URA Board Advances New Youth and Workforce Opportunities in the Hill District through Community-Driven Fund

Yesterday at its May 2026 Regular Meeting, the Urban Redevelopment Authority of Pittsburgh (URA) Board of Directors approved $176,460 in grants through the Greater Hill District Neighborhood Reinvestment Fund (GHDNRF) to support children, youth, education, and workforce development initiatives serving residents throughout the Greater Hill District.

The approved awards include five grants through the Children, Youth, and Education Initiatives Program and two grants through the Workforce Development Initiatives Program. These programs support community-based organizations providing youth educational activities and experiences related to STEM, the arts, athletics and cultural awareness and career training, education and job placement opportunities for the Hill District community.

Created as a result of the Lower Hill Local Economic Revitalization Tax Assistance (LERTA) Program, the GHDNRF is a community-driven fund that reinvests revenues generated by development activities on the Lower Hill site into projects, programs and initiatives that align with the priorities outlined in the Community Collaboration and Implementation Plan. The GHDNRF Advisory Board makes recommendations to the URA regarding which projects throughout the Lower Hill LERTA District should be funded with GHDNRF dollars. 

The following organizations received Children, Youth, and Education Initiatives Program grants:

• Boom Concepts – Black Power Storytime – $18,460
• Beyond Blessed Catering – Beyond the Plate: Hill District Culinary STEM & Youth Entrepreneurship Lab – $25,000
• Grandma and Grandpa’s Village Carnival – Village Carnival – $23,000
• Hill Dance Academy Theatre – Summer Dance Institute – $25,000
• Reading Is Fundamental – Children’s Literacy Program – $25,000

The following organizations received Workforce Development Initiatives Program grants:

• Center That Cares – The Career Compass: Guiding Young Adults Toward Sustainable Work – $30,000
• Generational Life – Hill District Workforce to Wealth Initiative – $30,000
  
  

“This funding represents an important step toward ensuring that community reinvestment is not just a promise, but a reality,” said R. Daniel Lavelle, URA Board Vice Chair and GHDNRF Advisory Board Co-Chair. “These programs will help strengthen pathways for youth development, education, workforce access, and long-term economic opportunity throughout the Hill District.”

“Today is another milestone for the GHDNRF. One of the unique aspects of the GHDNRF is it extends beyond what we normally think of as community development. It extends beyond brick and mortar development. It has an intentional focus on serving the most precious resource in the Hill District, which is the people of the Hill District,” said Kirk Holbrook, GHDNRF Project Manager Consultant.

Learn more about the Greater Hill District Neighborhood Reinvestment Fund here.