The Pittsburgh Promise Foundation is a 501(c)(3) organization based in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, registered in 2008, with $6,272,260 in FY2023 revenue. CharityIndex grades it C, and it directs about 87% of spending to programs.
Revenue (FY2023)
$6.3M
▼ 38.0% vs prior year
Philanthropy median: $168K
Expenses (FY2023)
$11.6M
Net assets
$58.8M
Employees
85
Rated on 4 of 4 criteria.
Held down by its weakest criterion — a strong score on one criterion can't hide a weak one.
How the rating works →Measures how much of every dollar spent actually reaches programs, plus what it costs to raise $100 of donations. The worse of the two measures sets the letter (85%+ to programs is an A; under $15 to raise $100 is an A), averaged over the three most recent filings. For The Pittsburgh Promise Foundation: 87% to programs · $37 to raise $100 earns a A on this criterion. See the exact thresholds →
Measures whether the organization is built to last: how many months its reserves would cover expenses (3+ months earns an A-range score, but hoarding 5+ years of budget is capped) and whether it runs a surplus or a deficit. For The Pittsburgh Promise Foundation: 61 mo reserves · -84% margin earns a F on this criterion. See the exact thresholds →
Checks how the organization is run, from its own Form 990: an independent board majority, a board of five or more, conflict-of-interest, whistleblower and document-retention policies, and independently audited financials. The share of disclosed checks that pass sets the letter. For The Pittsburgh Promise Foundation: 6 of 6 checks met earns a A+ on this criterion. See the exact thresholds →
Counts five disclosure signals: a recent filing, a mission statement, program descriptions, a listed website, and the full expense breakdown. More disclosure, better letter. For The Pittsburgh Promise Foundation: 4 of 5 disclosure signals earns a A on this criterion. See the exact thresholds →
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**see schedule o**the pittsburgh promise promotes high educational aspirations among urban youth, funds scholarships for post-secondary access, and fuels a prepared and diverse regional workforce.
Revenue declined from $70.4M (FY2013) to $6.3M (FY2023) across 11 reported years.
Financial snapshot
Operating margin
-84.5%
Spent more than it raised in the latest fiscal year.
Total assets
$59.1M
Total liabilities
$332K
Net assets
$58.8M
Salaries & benefits
$2.5M
22% of expenses
Board members
26
24 independent
| Fiscal year | Revenue | Expenses | Net assets | Total assets | Form |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2023 | $6,272,260▼38.0% | $11,570,982▼5.7% | $58,778,155▼4.5% | $59,110,555▼4.4% | 990 |
| 2022 | $10,120,509▼32.9% | $12,264,455▲6.5% | $61,533,491▲4.5% | $61,809,062▲3.7% | 990 |
| 2021 | $15,082,951▲88.3% | $11,513,190▼8.5% | $58,881,855▼10.8% | $59,585,111▼10.5% | 990 |
| 2020 | $8,011,763▼37.1% | $12,579,854▼13.0% | $66,001,167▲4.3% | $66,594,047▲4.4% | 990 |
| 2019 | $12,741,686▲25.9% | $14,451,914▼13.7% | $63,304,613▼2.6% | $63,813,527▼2.7% | 990 |
| 2018 | $10,120,091▼14.0% | $16,743,631▼17.0% | $65,020,133▼9.0% | $65,579,726▼8.7% | 990 |
| 2017 | $11,765,083▲116% | $20,166,340▼9.4% | $71,462,128▼8.3% | $71,851,357▼8.3% | 990 |
| 2016 | $5,437,770▼49.3% | $22,253,998▲6.4% | $77,891,202▼16.1% | $78,340,718▼16.2% | 990 |
| 2015 | $10,723,834▲43.2% | $20,912,982▲11.7% | $92,787,975▼10.9% | $93,515,096▼10.9% | 990 |
| 2014 | $7,489,312▼89.4% | $18,724,010▲28.9% | $104,169,999▼4.6% | $105,007,127▼8.9% | 990 |
| 2013 | $70,356,466 | $14,529,298▲4.9% | $109,209,964▲105% | $115,321,263▲93.1% | 990 |
| 2012 | — | $13,855,692▲30.6% | $53,188,189 | $59,721,915▲2.9% | 990 |
| 2011 | — | $10,613,041▲14.8% | $53,205,230▲5.0% | $58,045,604▲6.2% | 990 |
| 2010 | — | $9,243,184 | $50,693,862 | $54,664,978 | 990 |
Original Form 990 PDFs (the Form column) are served by ProPublica Nonprofit Explorer, as filed with the IRS. Create a free account to download the CSV report.
Highest-paid: Saleem Ghubril — $204,529 (1.77% of total expenses)
| Name | Title | Hours/week | Compensation |
|---|---|---|---|
| Saleem Ghubril | President | 40 | $204,529 |
| Amy Yearwood | Director, College & Career Services | 40 | $110,647 |
| Anne Lewis | Chair | 1 | — |
| Blake Ruttenberg | Director | 1 | — |
| Chester R Babst III | Director | 1 | — |
| Dana Harris | Director | 1 | — |
| David Schaich | Director | 1 | — |
| Debra Kline Demchak | Secretary | 1 | — |
| Dwayne Finney | Director | 1 | — |
| Ed Gainey | Ex-officio | 1 | — |
| Elisabeth Schroeder | Director | 1 | — |
| Eric Boughner | Director | 1 | — |
| Jackie Perlow | Director | 1 | — |
| James E Taylor | Vice Chair | 1 | — |
| James Spencer | Director | 1 | — |
| John Hathaway | Director | 1 | — |
| Joshua Devine | Director | 1 | — |
| Kirk Johnson | Director | 1 | — |
| Kiya Tomlin | Treasurer | 1 | — |
| Laurie Barkman | Director | 1 | — |
| Contractor | Services | Paid |
|---|---|---|
| Bcauses LLC | Professional Fundraising Services | $149,487 |
72 grants to The Pittsburgh Promise Foundation totaling $12.3M, reported by foundations on their Schedule I filings — showing the 15 most recent.
| Grantmaker | Purpose | Year | Amount |
|---|---|---|---|
| The Pittsburgh Foundation | Scholarships and student financial aid | 2024 | $1,343,837 |
| American Online Giving Foundation Inc | General support | 2024 | $20,737 |
| Educational Credit Management Corporation | Fafsa student support | 2024 | $13,000 |
| Morgan Stanley Global Impact Funding Trust Inc | Unrestricted general support | 2024 | $10,000 |
| Highmark Health | General support | 2024 | $10,000 |
| Upmc | Community devel | 2023 | $1,000,000 |
| The Pittsburgh Foundation | Scholarships and student financial aid | 2023 | $954,904 |
| Bny Mellon Charitable Gift Fund | To further the organization's exempt purpose | 2023 | $75,600 |
| Highmark Health | General support | 2023 | $30,000 |
| Fidelity Investments Charitable Gift Fund | For grant recipient's exempt purposes | 2023 | $29,800 |
| American Online Giving Foundation Inc | General support | 2023 | $25,493 |
| National Philanthropic Tr | Education | 2023 | $25,000 |
| Jewish Federation of Greater Pittsburgh | Program support | 2023 | $18,825 |
| Vanguard Charitable Endowment Program | For recipient's exempt purpose | 2023 | $16,000 |
| Donor Advised Charitable Giving | Public, societal benefit | 2023 | $14,000 |
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Data for The Pittsburgh Promise Foundation (EIN 26-1982661) comes from the IRS Business Master File and e-filed Form 990 returns, via CharityIndex. Figures reflect what the organization reported to the IRS for each fiscal year.