For decades, historical neighborhood structures across the City of Pittsburgh have led to the creation of hundreds of community-serving nonprofits of various size, scope and geographic focus. All of these organizations were established with the foundational goal of improving neighborhoods and the quality of life for the residents that live in them. This has produced an excess of community and economic development programs and efforts that address a need, but are often isolated in their work. This lack of an overall master plan or non-profit coordination results in misaligned partnerships and resources, and ultimately have produced varying and often sporadic results as a result of the lack of coordination.
The Partnership Network (TPN) was formed in 2017 on the premise that no one organization, no matter how strong, can tackle the complex and systemic issues facing Pittsburgh communities alone. Our network was, and remains committed to working together to develop, improve, and uplift efforts that work – all in service to our neighborhoods. Over the brief five-year history of TPN, our network has evolved into a growing, trust-based community of local nonprofits focused on eliminating systemic inequalities through a more effective ecosystem of service delivery and resident empowerment.
Grounded in strong relationships, TPN member organizations are participating in a transparent and engaged environment for open, systemic collaboration – working diligently to understand gaps and challenges in the community development system and address them with solutions that increase our effectiveness and impact. The network shares openly and supports one another in our collective goals.
Each member organization brings a unique relevance, perspective and value to the table – illuminating blind spots, filling in knowledge and capacity gaps, and perhaps most importantly, providing a safe space to consider radical ideas, discuss failures and create a unified, equitable voice that is representative of our missions and of the residents that each of our organizations serves.
Current TPN partner organizations include Neighborhood Allies, NeighborWorks Western Pennsylvania, New Sun Rising, Grounded Strategies, and Omicelo Cares. Click here to learn more about the work and role of The Partnership Network.