The Pittsburgh Promise
EIN: 26-1982661
Mission
The Pittsburgh Promise promotes high educational aspirations among urban youth, funds scholarships for post-secondary access, and fuels a prepared and diverse regional workforce.
Ruling year
2008
Executive Director
Mr. Saleem Ghubril
Main address
1901 Centre Avenue Suite 204
Pittsburgh, PA 15219 USA
EIN
26-1982661
Education
Economic development
Population served
Children and youth
Adolescents
Young adults
Ethnic and racial groups
Low-income people
NTEE code
Scholarships, Student Financial Aid, Awards (B82)
Economic Development (S30)
IRS subsection
501(c)(3) Public Charity
IRS filing requirement
This organization is required to file an IRS Form 990 or 990-EZ.
Tax forms
Communication
Affiliations
Programs and results
Reports and documents
Download annual reports Download other documentsWhat we aim to solve
The Pittsburgh Promise strives to strengthen the region, inspire systemic change, and transform lives. When The Promise started in 2007, the City of Pittsburgh's population was falling; the urban, public schools were not serving our students equitably or well; and the workforce pipeline coming from our own schools was not robust enough to instill confidence in employers looking for local talent. With a partnership between the Pittsburgh Public Schools, the City of Pittsburgh, and a variety of corporations and foundations, The Promise was created to address these needs and to give Pittsburgh's youth hope for their own strong future. Promise Scholars can attend any accredited college, trade or technical school in Pennsylvania with a substantial scholarship and equip themselves with a degree or workforce certification that fits Pittsburgh employers' needs. After graduation, Scholars stay in Pittsburgh, raise their family here, and contribute to our communities in meaningful ways.
Our programs
What are the organization's current programs, how do they measure success, and who do the programs serve?
Scholarships
The Pittsburgh Promise provides scholarships of up to $5,000 annually to all graduates of the Pittsburgh Public Schools who achieve at least a 2.5 grade point average, and meet the attendance and residency requirements of the program. Scholarships can be used for up to four years of higher education at any accredited college, university, trade, or technical school within the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania.
Career Day
The Pittsburgh Promise's Career Launch connects Promise Scholars and Alumni with employers from top regional companies who have the potential to hire these scholars. Scholars learn about career fields, soft skills, and appropriate preparation for their job search.
Promise Coaches
Promise Coaches, embedded in Pittsburgh's high schools since Fall 2020, dedicate themselves to raising the number of and diversity among all PPS students attending college, trade or technical school. Coaches focus on post-secondary preparation, and guide students toward majors that best suit their interests and needs. Although Coaches will help all high school students, they will focus especially on African American students, who are least represented among Promise Scholars despite the abilities and goals they may possess.
Preferred College Partners
Select post-secondary institutions in Pennsylvania which have extended additional academic-support, transitional services, and room and board money to Promise Scholars. These schools find great value in having Promise Scholars attend their programs, and wish to offer them meaningful incentives to attract and keep them in school. The list, which is constantly increasing in number, can be found at https://pittsburghpromise.org/the-scholarship/about/preferred-partners/
Where we work
External reviews
Photos
Our results
How does this organization measure their results? It's a hard question but an important one.
Evaluation documents
Download evaluation reportsNumber of students who receive scholarship funds and/or tuition assistance
This metric is no longer tracked.Totals By Year
Related Program
Scholarships
Type of Metric
Output - describing our activities and reach
Direction of Success
Increasing
Context Notes
More than 11,260 Pittsburgh Public Schools graduates have used a Promise Scholarship to attend college, trade or technical school in Pennsylvania since 2008.
Total dollar amount of scholarship awarded
This metric is no longer tracked.Totals By Year
Population(s) Served
Adolescents, Young adults, Ethnic and racial groups, Economically disadvantaged people, Immigrants and migrants
Related Program
Scholarships
Type of Metric
Output - describing our activities and reach
Direction of Success
Increasing
Context Notes
$167.3 million in scholarship dollars has supported Pittsburgh Promise Scholars at 146 institutions across Pennsylvania since 2008. This covers room, board, books, fees.
