Funded Projects beginning with O
Observatory Hill Business District Light-Up Night
$1,000 » Observatory Hill Inc., 2017 One Northside project support
Observatory Hill Business District Light-Up Night, a project of Observatory Hill Inc., highlighted the neighborhood’s business district with a community event during the holiday season. Light-Up Night took place at the 5 Corners of Observatory Hill, where East, Baytree, Mairdale Streets meet Perrysville Ave. Carolers and church choirs sang throughout the business district and Santa Claus gave out small gifts for children in an effort to bring vitality and attention to the businesses while also encouraging unity within the neighborhood.
Observatory Hill Business District Revitalization Project
$10,000 » Observatory Hill Inc., 2015 One Northside project support
Observatory Hill Business District Revitalization Project, a project of Observatory Hill Inc., provided financial assistance to refresh the business district with the intention of helping to encourage residents and investors to patronize the area.
Observatory Hill’s Bonvue Hops Yard
$5,000 » Observatory Hill Inc., 2016 One Northside project support
Observatory Hill’s Bonvue Hops Yard, a project of Observatory Hill Inc., used two vacant lots on Bonvue Street in Observatory Hill to produce hops to sell to Northside breweries. Neighborhood volunteers helped with planting, maintenance, and harvesting activities, which were overseen by Barley and Bines. The project also worked with Pittsburgh Water and Sewer Authority to integrate storm water management to help irrigate the hops and address the sewer overflow issues in the neighborhood.
Off the Street and Into the Kitchen
$5,000 » Community Kitchen Pittsburgh, 2017 100 Days project support
Off the Street and Into the Kitchen, a project of Community Kitchen Pittsburgh, worked to get ex-offenders off the street and into the kitchen through paid farm-to-table restaurant training.
Old Bedford Village Redoubt and Encampment Project
$5,000 » Old Bedford Village, 2008 Community Connections project support
Old Bedford Village Redoubt and Encampment Project, a project of Old Bedford Village, enabled the Village, a living history museum, to add to its collection of activities and appeal to a broader audience by building a redoubt to use in re-enactments of French and Indian War events. Since military units used redoubts from the French and Indian War to the Civil War, Old Bedford Village was able to additionally use the fortification to re-enact events in the Revolutionary War, Napoleonic wars, and Civil War as well.
Olympic Curling Open House
$1,000 » Pittsburgh Curling Club, 2014 Grand Ideas project support
Olympic Curling Open House, a project of Pittsburgh Curling Club, shared the sport and spirit of curling with the city of Pittsburgh in celebration of the upcoming 2014 Winter Olympics. Introducing the city to the accessible, ancient ice sport in an exciting and welcoming setting, the PCC highlighted the sport and the local community that offers opportunities to play the Olympic sport in Pittsburgh.
On Beyond Ethology
$1,973 » Ingram Clockworks, 2006 Seed Award project support
On Beyond Ethology, a project of Ingram Clockworks, created robotic versions of several species of waterfowl native to southwestern Pennsylvania. Using natural, electronic, and toy-like materials, the robots floated via blown-out eggshells and rowed with oars that had feathers for blades. The robots used sensors to navigate to the middle of Westinghouse Pond in Schenley Park and replicated species-specific interactions, including a courtship dance.
On The Ground 2016 One Northside Delegation
$4,000 » Grassroots Grantmakers, 2016 One Northside project support
On The Ground 2016 One Northside Delegation, a project of Grassroots Grantmakers, enabled Northside residents to attend the conference in Baltimore from October 5 – 8, 2016. On the Ground was designed for funders and others who are working to help resource the work of everyday people and the groups that they form for mutual aid and collective action. The Sprout Fund in partnership with One Northside and the Buhl Foundation brought a delegation of 10 One Northside project leaders and staff members to Baltimore in 2016 for deeper learning, networking, and peer exchange.
On The Ground Pittsburgh 2017 Buhl Foundation Sponsorship
$5,000 » Grassroots Grantmakers, 2017 One Northside sponsorship
On The Ground Pittsburgh 2017 Sponsorship, a project of Grassroots Grantmakers, supported the annual conference that took place in Pittsburgh. Based on the theme “Resident Power Leading Neighborhood Change”, OTG Pittsburgh 2017 was a unique opportunity for funders and project leaders from across the United States and Canada to connect with Pittsburgh’s philanthropic leadership and grassroots community in an intensive shared learning experience. As a forum for engaging national peers and colleagues, this multiple-day retreat enabled the local philanthropic community to reflect on strategies for supporting resident-led change here at home, while also offering a platform for showcasing Pittsburgh’s most innovative people, projects, and organizations to visiting guests.
