Funded Projects beginning with R

Raising Pittsburgh’s Black History Awareness through Literature
$5,000, 2008 Community Connections project support

Raising Pittsburgh’s Black History Awareness through Literature, a project of United Black Book Clubs of Pittsburgh and the Allegheny County Library Association, created an intergenerational literacy project surrounding The WPA History of the Negro in Pittsburgh, a historical non-fiction work edited by University of Pittsburgh Professor of History Laurence Glasco.

Rankin Gymnasium Mural
$10,500 » Artists Image Resource, 2014 Hive project support

Rankin Gymnasium Mural, a project of Artists Image Resource, was a large-scale art piece for the Rankin Christian Center, designed in collaboration with Andy Warhol Museum international Dutch artist-in-residence Stefan Hoffmann and the Rankin Christian Center’s youth workshop and community engagement program. The project went beyond just the production of a mural, opening a new print shop in the Center, staffed by students who learned the digital and screen printing design processes used in producing uniforms, posters and promotional materials for the project’s culminating event: a basketball tournament in the newly adorned gymnasium. The multifaceted project taught students new skills, along with lessons in leadership, teamwork and creative thinking.

Reach Out and Read comes to the Northside!
$1,000 » Allegheny Clinic, 2017 One Northside project support

Reach Out and Read comes to the Northside!, a project of Allegheny Clinic Pediatrics, brought the Reach Out and Read program to the Pediatric Alliance – Allegheny office. Reach Out and Read was a national program that worked to prepare the youngest children to succeed in school by partnering with doctors to prescribe books and encourage families to read together. The pediatricians and pediatric nurse practitioners advised parents to read frequently to their children and, at the same time, distributed free, brand-new, developmentally- and culturally-appropriate books to children from 6 months through 5 years of age at each regular checkup.

Reading With Romibo
$10,000 » Fine Art Miracles, Inc., 2014 Spark project support

Reading With Romibo, a project of Fine Art Miracles, Inc., was a combined program of social robot immersion and literacy for children ages 5 and younger, residing in neighborhoods such as the Hill District, Homewood, the North Side, Hazelwood, Lawrenceville, and Woods Run. Literacy programs were offered at Carnegie Library neighborhood locations as requested by branch librarians.

Ready Freddy Kindergarten Club
$1,000 » The University of Pittsburgh Office of Child Development, 2014 Spark sponsorship

Ready Freddy Kindergarten Club, a project of The University of Pittsburgh Office of Child Development, was a summer learning event series that introduced STEAM learning opportunities to young children, teaching about simple circuits as they created LED light jewelry. The STEAM learning events, guided by Assemble instructors, visited four locations around the city.

Ready Freddy Virtual Welcome to Kindergarden
$15,000, 2011 Spark project support

Ready Freddy Virtual Welcome to Kindergarden, a project of the University of Pittsburgh Office of Child Development, was a virtual space where children and their parents could prepare for the start of school by visiting an interactive web-based children’s book that takes children through the process of getting ready for school and shows them what their first day might be like.

RealTalk
$9,500 » League of Young Voters Education Fund, 2006 Seed Award project support

RealTalk, a project of League of Young Voters Education Fund, was a nonpartisan, grassroots media, marketing, and web-based project to raise political awareness and mobilize voter turnout. The project targeted 18- to 35-year-old Pittsburgh residents, with special emphasis on student and minority populations, during the 2006 general election cycle.

“Rebirth” (2005)
Gregg Valley, 2005 Community Murals mural

Over a few seasons, several Carnegie community groups approached Sprout Public Art describing a vision of their revitalized neighborhood as the mythological “phoenix rising from its ashes”—a sentiment that was finally carried out in this mural. In 2004, a year before the mural’s advent, flooding devastated downtown Carnegie, PA. Artist Gregg Valley created Rebirth to illustrate the phoenix and community rising and being “reborn” from the receding flood waters, rather than the ashes from legend. Community landmarks, including the Carnegie Library and the Ukrainian Orthodox church, literally ride on the wings of the phoenix, rising, as it were, with the sun. Valley, an illustrator by trade, transferred his signature color-facet style to this, his first large-scale painting. Imbued with movement and energy, this piece led to Valley’s second collaboration with Sprout in the Uptown community in 2006.

