Since The Evan and Tracy Segal Family Foundation was founded in 2006, it has supported meaningful causes centered on human kindness and social justice on a national level. In 2019, the foundation decided to focus the majority of giving in the Pittsburgh region for greater impact. The Foundation partners with organizations both large and small to focus on enabling innovative programs, sparking new organizational collaboration and helping to build capacity.
What do other funders need to know about The Segal Family Foundation?
The Segal Family Foundation supports innovative and collaborative programs pertaining to Social Justice and Human Kindness in the Pittsburgh area. We utilize a humble engagement approach, using the talents and experience of our team (in addition to financial support) to serve our nonprofit partners. This synergistic approach supports our nonprofit partners by scoping out projects, developing strategies, bringing new partners into the solution and achieving substantive results. We have a successful record of helping to create programs and then scaling them locally and nationally.
We recognize that as a small family foundation, our impact may be limited by size, but certainly not by vision. We help the nonprofits that we support to dream big and then help them to make those dreams attainable. While engaging with these nonprofits, we work closely with other funders, to earn their respect and trust, in order to have a greater impact in areas where our missions align.
What project or organization are you funding that is most exciting to you right now?
We first learned about Delivering Good from the heroic work they were doing in Puerto Rico in the aftermath of Hurricane Maria. Delivering Good unites retailers, manufacturers, foundations and individuals to provide people impacted by poverty and tragedy with new merchandise, effectively distributed through a network of agency partners to offer hope, dignity and self-esteem to at-risk children, families and individuals.
We invited them to submit an LOI, which included bringing $10 of clothing/ bedding etc for each $1 of our grant. When we engaged with them, they were already working with local Community Partners - For Good Pittsburgh and Beverly’s Birthdays , along with retailers including American Eagle . Our grant will help expand both the number and impact of community partnerships. We are also reaching out to other retailers headquartered in the region to meet with DG’s leadership. And we are helping to organize a DG Pittsburgh Day, in collaboration with the Mayor, to highlight the powerful work of this organization. This program highlights our ability to bring together multiple nonprofits, retailers and community stakeholders to have a powerful positive impact in the Pittsburgh Region.
What funding areas would you like to form some partnerships around?
We are collaborating with both Foundations and Nonprofit service providers in multiple areas, including:
- Economic & Entrepreneurial Opportunities for Women and Minorities
- Ending Gun Violence
- Delivering support (food, clothing, etc) to vulnerable populations
- Addressing sexual harassment, violence and hate
- Repairing the world through programs that bring together people of all races, religions, sexual orientation or economic situations.
We look forward to working with Foundation Partners to identify collaborative programs that meet their mission and goals. Please contact Marla Werner, the Executive Director of The Segal Family Foundation, for more information.