
Associated Artists of Pittsburgh for SPACE
Balafon West African Dance Ensemble
Barebones Productions
Bunker Projects
Casey Droege Cultural Productions
Casino Theater Restoration and Management, Inc.
Center for Metal Arts Inc.
Chamber Music Pittsburgh
City of Asylum Pittsburgh
Community Theater Project Corporation
Creative Citizen Studios
Daisy Wilson Artist Community/August Wilson House
Early Music America
Fine Art Miracles, Inc.
Funsch Dance Experience
Gallery on Gazebo
Geyer Performing Arts Center
Handmade Arcade
Hatch Arts
Hiawatha Project
Hill Community Development Corporation (Hill CDC)
Incidental Chamber Players
Indiana Arts Council
Industrial Arts Workshop, Inc.
International Free Expression Project
Kente Arts Alliance
Keystone State Music Theater Association
Little Lake Theatre
McKeesport Regional History and Heritage Center
Met Opera National Council (MONC) Pittsburgh
Neighborhood North Museum of Play
Open Up
PearlArts Studios
PICT Classic Theatre
Pittsburgh Area Cooperative of Theatres
Pittsburgh Entertainment Project, dba Steeltown
Pittsburgh Festival Orchestra
Pittsburgh Musical Theater
Pittsburgh Savoyards Inc.
Pittsburgh Shakespeare in the Parks
Prime Stage Theatre
Radiant Hall Studios
Radioactive Events Center Inc.
RealTime Interventions
Renaissance City Choir
Sabira Cole Film Festival (SCFF)
Shana Simmons Dance
SLB Radio Productions, Inc.
Slowdanger
Society to Preserve Millvale Murals of Maxo Vanka
South Park Theatre
Steel City Improv
Style412
Texture Contemporary Ballet
The Battle of Homestead Foundation
The Genesis Collective
The Legacy Arts Project
The Mendelssohn Choir of Pittsburgh
The Tull Family Theater
The Union Project
Washington County Historical Society
Washington Symphonic Orchestra, Inc.
Westmoreland Symphony Orchestra
When She Thrives
Write Pittsburgh, a program of New Sun Rising
WZUM-owned by Pittsburgh Public Media (PPM)
You Are Here, Inc.

A Giving Heart
Bethany Community Ministries
Brothers and Sisters Emerging
City of Pittsburgh – Welcoming Pittsburgh
Coraopolis Youth Creations
Dress for Success Pittsburgh
Gateway Medical Society
Global Links
Grounded Strategies
Homewood Children’s Village
New Century Careers
Storyburgh
The Education Partnership
The Global Switchboard
The Learning Lamp
When She Thrives

ALMA|LEWIS
Alumni Theater Company
Balafon West African Dance Ensemble
Barrel & Flow Fest
Bounce House Studios & Productions
Children’s Windows to Africa
Community Arts Experience Worldwide
Daisy Wilson Artist Community
Guardians of Sound
Hill CDC
JADA House International
Josh Gibson Foundation
Sankofa Village for the Arts
Sibyls Shrine
Texture Contemporary Ballet
When She Thrives

Aaleah Oliver
Alexus “Lexy” Brown
Alicia Volcy
Andrenna Williams
Brandon Lee
Crystal Noel Jalil
Quentin “Cue” Perry
Darrin Milliner
Daynell Marbury
Deavron Dailey
Freesoul El Shabazz-Thompson
Gavin Benjamin
Gregory Scott Williams Jr
Hussein Pwono
Irene Sparks
Ishara Henry
Jordan Giles
Justin Dumas
Karl D Franklin
Marcel Walker
Markeea Hart
Marlon Gist
Marques Redd
Mia Marshall
Nick Daniels
Onasile Barnett
Percy Echols II
Rich Calvin Burton Jr.
Tereneh Idia
Tresa Green
Tyler Watts
Tyra Jamison
Yvette Shipman
Yvonne McBride

Moka on Soho, Promotion of African American Artists
Live Well – Community Wellness Initiative
Healthy Village Learning Institute
An Nur Islamic Center, Deen Arts
Greater Pittsburgh Arts Project
Creative HANDS, Take My Hand
We The People 412, 2024 Harambee Soulful Black Arts Festival
Black Dream Escape
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