Rec2Tech Robotics
$8,000 » Assemble, 2016 Rec2Tech project support

Rec2Tech - Robotics, a project of Assemble, partnered with local experts from the YMCA programs to lead a student exploration of identity as to identify one’s self, one’s space, and one’s community. This ultimately led to the definition of a space for creativity within the Ormsby Recreation Center on the South Side. Students developed traditional art making and computer programing skills to start to overcome challenges they faced, such as overcoming physical and socio-economic barriers. The project was a tangible interactive exhibit and learning experience all in one.

Recipes for Remarkable Learning Experiences
$50,000 via 10 grants, 2014 Remake Learning project support

In November of 2013, Sprout funded ten Recipes for Remarkable Learning Experiences—lesson plans shared via a digital “cookbook” to improve learning experiences locally and around the world.

Recipes for Success for Hungry Minds
$1,050 » Pittsburgh Struggling Students Association, 2016 One Northside project support

Recipes for Success for Hungry Minds, a project of Pittsburgh Struggling Students Association, improved math skills and parent involvement for students who were performing poorly in school. The project added a “who ate my math homework” cooking component to the Math Doctors class for 3rd grade students at Pittsburgh Manchester PreK-8 where students received the book Recipes for Hungry Minds and made recipes on a bi-weekly basis as a way to incorporate family involvement into their learning. There were additionally monthly engagements for the students and their families and supporters.

Reclaiming Kite Hill Park
$1,000 » Bloomfield-Garfield Corporation, 2015 Grand Ideas project support

Reclaiming Kite Hill Park, a project of Bloomfield-Garfield Corporation, improved public green space with a low-maintenance plan that supported recreation and relaxation for residents and neighbors in Garfield. Centered on the neglected Pittsburgh CitiParks Kite Hill Park, the project developed a walking trail, repaired the basketball courts, restored abandoned garden plots, cleared and rejuvenated an overlook with a picnic area, and replaced missing play equipment with a natural play area for younger children.

Recyclable Recreation
$500 » Shaler Area School District, 2016 Change Machine project support

Recyclable Recreation, a project of 14-year old Olivia DiBon, taught youth to identify recyclable materials and use their imagination to encourage recycling in a positive manner. The project hosted workshops to create things from recycled materials, such as jewelry, an outdoor sculpture, origami, props, and sports games.

ReDiscovering Eden: Historic Waynesburg Walking Tour
$5,000 » Waynesburg Prosperous and Beautiful, 2008 Community Connections project support

ReDiscovering Eden: Historic Waynesburg Walking Tour, a project of Waynesburg Prosperous and Beautiful, was a beginning survey of the history and architecture of Downtown Waynesburg that resulted in a Historic Walking Tour program. A whimsical, artist-designed brochure and interactive displays were designed to promote interest in the town center and university campus. The project promoted Waynesburg as a destination, attracting retail customers and supporting local businesses and artists. Using the historic streetscape as a backdrop, artist Kyle Hallam created a map illustrating his vision of a revitalized Waynesburg, unique, fun and alive again, melding the past with the future.

Rediscovering Four North Side Neighborhoods
$1,000 » Allegheny City Society, 2017 One Northside project support

Rediscovering Four North Side Neighborhoods, a project of Allegheny City Society, created walking tours for four Northside neighborhoods focusing on each ones’ distinct pattern of historical development and transformation. The tours looked at both the origins of the communities and how they adapted to change in the broader history of the region. G-Tech walking tour brochures were incorporated into the tours to encourage participants to explore more of the neighborhoods on their own.

ReefBot
$50,000, 2010 Spark project support

ReefBot, a project of Pittsburgh Zoo & PPG Aquarium, was a remote controlled submersible robot with on-board fish recognition technology that swam in the PPG Aquarium’s Ocean Tank. Interactive controls and multimedia display allowed children to navigate the robot, find, record, and identify marine life in a coral reef habitat.

Reel Q Presents: Reel Stories “The Freedom to Marry”
$500 » Pittsburgh Lesbian and Gay Film Society, 2017 100 Days sponsorship

Reel Q Presents: Reel Stories “The Freedom to Marry”, an event hosted by the Pittsburgh Lesbian and Gay Film Society, was a free screening of “Freedom to Marry”, a film which documented the course of marriage equality follwoing Supreme Court historic ruling. The screening took place on 1/20/2017.