One Cold Hand
$1,000, 2007 Grand Ideas project support
One Cold Hand, a project by Jenn Gooch, connected the Pittsburgh community by focusing on one common, but unfortunate, event–the loss of a glove. Centered around the website Onecoldhand.com, the project magnified and explored the concept of loss, while also collecting and saving gloves lost throughout the city in the chance that they may be found again, creating a representative emblem of hope and community. Over the course of a winter, One Cold Hand collected 450 gloves and returned more than a dozen to their owners. The project was covered in over 145 media outlets worldwide through the Associated Press, including the New York Times and BBC Radio London, and locally in the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, Tribune Review, and on KDKA television news.
One Large
$1,000 » Cynthia Croot, 2015 Open Engagement honorarium
One Large, a project of Cynthia Croot, offered conference attendees a $10 bill marked with a sparkly ONE LARGE logo in exchange for agreement to spend it at a black-owned business in Pittsburgh or in their home community.
One Northside 2015 & 2016 Crowdsource Fundraising Partnership
$31,750 » In Our Backyards, Inc. (ioby), 2015 One Northside project support
One Northside 2015 & 2016 Crowdsource Fundraising Partnership, a project of In Our Backyards, Inc. (ioby), enabled supported One Northside projects to secure additional financial contributions from the general public and recruit local volunteers to participate in project activities. In addition to offering a technical infrastructure for receiving online contributions and managing volunteers, ioby provided training and assistance to build the capacity of the leaders participating in projects, with particular emphasis on organizational development, fundraising, and online communications.
One Northside Community Schools Intern
$1,500 » Selena Marshall, 2016 One Northside project support
One Northside Community Schools Intern, a project led by Selena Marshall, was a research project to examine the impact of the Full Service/Community Schools initiative and how it differs from the formal school structure as a part of the One Northside initiative. Research has shown that the Full Service/Community School model can impact the child, family, and community in various aspects. This model can be tailored to meet the needs of the community.
Onyx Alliance
$7,500, 2001 Seed Award project support
Onyx Alliance addressed issues of diversity within Pittsburgh by providing resources for education, professional development, and social engagement to African Americans and other minorities underrepresented in Pittsburgh’s workforce.
“Open Heaven Open Sky” (2010)
Gabe Felice, 2010 Community Murals mural
Uptown is a neighborhood currently undergoing a positive transformation, and one of the forces behind this change is the neighborhood’s small but vibrant arts community. With a sophisticated taste in art, members of the Uptown community were open to the idea of abstract and non-literal representation. The personal work of artist Gabe Felice particularly resonated with the community. Gabe’s energetic use of color and unique layering process were ones that the people of Uptown admired and thought would be a lively work of public art for an audience heavily comprised of highway motorists quickly passing by. Since Gabe starting painting, a community garden has also sprung up in the immediate vicinity of the wall, adding to the overall impact of the project.
Open Thread
$3,000, 2009 Seed Award project support
Open Thread promoted and connected writers and small presses in the region through a small press festival, SPF Pittsburgh, that featured book releases, readings, panel discussions, performances, and a weekend expo of local presses. The group also organized three chapbook contests—one each for Western Pennsylvania, Eastern Ohio, and West Virginia—and released the finished chapbooks as part of the festival. A second volume of the Open Thread Regional Review was published in late 2009, which printed selected works from regional presses as well as an open call to new artists and writers.
Opening Hearts and Minds: Connecting Old and New Stories of Immigration
$4,250 » Allegheny County Library Association, 2017 100 Days project support
Opening Hearts and Minds: Connecting Old and New Stories of Immigration, a project of Allegheny County Library Association, collected immigration stories from 5 recent and 5 long-time residents in order to engage the community in discussions around the implications of these experiences.
Operation Fresh Express
$5,000 » Westmoreland County Food Bank, 2008 Community Connections project support
Operation Fresh Express, a project of Westmoreland County Food Bank, helped prevent thousands of pounds of perishable food from going to waste due to it not being able to be distributed it in a timely manner. This was accomplished by changing from monthly to weekly distributions throughout the county via community sponsored sites in the Monessen, Mt. Pleasant, and Greensburg areas.
The Original
$7,500 » The Original, 2007 Seed Award project support
The Original was a free magazine dedicated to highlighting the talents of young leaders and artists in the Pittsburgh region. The Original was published twice a year in a format that emphasized innovative photography, design, and writing. Created entirely by students, The Original nurtured young people in their creative endeavors and provided these individuals with valuable community exposure.
