URA Awards Seven Neighborhood Initiative Fund Projects for Community-Driven Projects

PITTSBURGH, PA (October 12, 2021) Mayor William Peduto announced that the Urban Redevelopment Authority of Pittsburgh (URA) has selected seven community-driven projects to receive Neighborhood Initiative Fund (NIF) grants for a total of $500,000 of investment citywide. Five of the awarded projects are located in Avenues of Hope neighborhoods.  

The NIF program makes it easier for City of Pittsburgh communities to access funding by providing grants for neighborhood-driven projects and programs to help unlock economic and placemaking potential and support vision-to-action community investment strategies that build an equitable Pittsburgh. This round of NIF focused on neighborhood business district improvements, with priority for projects in Avenues of Hope corridors.  

The following projects will receive funding: 

“The NIF is a program that allows the City and URA to invest in the community’s vision by putting community organizations in control of development of neighborhood business districts based on their needs,” said Mayor Peduto. “We are proud to further invest in our neighborhoods, particularly in Avenues of Hope corridors to support the rebuilding of Pittsburgh’s Black main streets.”  

Avenues of Hope is an initiative of the Peduto Administration and URA. It is a place-based, people-first approach that focuses on revitalizing seven major business corridors in Black and diverse neighborhoods through targeted investment in residents, businesses, entrepreneurs and housing to support inclusive growth of the neighborhoods.