Rehabbing Vacant Structures
$15,500 » Northside Leadership Conference, 2015 One Northside project support

Rehabbing Vacant Structures, a project of Northside Leadership Conference, was an undertaking to decrease the 20% vacancy rate for buildings throughout the Northside of Pittsburgh. The effort was staffed by a Pittsburgh Urban Leadership Service Experience (PULSE) Fellow who acted as a central point of contact for the action team as the project coordinator. The PULSE Fellow not only had the responsibility of studying resources and models that address vacant structures but additionally identified where the findings were most appropriate in the context of the Northside.

The Relief TV Talk Show
$1,000 » P.A.C.T. Initiative, 2016 Grand Ideas project support

The Relief TV Talk Show, a project of P.A.C.T. Initiative, was a community talk show featuring guests who had lost people to violence. As a way to help other people suffering, the show looked at different ways to cope with loss by talking to people who have had to go through the grief process themselves. The show served as a way to build a community of support while also addressing the issue of violence in the Pittsburgh community.

reMAKE Education Conference Stipend
$1,500 » Elizabeth Forward School District, 2016 Remake Learning conference stipend

reMAKE Education Conference Stipend, a project of Elizabeth Forward School District, enabled Todd Keruskin, Assistant Superintendent for Elizabeth Forward School District, to attend the Summit August 3-5, 2016 in Santa Rosa, CA. The reMAKE Education Summit emphasized the many ways educators and communities were harnessing the energy of the maker movement to inspire learning and student exploration across multiple subjects at all grade levels. Summit workshops, panel discussions, and keynote addresses were given by industry leaders from across the country who were igniting student interest, actively engaging students in their learning, and developing the next wave of innovators through maker education. Todd presented on the work of the Pittsburgh FAB Institute and Elizabeth Forward’s K-12 Digital Fabrication Curriculum on behalf of the Remake Learning Network.

reMAKE Education Conference Stipend
$1,500 » Quaker Valley School District, 2016 Remake Learning conference stipend

reMAKE Education Conference Stipend, a project of Quaker Valley School District, enabled Jeff Evancho, Project Zero Programming Specialist for Quaker Valley School District, to attend the Summit August 3-5, 2016 in Santa Rosa, CA. The reMAKE Education Summit emphasized the many ways educators and communities were harnessing the energy of the maker movement to inspire learning and student exploration across multiple subjects at all grade levels. Summit workshops, panel discussions, and keynote addresses were given by industry leaders from across the country who were igniting student interest, actively engaging students in their learning, and developing the next wave of innovators through maker education.

Remake Learning Days 2016 Sponsorships
$14,000 via 17 grants, 2016 Remake Learning sponsorship

Remake Learning Days, May 9-15, 2016, was a weeklong celebration of activities and events showcasing everything that made the Pittsburgh region a recognized national leader in innovative teaching and learning. It focused on giving everyone the opportunity to experience the future of learning, right here in the Pittsburgh region. Members of the Remake Learning Network created future-ready, hands-on, relevant and engaging educational experiences for kids and their families, caregivers and educators in greater Pittsburgh, West Virginia, and beyond. Over 150 events at schools, museums, libraries, afterschool centers, universities, media centers, tech startups, and more, were free and open for the public to explore.

Remake Learning Days 2017 Sponsorships
$4,500 via 9 grants, 2017 Remake Learning sponsorship

Remake Learning Days, May 15-26, 2017, was a celebration of activities and events showcasing everything that makes the Pittsburgh region a recognized national leader in innovative teaching and learning. Remake Learning Days focused on giving everyone the opportunity to experience the future of learning, right here in the Pittsburgh region. Members of the Remake Learning Network created future-ready, hands-on, relevant and engaging educational experiences for kids and their families, caregivers and educators in greater Pittsburgh, West Virginia, and beyond. Over 150 events at schools, museums, libraries, afterschool centers, universities, media centers, tech startups, and more, were free and open for the public to explore.