Our Path Unveiling Event
$1,000 » Allegheny Land Trust, 2016 Grand Ideas project support
Our Path Unveiling Event, a project of Allegheny Land Trust, was a community event to celebrate the installation of Allegheny Land Trust’s first nature-inspired sculpture built by Jim West. Attendees took a 1-mile oral history hiking tour around the island in the middle of the Allegheny River where the sculpture was installed to learn about past island uses and current conservation efforts. The project worked to inspire visitors to build a community that valued the protection and responsible use of green spaces while also offering a new lens for the community to see the possibilities of collaborations in the world of conservation.
The Our Rhythm Panel Series
$1,000 » Global Posse Productions Inc., 2016 Grand Ideas project support
The Our Rhythm Panel Series, a project of Global Posse Productions Inc., was a panel series around the topics of social change through music, culture, and race. Reflecting on the documentary being created, the panel discussions looked at how music plays a role in breaking barriers of personal, interpersonal, and cross-cultural fears and prejudice. The events provided a safe space for respectful interaction among a diverse group of individuals who could contribute to the ongoing conversations on how to unite humanity through culture and music.
“Our Time” (2009)
Ian Thomas, 2009 Community Murals mural
One of the most successful community mural projects of the 2007 was Sprout’s partnership with the Connect Greenfield! community group. Knowing the organization’s ability to mobilize the community, get a large number of people invested in a project, and participate in the process, Sprout Public Art was excited to see another application from them in 2009. Working with artist Ian Thomas, who had previously painted the 2008 mural in the Strip District, was another second for Sprout in this project. Thomas’s design is based on the abstraction of a lunch pail, a symbol of labor that resonated with Greenfield residents. For Thomas, the image was inspired by an iconic scene described to him by his grandfather: each day when his grandfather arrived home, he would place his large lunch pail on the counter, and the entire family would know that he was there. The mural is located on the side of Hough’s, a local Greenfield business that has become a popular place to eat, drink, and watch Steelers games in the neighborhood. For both Thomas and Sprout, placing a mural in this community hub was a unique opportunity
Out of the Box and Onto the Wall
$15,000, 2009 Spark project support
Out of the Box and Onto the Wall, a project of the Children’s Museum of Pittsburgh, engaged children in visual storytelling by combining cartooning with new technology. Using a touch screen monitor to position cartoon drawings of 75 story elements including backgrounds, costumes, props and character components, children worked together to create a visual story.
Out of this Furnace: New Tales of Labor and Unions
$5,000, 2008 Community Connections project support
Out of this Furnace: New Tales of Labor and Unions, a project of Unseam’d Shakespeare Company, collected oral histories and hosted community workshops in Braddock in conjunction with its 2008 production of Out of this Furnace, a theatrical adaptation of Thomas Bell’s classic tale of immigrant laborers during Pittsburgh’s steel industry heyday.
Outdoor Clean Energy Demonstration & Learning Lab
$15,000 » Eastern Westmoreland Career and Technology Center, 2013 Hive project support
Outdoor Clean Energy Demonstration & Learning Lab, a project of Eastern Westmoreland Career and Technology Center (EWCTC), brought students into the creation of a full-size, electric power-generating windmill and outdoor lab space near the EWCTC campus in Latrobe. During its construction phase, students had the opportunity to take part in industry-level green design and construction work. Upon completion, the Learning Lab served as an educational venue available for middle school and high school teachers and their student audiences across Westmoreland County, providing resources for hands-on lessons and projects that addressed environmental science and the production of clean, renewable, electric power.
Outdoor Movies in Manchester
$1,050 » Manchester Citizens Corporation, 2016 One Northside project support
Outdoor Movies in Manchester, a project of Manchester Citizens Corporation, provided a fun recreational summer activity. Family-friendly movies were shown outdoors in the local community field, bringing together residents for relaxation and fellowship. Additionally, Manchester Citizens Corporation made volunteer sign-up sheets and information about community meetings and events available during movie showings, to encourage residents to become more involved in their community.
Outside Café Space
$1,050 » The Kitchen of Grace, 2016 One Northside project support
Outside Café Space, a project of The Kitchen of Grace, utilized volunteers from Bidwell Street United Presbyterian Church to clean up and then landscape the area outside of Café on the Corner. Updates to the space included mowing the grass, clearing out overgrown trees and brush, planting new flowerbeds, and repainting the fence. A community BBQ was used to thank the volunteers and celebrate their accomplishments.