FALL 2006 SHIP SHAPE RiverQuest’s Explorer sets new environmental standard The Magazine of The Heinz Endowments INSIDE: CITY PLANTS STREAM CLEANING inside Founded more than four decades Our fields of emphasis include apart, the Howard Heinz Endowment, philanthropy in general and the established in 1941, and the Vira I. disciplines represented by our grant- Heinz Endowment, established in 1986, making programs: Arts & Culture; are the products of a deep family Children, Youth & Families; Innovation commitment to community and the Economy; Education; and the common good that began with Environment. These five programs work H. J. Heinz and continues to this day. together on behalf of three shared The Heinz Endowments is based in organizational goals: enabling Pittsburgh, where we use our region southwestern Pennsylvania to embrace as a laboratory for the development and realize a vision of itself as a of solutions to challenges that are premier place both to live and to work; national in scope. Although the majority making the region a center of quality of our giving is concentrated within learning and educational opportunity; southwestern Pennsylvania, we work and making diversity and inclusion wherever necessary, including statewide defining elements of the region’s and nationally, to fulfill our mission. character. That mission is to help our region thrive as a whole community—economically, ecologically, educationally and culturally— while advancing the state of knowledge and practice in the fields in which we work. h magazine is a publication of The Heinz Endowments. At the Endowments, we are committed to promoting learning in philanthropy and in the specific fields represented by our grant-making programs. As an expression of that commitment, this publication is intended to share information about significant lessons and insights we are deriving from our work. Editorial Team Linda Bannon, Linda Braund, Donna Evans, Maxwell King, Carmen Lee, Grant Oliphant, Douglas Root. Design: Landesberg Design About the cover Scientists-in-the-making Rachael Carlberg and Katie Rop search for macroscopic organisms in water samples from the Ohio River. The marks on Rachael’s hand are part of a demonstration on using elevation lines to map topography. The two sixth-graders from Colfax Upper Elementary School near Pittsburgh are participating in the RiverQuest program, which offers environmental science classes aboard ship. RiverQuest has added to its fleet of floating classrooms the new Explorer, a ground- breaking achievement in marine and green design. Photo by Lisa Kyle. 4 Garden Variety With support from local foundations, urban gardens are helping to revitalize southwestern Pennsylvania communities as well as beautify them. 10 Rockin’ the Boat As the recently completed ship, the Explorer, breaks new ground in marine and environmental technologies, it also provides new educational opportunities Volume 6 Number 4 Fall 2006 for the region’s children and adults. 20 Nine Mile Rebirth The rehabilitation of Nine Mile Run is unlocking natural beauty and environmental attributes that enhance Pittsburgh and surrounding communities. 2 Feedback 3 Message Garden, page 4 28 Here & There Working, page 22 feedback Our Summer issue highlighted the ways in which small grants can be used strategically to support projects that can have a major impact on individuals’ lives. We also examined efforts by Pittsburgh’s Office of Public Art to expand the city’s artwork in the public realm and collaborations among nonprofits to influence the region’s future. 2 Pittsburgh Art in Public Places started the project in collaboration with the of Bethlehem Haven, Center for Victims of As head of an organization devoted to UPMC Wellness Clinic in direct response to Violence and Crime, and POWER— encouraging people to live and work in the growing childhood obesity epidemic in Pennsylvania Organization for Women in downtown Pittsburgh, it is my belief that this the United States that is expected to alter the Early Recovery — was mentioned as an city is one of America’s hidden gems. Part of life expectancies and compromise the health example of one of the collaborative efforts the reason for this belief is the great artistic of an entire generation of children. My team that are working in our region. community that is here. Public art is a signifi- can speak firsthand about the impact these In my work with Bethlehem Haven of cant expression of the talent and potential funds make, not only on our own lives Pittsburgh, which provides housing and other in this region and an important element in as designers and educators, but also on the services for homeless women, I can attest urban revitalization. Some lasting effects of communities and partners with whom we that our decision to share a human resource beautifying Pittsburgh include strengthening work. In the past six months, our project director and related services is