Remake Learning Days 2018 Sponsorships
$2,500 via 5 grants, 2018 Remake Learning sponsorship

Remake Learning Days, May 17-25, 2018, was a celebration of activities and events showcasing everything that makes the Pittsburgh region a recognized national leader in innovative teaching and learning. The Remake Learning Days events led by My Brother’s Keeper Digital Literacy Collaborative partners highlighted innovative teaching and learning that targets underserved populations, helping to create future-ready, hands-on, relevant and engaging educational experiences for kids and their families, caregivers and educators in greater Pittsburgh, West Virginia, and beyond.

Remake Learning Digital Corps 2014 Partnership
$5,000 » Allegheny Partners for Out-of-School Time (APOST) of United Way of Allegheny County, 2014 Digital Corps project support

Remake Learning Digital Corps 2014 Partnership, a project of United Way of Allegheny County, Digital Corps - APOST Partnership enabled Allegheny Partners for Out-of-School Time (APOST) to serve as The Sprout’s Fund’s principal partner for the Remake Learning Digital Corps. APOST helped Sprout identify out-of-school sites, attract interest for placement opportunities, and provided best practice training for Digital Corps members entering out-of-school learning environments. Working through the connections afforded by two strong regional networks, Kids+Creativity and APOST, the Remake Learning Digital Corps team enabled community centers, summer camps, and other out-of-school settings to leverage the learning experiences offered by today’s free, low-cost, and open source software tools.

Remake Learning Digital Corps 2015 Partnership
$5,000 » Allegheny Partners for Out-of-School Time (APOST) of United Way of Allegheny County, 2014 Digital Corps project support

Remake Learning Digital Corps 2015 Partnership, a project of United Way of Allegheny County, Digital Corps - APOST Partnership enabled Allegheny Partners for Out-of-School Time (APOST) to serve as The Sprout’s Fund’s principal partner for the Remake Learning Digital Corps. APOST helped Sprout identify out-of-school sites, attract interest for placement opportunities, and provided best practice training for Digital Corps members entering out-of-school learning environments. Working through the connections afforded by two strong regional networks, Kids+Creativity and APOST, the Remake Learning Digital Corps team enabled community centers, summer camps, and other out-of-school settings to leverage the learning experiences offered by today’s free, low-cost, and open source software tools.

Remake Learning Fellowship
$15,000 » Junlei Li & St. Vincent College, 2014 Remake Learning fellowship

Junlei Li’s Remake Learning Fellowship, a project of St. Vincent College, studied how classroom innovation is delivered to students. With his experience with the Children’s Innovation Project, PAEYC, and the Fred Rogers Company, Li’s project helped to develop and define strategies and guidelines that focus efforts to communicate about the innovative learning movement. Through this, the project developed a discipline for the movement and disseminated results to a national audience to foster greater focus and growth.

Remake Learning Fellowship
$10,000 » Leanne Bowler & University of Pittsburgh, 2013 Remake Learning fellowship

Leanne Bowler’s Remake Learning Fellowship, a project of University of Pittsburgh, investigated critical technical practices and the roles that mentors can play in developing young people into mindful makers of technology through the project, “Mindful Making: Intergenerational design teams explore reflective design in DIY/Maker spaces”. The project leveraged Pittsburgh’s place as a leading connected learning and maker education hub with research into the critical practices of the making movement, using design challenges to identify a set of reflexive questions that better explored the reaches of making and mentorship on the whole.

Remake Learning Fellowship
$10,000 » Tim Cook & The Saxifrage School, 2012 Remake Learning fellowship

Tim Cook’s Remake Learning Fellowship, a project of Saxifrage School, developed a handbook for Student Voice in Education Reform, a living resource document that gave students greater agency in their education. It was represented in print and digital formats as an open-ended, remixable resource created through open-source means for students and teachers alike to examine their learning practices, while at the same time providing structure to the new and innovative method of learning for which it plans. The Handbook explored how our education system works and what educational reforms concerning policy, technology and pedagogy can be made to improve it for future generations, making sure to give students a powerful voice in these decisions that affect them so greatly.

Remake Learning Fellowship
$10,000 » William Penman & Carnegie Mellon University, 2012 Remake Learning fellowship

William Penman’s Remake Learning Fellowship, a project of Carnegie Mellon University, involved a series of roundtable discussions where the subject of multimodal literacy was broached with teachers of youth in Pittsburgh’s libraries, science centers, and afterschool programs. The findings of these roundtable discussions, bolstered by Penman’s own academic research paper on the topic, was then translated into a large, narrative, infographic-style cartoon shared freely online as a resource for learning about the issues inherent in multimodal learning and how to work to answer them.

