GWP History

Organizing for the purpose of learning and exchange is a long-established practice in our region.  In the 1960s, Pittsburgh’s senior corporate leaders met regularly to discuss philanthropic interests; private foundation leaders held a similar discussion group.  After meeting separately for some years, the two groups merged to form the Pittsburgh Contributions Group, GWP’s predecessor.  In the early 1980s, a group of local grantmakers created a new nonprofit where local grantmakers could exchange knowledge, learn together and collaborate for higher impact.  More than 35 years later, that visionary group has become Grantmakers of Western Pennsylvania, a Philanthropy Supporting Organization (PSO) representing 80+ grantmakers of all types. Today's GWP builds on a legacy of supporting a strong, vibrant philanthropic community and we continue to work to enhance the impact of philanthropy – as individual practitioners, as funding organizations and as a community of grantmakers – on behalf of serving the public good.

GWP Founding Organizations