not only work- our neighborhoods and bringing communi- has moved from a conceptual framework ing, it has been cited for its innovation and ties together. on games and health to a real, practical and results in the Chronicle of Philanthropy Jeffery Fraser’s story “Pittsburgh Art in tangible product. and has been honored with the Pittsburgh Public Places” reveals how the Office of Public Without the Endowments funding, none Human Resources Association’s People Art transforms the visual landscape of neigh- of the initial Play:Ground researchers could Do Matter Award. borhoods in Pittsburgh by enabling artists to have taken the summer to contribute their Funding to support the development create public art that considers the people of expertise and ideas to the development of of the joint project also was collaborative, the community, their history and their hopes this game. At the same time, the constraints with the Richard King Mellon Foundation, for the future. of a small grant forced us to quickly develop the Pittsburgh Foundation and the FISA The Office of Public Art has an extremely a design approach that would form the Foundation providing three-year funding to important role in providing funding for proj- backbone of all of our activities. The limited launch the project. In addition, we received ects that will further expose our community funds, in effect, pushed us out of our studio support from the Forbes Fund that helped while, at the same time, adding to its beauty. and into the city to develop partners to move cover the cost of consultation services by We need to make sure that we all continue to forward once funding was complete. Through Dewey & Kaye. We are now looking at ways assist in the growth and development of the these partnerships, we have been able to to create a business venture through the col- artists who contribute to our city. define, co-create and develop powerful edu- laborative to provide human resources prod- John Valentine cational materials for middle school youth. ucts and services so that the joint project can Executive Director Author Malcolm Gladwell states in his eventually sustain itself with its own revenue. Downtown Neighborhood Association book The Tipping Point that, “[i]n order to Our organizations have all grown stronger Pittsburgh create one contagious movement, you often as a result of our collaboration. We share best have to create many small movements first.” practices, institutional knowledge and our Thank you, Heinz Endowments, for creating own individual strengths (and weaknesses!), opportunities that allow movements which has had a net effect of lifting up all A Smaller Slice of the Pie to happen! three organizations. However, we realize that Chris Fletcher’s article “A Smaller Slice of the Kristin Hughes and the Play:Ground Team collaborative agreements need to be well Pie” highlights the potential impact grass- Carnegie Mellon University thought out and a win–win for all partners. roots initiatives can have on a community School of Design Trust has to be engendered from the begin- and the importance of seemingly small grants Pittsburgh ning, and consistent effort, especially with in keeping those initiatives alive. The stories effective communications, must be made to and people in Fletcher’s article inspired and maintain trust among partners. That said, moved me deeply. let’s rise to the challenge — because we are Recently, I have been fortunate enough to Working As One all one in the end. receive $20,000 from The Heinz Endowments I read with interest Christine O’Toole’s article Marilyn Sullivan for a project called Play:Ground, a system of “Working As One,” in which she shines a Executive Director games designed for middle school students spotlight on our local nonprofit sector. The Bethlehem Haven to teach and celebrate a healthy lifestyle. We Human Resource Collaborative, a joint project Pittsburgh y r e v a L y r r a message B By Teresa Heinz Chairman, Howard Heinz Endowment 3 magine, for a moment, that you want to reclaim one That is precisely what happened in the above three scenarios, of your city’s biggest brownfield sites for a model which, as the articles in this issue reveal, had much happier housing development. Unfortunately, a creek running outcomes. In each of these cases, with support and sometimes through the heart of your site is so polluted that it is a prodding from The Heinz Endowments, the people and organi- Ipublic health hazard, especially when heavy rains fill the run zations involved decided to think beyond the status quo and with sewage. Upstream, the creek has already been channeled imagine something completely different. Asked what else they through culverts and buried. City planners decide to bury could do, they responded with a question of their own: What if? the rest, reasoning that no one wants to buy homes next to What if, instead of burying the creek, we restored it as a an open sewer.