Remake Learning Troupe 2015
$15,000 » Assemble, 2015 Remake Learning project support

Remake Learning Troupe 2015, a project of Assemble, provided an interactive experience for audiences of children, youth, and families, as well as educators and innovators to learn about and participate in activities that represented the work of the Remake Learning Network. The Troupe created a space that represented a miniature learning ecosystem, with learning pathways “drawn” between participating organizations, and also incorporated a badge-related activity for providing organizations and participants that tied in with the physical showcase.

Remake Learning Troupe 2016
$5,000 » Assemble, 2016 Remake Learning project support

Remake Learning Troupe 2016, a project of Assemble, was a team of educators, artists, and mentors who provided interactive, hands-on creative learning activities during a public showcase of the Remake Learning Network at Point State Park during the Three Rivers Arts Festival June 3-5 and 10-12, 2016.

Renegade Performance Downtown Lunch Series
$9,600 » Junction Dance Theatre, 2003 Seed Award project support

Renegade Performance Downtown Lunch Series, a project of Junction Dance Theatre, took place during lunch breaks at many office buildings, food courts, and public spaces in downtown Pittsburgh. The performances promoted the many possibilities of dance and expanded the definition of live performance in an exciting and unexpected fashion.

Re:New Festival
$2,500 » Greater Pittsburgh Arts Council, 2016 Remake Learning sponsorship

Re:New Festival, an event of Greater Pittsburgh Arts Council, was a new initiative to engage families, cultural tourists, art lovers, and the public in an array of programs relating to the arts and sustainability. Sprout support enabled educators and students at several Pittsburgh Public Schools, Propel, and Environmental Charter School to engage with visiting artists, showcase at Pittsburgh Public Schools, and take field trips to the festival.

Renew Pittsburgh
$10,000 » RenewPittsburgh, 2008 Seed Award project support

Renew Pittsburgh, a project of RenewPittsburgh, worked with city residents to spark a sense of renewal in Pittsburgh’s neighborhoods. The group organized leaders and community members to address problems in need of cooperative attention, including the cleanup of August Wilson’s childhood home in the Hill District.

Renovating Community Bridges
$5,000 » Amizade Global Service-Learning, 2017 100 Days project support

Renovating Community Bridges, a project of Amizade Global Service-Learning, linked urban and rural communities in Western Pennsylvania through youth and young adult dialogue, exchange, and service.

Repairing Youth Police Relations
$5,000 » Carnegie Mellon University, 2017 100 Days project support

Repairing Youth Police Relations, a project of Carnegie Mellon University, worked to improve relationships between youth and police through dialogue and creative expression.

RePlayMyPlay
$14,000, 2009 Spark project support

RePlayMyPlay, a project of Deren Guler, was an energy-harvesting play exhibit at the Carnegie Science Center that converted the mechanical energy from the motion of children’s play into electric power.

Reporting on the Effects of the New Administration
$5,000 » PublicSource, 2017 100 Days project support

Reporting on the Effects of the New Administration, a project of PublicSource, published articles on the effects of federal policies on the Pittsburgh region, including healthcare, immigration, education, and economics.

Restoring a Hay Wagon
$5,000 » Butler County Community College Education Foundation, 2008 Community Connections project support

Restoring a Hay Wagon, a project of Butler County Community College Education Foundation, honored the toil of our ancestors and the resulting pride in a sustaining communal lifestyle. As a Venturing Crew project, Boy Scouts of America coed adventure program for ages 16-20, it provided an opportunity for young adults to learn about the function of a hay wagon and its contribution to our nation’s progress while they experience craftsmen pride. The finished haywagon created an active history lesson for the community.

ReTool Local Economies Forum
$5,000, 2008 Community Connections project support

ReTool Local Economies Forum, a project of ReTool, organized a participatory art and community project that investigated informal, local economies in Pittsburgh—jitney services, do-it-yourself artists, cottage industries, etc. In partnership with The Union Project, the artists interviewed participants to document the effect that these local economies have on various communities.

