POISE Foundation began in December of 1980 as the first public foundation in the state of Pennsylvania organized and managed by African Americans. The purpose of the Foundation is to develop and enhance the participation of African American philanthropists in the economic and social development of the Black community of Pittsburgh and Allegheny County. For 29 years, the Foundation has been supporting programs that add value to the quality of life of Black Pittsburgh and the region as a whole. The Foundation has also initiated or collaborated with several other programs to develop hope, vision, and a sense of pride in our community.

This African American run philanthropic organization is predicated on its founder Bernard H. Jones, Sr.'s vision of an empowered community, able to take care of itself. The key to empowerment, he believed, lies in the development and maintenance of economic and social programs designed to promote self-help and financial independence in the Black community.

Help support our efforts in making Pittsburgh a place where all of its citizens are proud to call home.