Opportunity Fund

02/11/2026

Philanthropy must adapt to meet the needs of our grant partners and the communities we support. We are proud to partner with the United Way of Southwestern Pennsylvania, along with The Heinz Endowments, The Pittsburgh Foundation, and McAuley Ministries, on Meeting the Moment: a rapid-response grant opportunity.

“In today’s rapidly changing environment, nonprofits face unprecedented challenges from federal funding cuts, emerging crises and evolving community needs. Traditional grant-making timelines often cannot match the urgency these situations demand. Meeting the Moment offers a rolling application process, opening Feb. 2, 2026, with monthly review and award cycles to ensure timely support. These rapid response grants allow organizations to act quickly and effectively, enhancing your ability to serve the community and adapt to changing circumstances.” – United Way of Southwestern Pennsylvania.

Visit the Meeting the Moment link in our bio to learn more and apply.

01/07/2026

Opportunity Fund announces Ian-Julian Williams as Program Officer/Arts.

Ian comes to Opportunity Fund from the National Endowment for the Arts, where he served as a Theater and Musical Theater Specialist since 2019. Prior to joining the NEA, Williams managed grants for the City of Los Angeles Department of Cultural Affairs and served as Program Coordinator at Center Theatre Group.

"Ian's hire is a tremendous boon for Pittsburgh's artists and arts organizations. Arts are a core part of Opportunity Fund's mission and, while they have always been a priority, we have never before had a team member whose focus is entirely dedicated to the arts. Ian is a fundamentally curious person whose practice is to seek out the wisdom of artists and arts leaders. At this particular moment in our city's cultural life, an advocate with this kind of perspective matters enormously."
-- Jake Goodman, Executive Director

“I am so excited to join Opportunity Fund and build on the strong relationships its team has developed with artists and arts organizations over the past decade. What drew me to Opportunity Fund is its fierce commitment to equity, artistic freedom, and care for its grant partners. These values matter deeply to me.” -- Ian-Julian Williams

Link to the full media announcement in our bio and https://theopportunityfund.org/2026/01/07/opportunity-fund-announces-ian-julian-williams-as-program-officer-arts/

12/23/2025

"2025 has been a pivotal year for Opportunity Fund, for Pittsburgh, and for the nation at large. This year challenged us to grow as a philanthropic organization and as individuals."

Check out these reflections from our ED, Jake Goodman.

Bottom line: "You, our partners, continually show us what our work is meant to be, and how we can use the foundation’s resources more powerfully. Thank you."

https://theopportunityfund.org/2025/12/23/2025-end-of-year-reflections/ and link in bio.

11/10/2025

We're honored to share our most recent grant partners.

"While the current political moment features a federal government that employs intimidation tactics to scare people with resources away from directing them to specific populations and issues, we will not be deterred by political threats. As this cohort of grant partners exemplifies, we will move forward as we always have." - Jake Goodman

Full list of grant partners is available at the link in our bio or https://theopportunityfund.org/2025/11/06/awards-2025c2/

10/09/2025

We are excited to announce our Pittsburgh partnership with Founders First Capital Partners , the nation’s largest women- and minority-owned revenue-based financing firm. Together, we are leading an effort to ignite collaboration and create new pathways for small business growth and quality job creation in Pittsburgh.

Join us for the Pittsburgh Capital Activation Experience, taking place October 14–15 at the August Wilson African American Cultural Center. Funders, lenders, and small business leaders will come together to strengthen the region’s inclusive economic ecosystem and accelerate access to growth capital. This partnership shows what’s possible when we come together to support business owners who are building both livelihoods and stronger communities.

Learn more at 🔗 in bio.

We are excited to share more about our Program Related Investments, one of our initiatives focused on partnership and long term economic growth in the Pittsburgh region. Say tuned!

09/26/2025

We at Opportunity Fund stand fully in solidarity with the 500+ other signatories to unequivocally condemn all forms of political violence. This includes the murders of Melissa and Mark Hortman and Charlie Kirk, and the violence of using Kirk's assassination as a pretext for weaponizing the government to threaten nonprofit and charitable organizations, other perceived adversaries, or any class of people.

We stand together to “implore the government to cease its escalation of political division, and stop the unjustified targeting of organizations and people in the wake of this terrible act of political violence."

We the undersigned unequivocally condemn the murder of Charlie Kirk and all forms of political violence. There is simply no…

07/13/2025

Opportunity Fund is searching for a Program Officer/Arts.

We are a niche funder of small and midsized arts entities focused on theatre, dance, classical chamber music, jazz music, and craft visual art. The position is full time, hybrid, and requires attendance at arts events in Pittsburgh.

Learn more and apply by July 31st.
https://theopportunityfund.org/2025/07/11/program-officer-arts/

04/18/2025

Opportunity Fund announces grantmaking support in the total amount of $933,489 to 61 partners as part of its first grant cycle in 2025. 89% of the grant funds offer general operating support. We're deeply honored to support these vital entities in Pittsburgh and beyond.

https://theopportunityfund.org/2025/04/15/awards-2025c1/

04/10/2025

Opportunity Fund has signed on to this solidarity campaign. https://nonprofitquarterly.org/unite-in-advance-philanthropy-coalition-launches-solidarity-campaign/

Some quotes from the campaign organizers Tonya Allen, president of the McKnight Foundation; Deepak Bhargava, president of the Freedom Foundation; and John Palfrey, president of the John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation --

"We’ve seen this before in American history and across the globe. Weaponized oversight. Intimidation dressed up as transparency. It is not new. But our response must be."

"We in the philanthropic community must not wait like sitting ducks. We must prepare and unite to defend our freedom to support the millions of people who rely on charitable foundations to build stronger, healthier communities and opportunities for all."

"Foundations do not exist to perpetuate ourselves. Our purpose is to support civil society by expanding the capacities and strengths of charitable organizations that help meet the needs of the communities in which they work.

It may be tempting to lie low and guard our resources—but that will not serve the nonprofits we fund, the people they serve, and the institutions we rely on to thrive."

"For those who can afford to increase their giving to address increased needs, let’s give more. The stakes for democracy are existential, and the price of inaction is our freedom."

04/01/2025

"I want to talk about the time we’re living in right now." Read the full speech by Jake Goodman, Opportunity Fund's Executive Director.

https://bit.ly/OFmoment

03/25/2025

Last month we celebrated Opportunity Fund's 10 year anniversary. The collective sentiment was: it is so good to be together, especially now! (We only regret that we could not be with all of you.)

One lesson that we have learned over these 10 years, and which is ingrained us now, is that dreaming is an essential part of the work that will lift us up out of these times.

Opportunity Fund is one cog in a wheel trying to make community dreams happen. This community in Pittsburgh and beyond, all of us together, is a wheel. Let’s turn.

03/06/2025

Monday, March 10 is National Day of Rest for Black Women. We encourage all Black women to pause and prioritize your own needs. You deserve rest, relaxation, and the space to recharge.

If you are a Black woman in Pittsburgh, join , our grant partner, for a communal rest session designed to help Black women rest, recharge, and reconnect. March 10, 11am - 2pm, 5530 Penn Avenue, Pittsburgh, PA 15206.

Opportunity Fund's Respite for Black Womxn initiative is dedicated to creating pathways for Black Womxn in Allegheny County, PA to access rest, care, and support. Visit our website to check out the videos and to learn more. theopportunityfund.org/r4blw/

Thank you to for creating this holiday!