Reuse Fest Event and Collection
$5,000 » Pennsylvania Resources Council, 2011 Seed Award project support

ReuseFest Event and Collection, a project of Pennsylvania Resources Council (PRC), was a one day collection, material exchange, and educational event that focused on the importance of material reuse. ReuseFest used the experience and expertise that PRC developed in holding over 100 successful Household Hazardous Waste, Pharmaceutical and Hard to Recycle collections to benefit not only the residents of the region, but also local non-profits by increasing awareness of reuse focused nonprofits in the region while diverting materials from local landfills. The event was held in late summer of 2012 at the South Side Works and served as a drop off for reusable materials, materials exchange or swap meet, a recycling event, and an education tool to engage the general public in how reuse helps the environment, local organizations, low income families, and those in need thousands of miles away.

Rhinestone Steel
$4,000 » Dreams of Hope, 2013 Seed Award project support

Rhinestone Steel, a project of Dreams of Hope, was an all-day, all-ages queer arts and music festival in celebration of the queer community. It created an outlet for queer expression, working to eradicate the inhibition and isolation of the community. The festival hosted local and nationally recognized music acts, showcases queer art, and allowed queer community members and allies to come together in a safe and fun environment.

Rhyme Calisthenics
$6,800, 2008 Seed Award project support

Rhyme Calisthenics was an ongoing event series that provided a venue for current and future hip-hop artists to sharpen their improvisational performance skills and expand their artistic subject matter. The main attraction of the series was a six-foot game show wheel with 12 different emcee challenges that tested improvisational, rhythmic, and thematic skills.

“Ride in the Sky” (2008)
Laura Jean McLaughlin, 2008 Community Murals mural

Laura Jean McLaughlin’s Ride in the Sky shines with the artist’s personality in this 2008 Sprout mural. The whimsical and fun design not only changed the face of the wall on which McLaughlin painted it, but become an integral part of a larger transformation in the Uptown community. While the lot in front of the mural used to be completely empty, it soon after became the home of a sculpture and a garden. In concert with these decorative elements, Ride in the Sky enlivened this Uptown corner with color and creative spirit.

RiverCubes Project: Pittsburgh
$10,000 » Three Rivers Rowing Association, 2003 Seed Award project support

RiverCubes Project: Pittsburgh, a project of Three Rivers Rowing Association, constructed sculptures from refuse gathered along Pittsburgh’s rivers to draw attention to the future of the city’s waterways.

Riverside Community Corrections Center Resident Garden
$1,050 » Riverside CCC and Manchester Citizens Corp, 2015 One Northside project support

Riverside Corrections Center Community Garden, a project of Manchester Citizens Corporation, built a garden using permaculture within the walls of the state prison in the Chateau neighborhood. Residents of the institution were responsible for caring for the garden inside the Riverside CCC courtyard and harvesting the produce, which could be used in the center’s kitchen. The ideas of healthy eating, self-reliance, and sustainability were discussed with residents who will need these ideas to be successful upon reintegration into society. Peer learning and mentoring was encouraged while team members attended gardening workshops, built raised beds, planted, cared for, and harvested the garden in addition to being given a library of gardening books.

Roadside Giants of the Lincoln Highway
$50,000, 2008 Community Connections project support

Roadside Giants of the Lincoln Highway, a project of Lincoln Highway Heritage Corridor, worked with vocational and technical students in Bedford, Somerset, and Westmoreland counties to design and build incredible roadside attractions — Roadside Giants — at locations along Pennsylvania’s historic Lincoln Highway.

Roaring Run Natural Area Hiking and Biking Brochure
$2,500 » Roaring Run Watershed Association, 2008 Community Connections project support

Roaring Run Natural Area Hiking and Biking Brochure, a project of Roaring Run Watershed Association, produced a brochure about the nearly 700 acre natural area near Apollo, PA, in Armstrong County on the Kiskiminetas River. The map highlighted the area’s Roaring Run Rail Trail, the Rock Furnace Trail, several hiking/mountain biking trails, a canoe/kayak launch, spectacular waterfalls and massive boulders, the Derwood Beer’s Park, land reclamation projects, canal remnants, and the area’s role within the regional trails and heritage sites associated with the Pittsburgh-to-Harrisburg Main Line Canal Greenway™.

