Sprout Seed Award

Sprout Seed Awards are modest financial awards that support community-based projects and strategic initiatives. Since September 2001, the Sprout Seed Award program has supported over 180 projects, totaling more than $1.1 million of investment in the community. By seeding many small projects, Sprout supports, celebrates, and showcases the initiatives of young, creative, and civically-engaged people in the region with the cumulative power to create a critical mass of positive regional change.

Sprout supports projects that are designed to:

  • Engage young people in their communities
  • Raise awareness about projects, events, and activities important to young people
  • Provide opportunities for young people to assume leadership roles
  • Bridge the gap between young people and traditional regional stakeholders
  • Improve the perceptions that young people have of the image of the Pittsburgh region

Sprout is a non-traditional grant-maker and is organized to be responsive to the innovative initiatives of young people. In addition to the size ($500 to $10,000) and timing of its support (monthly review of applications), one of the key differentiators between Sprout and a traditional foundation is that Sprout's projects are decided by advisory committee members that are a part of the same demographic it serves—young people making decisions to support projects serving young people.

Recently Funded Projects

  • Along These Rivers: Poetry Reading and Photos (Poets for Humanity), $5,000
  • Braxton Plays Pittsburgh Plays Braxton, $8,000
  • Commute-by-Bike Zine (Bike Pittsburgh), $10,000
  • Dr. Sketchy’s Anti-Art School (Toonseum), $7,000
  • Foster Care: The Coffeehouse Tour (Family Services of SWPA), $5,000
  • Heartbeats, $3,500
  • Here We Grow Pittsburgh Here We Grow (Grow Pittsburgh), $7,500
  • Passports: Art of Diversity (Bethea/Brown Associates), $8,700
  • The Pittsburgh Project Remix, $5,000
  • Rhyme Calisthenics, $6,800
  • Street with a View , $2,620
  • Take Me Out (barebones productions), $10,000
  • testify, $8,000
  • Unsmoke Systems, $8,000

Learn more about other funded projects or how to apply for a Seed Award for your own project idea.