Hello Friends,

  Starting this month, I plan to send out a monthly update from the Executive Director. I hope this update will keep you all informed of the inner workings of The Pittsburgh Project and open the door for dialogue as we chart the path forward for TPP.

  As friends of The Pittsburgh Project, you all know that we have made our home at 2801 N. Charles Street since 1992, and while it will remain our home for the foreseeable future, there are parts of the campus that we will no longer own and manage. This past spring, TPP signed an agreement to sell our school and guest house buildings to the Urban Impact Foundation. That decision was not an easy one, but one that was reached through a lot of prayer and discernment, and in many ways, it signified the end of an era. However, my abiding feeling is one of hope because in selling those properties, we have positioned ourselves to serve the youth in our community and their families with excellence now and into the future.

  Prior to the pandemic, The Pittsburgh Project was drowning in debt and on the brink of shutting down. When I took over as the executive director in May of 2021, the organization carried almost a million dollars in debt. I am beyond proud to report that as I write to you today, just over two years since the organization nearly closed its doors, TPP is debt free! While there was a cost to getting to where we are now, the freedom that we are currently experiencing to serve the young people and families of this community far outweighs that cost. 

  In addition to eliminating the organization's debt, we were able to secure a lease in the sale of the buildings so that we will be able to continue to use the same space as always to operate our after-school and summer programs, which our community needs. It has been invigorating for our team to be able to dream of programs that will benefit our students and convert those dreams into plans of action rather than being hindered by finances.

 With our troubled finances in the rearview mirror, and a world of possibilities ahead, TPP has engaged the Bayer Center for Nonprofit Management in a strategic planning process. We are excited about the journey that we have been on with them over the past few months. The feedback we have received from the consultants, parents of program participants, funders, and community members has been overwhelmingly positive and encouraging. I am currently working with our board of directors to put the final touches on the plan that will guide our work over the next five years, and I will be sharing more about its details at the Fall Fest on October 21st. 

 Over the 37-year life of The Pittsburgh Project, we have done some great work on the Northside of Pittsburgh and across the city. I am humbled to be a part of that history. As we move into a new season, the vision that Pittsburgh will be called a City of Truth, which has been guiding us from the start, continues to be the heart and soul of the organization, filling us with hope for the future and spurring us on daily to good works.

 Thanks for taking the time to catch up on what’s been going on at The Pittsburgh Project, and please know that I am always an email or a phone call away if you have any questions, would like an update, or just want to check in.

Full of Hope,

Rick Mason