Robot Algebra Project
$15,000, 2010 Spark project support

Robot Algebra Project, a project of Girl Scouts of Southwestern PA, blended technology, dancing, music, and pre-algebra concepts through Lego Robot programming to engage girls’ interests and excitement in Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math (STEM) subject areas.

Romibo Robot Project
$10,000, 2011 Spark project support

Romibo Robot Project, a project of Aubrey Shick of Origami Robotics, was an open source community-facilitated robot platform for exploring and enacting therapeutic behaviors while educating the public about special needs and technology.

Roots for STEM
$5,000 » Wheeling Country Day School, 2015 Spark project support

Roots for STEM, a project of Wheeling Country Day School, was a STEAM program for early learners at Wheeling Country Day School. Program activities included introducing students to Dash and Dots and Makey Makeys to provide young children with the opportunity to code, program, and compose while also learning how to collaborate. Teachers implemented the activities as part of their science classes in place of traditional science projects. Professional development was provided for Wheeling Country Day School teachers, with the knowledge learned passed indirectly to the pre-service teachers from West Liberty University that they taught.

Roots for You Food Buying Cooperative
$1,000 » Landslide Community Farm, 2015 Grand Ideas project support

Roots for You Food Buying Cooperative, a project of Mama Africa’s Green Scouts that was fiscally sponsored by Landslide Community Farm, was a food buying club for Homewood and Uptown neighbors. It gave residents an opportunity to purchase healthy fresh fruit, vegetables, herbs, grains, and dairy while providing education about cooperative economics and healthy choices.

Roots of the Future Concert
$1,050 » Perry High School Music Program, 2015 One Northside project support

Roots of the Future Concert, a project of Perry High School Music Program, was a musical education project that used Smart Music software to assist students at Perry High School in musical sight-reading and performance abilities, helping to solve issues of rehearsing without large ensembles or personal instructors. More than 40 students participated in the project with 100% showing improvement in their performance. The project culminated at the Roots of the Future concert showcasing students’ musical progress, including students from Allegheny Traditional Academy, Manchester K-8, Perry Traditional Academy, and Urban Impact Foundation.

Rootz of Farming Events
$4,000 » Healcrest Urban Farms, 2010 Seed Award project support

Rootz of Farming Events, a project of Healcrest Urban Farms, was a pair of Reggae performances at Healcrest Urban Farms that celebrated urban farming and local food. The performances upheld the ideals of rootz cultures, defined by spiritual and cultural emphases on reggae music, fresh foods, and a healthy environment. The events kicked off and closed the Pittsburgh growing seasons and drew reggae lovers from all over the city.

Rox Performance Instrument Rental Program
$1,050 » Northside Leadership Conference, 2016 One Northside project support

Rox Performance Instrument Rental Program, a project of Northside Leadership Conference, was a free music instruction program for Northside youth. Rox Performance additionally provided instruments to use during the lessons and performances, which took place on Saturdays at the Allegheny Elk’s Lodge.

ROYGBIV Festival
$3,000, 2009 Seed Award project support

ROYGBIV Festival presented kinetic and sound artists in a series of performances, lectures, and workshops at The Nerve in Bloomfield. Kinetic Pittsburgh-based artists Joshua Space and Greg Witt combined creative forces with musical groups DRMWPN, from Chicago, and Neptune, from Boston, to fuse sound and robotics in direct dialogue. The musicians and artists were available throughout the weekend to present and discuss their work.

Rustbelt Radio
$9,800 » Pittsburgh Independent Media Center, 2006 Seed Award project support

Rustbelt Radio, a project of Pittsburgh Independent Media Center, was an hour-long weekly radio show produced by an all volunteer collective and dedicated to “news from the grassroots.” The show highlighted the work of community activists and groups working for positive change and covered issues and events ignored, skewed, or misunderstood by corporate media outlets.

Ryan Arts Digital Literacy Labs and Coding Club
$10,000 » Focus on Renewal, 2017 My Brother's Keeper project support

Ryan Arts Digital Literacy Labs and Coding Club, a project of Focus on Renewal, hosted a weekly Youth Coding Club that focused on building webpages and websites while also providing independent digital literacy lab hours where youth could participate in both structured guided lessons and open lab hours with a Digital Labs Tutor. The new Digital Literacy Lab helped serve more community members by providing free computer skill and media workshops along with easy access to resources needed to apply for jobs.