Number of employer partners offering jobs to clients
This metric is no longer tracked.Totals By Year
Population(s) Served
Ethnic and racial groups, Students
Type of Metric
Output - describing our activities and reach
Direction of Success
Increasing
Context Notes
Promise Alumni have been employed by more than 700 regional companies
Our Sustainable Development Goals
Learn more about Sustainable Development Goals.
Goals & Strategy
Learn about the organization's key goals, strategies, capabilities, and progress.
Charting impact
Four powerful questions that require reflection about what really matters - results.
What is the organization aiming to accomplish?
~ Send all eligible urban youth to college or trade school with a scholarship.
~ Promote the reform of urban schools so that young people are prepared for successful and meaningful lives.
~ Invest in our region's workforce by preparing the next generation of workers to meet the demands and opportunities of our economy.
~ Raise $265 million in order to fulfill our promise for generations to come.
What are the organization's key strategies for making this happen?
The Pittsburgh Promise's staff, board, and volunteers are regularly connecting the organization to potential donors, are giving to our overall fundraising goal themselves, and are communicating the accomplishments of our students to our community thus indicating the value of The Promise to our businesses and the neighborhoods in which we all live, work and/or play.
Promise staff, teachers, and trained high school leaders called Student Ambassadors are in the Pittsburgh Public Schools daily talking about The Promise and helping students to become "Promise Ready." The culture of the Pittsburgh Public Schools has changed since The Promise's inception to focus on better attendance in the schools (K-12) and achieving at least a 2.5 grade point average. For students on the cusp of these requirements, additional programs have been put into place to guide them academically and socially so they might be able to set higher standards for themselves and achieve them.
We are in daily contact with employers and potential employers who need trained and educated employees to fill their workforce needs now and in the future. The information we absorb is shared with the school leadership, and partnerships have been put into place to bolster the credentials of students in Career and Technical Education before they graduate from high school making them far more work-ready than their counterparts from other schools. Because Pittsburgh Public School graduates may go to any accredited school in Pennsylvania, they have endless career opportunities.
What are the organization's capabilities for doing this?
A highly experienced staff which is dedicated to the mission of The Pittsburgh Promise represents The Promise in all sectors of our city on a daily basis. In addition, we are blessed with a plethora of volunteers who raise money and awareness for our mission and the benefits that it provides to Western Pennsylvania. Teachers, administrators, parents and guardians within the Pittsburgh Public Schools also are great supporters of The Promise and utilize The Promise as a motivator for our young people. Promise Coaches will be embedded in our high schools starting in Fall 2020 to give special attention to the college preparatory process, and will guide struggling students toward eligibility for Promise Scholarships. This multi-faceted team of people works hard to promote The Promise and demonstrate its value.
What have they accomplished so far and what's next?
Pittsburgh Public School graduation rates have increased from 63% in 2007 to 79% in 2018. We want this rate to continue to increase.
The gap between the high school graduation rate of Caucasian and African American students was reduced from a high of 15 percentage points in 2011, to eight percentage points in 2018.
PPS students who are enrolled in post-secondary education during the first two years after high school has increased from 57% in 2005 to 63% in 2017. We want this rate to continue to increase.
As of January 2019, 3,467 Promise scholars have received their degree or workforce certification.
Promise scholars complete Bachelors degrees at rates comparable to, or better than, national rates.
How we listen
Seeking feedback from people served makes programs more responsive and effective. Here’s how this organization is listening.
-
Who are the people you serve with your mission?
We serve students and graduated from the Pittsburgh Public Schools.
-
How is your organization collecting feedback from the people you serve?
Electronic surveys (by email, tablet, etc.), Focus groups or interviews (by phone or in person), Case management notes, Student organizations,
-
How is your organization using feedback from the people you serve?
To identify and remedy poor client service experiences, To identify bright spots and enhance positive service experiences, To make fundamental changes to our programs and/or operations, To inform the development of new programs/projects, To identify where we are less inclusive or equitable across demographic groups, To strengthen relationships with the people we serve, To understand people's needs and how we can help them achieve their goals,
-
What significant change resulted from feedback?
We adopted a new strategy to support students negatively impacted my the recent pandemic. This occurred through policy changes to scholarship eligibility and duration criteria.
-
With whom is the organization sharing feedback?
The people we serve, Our staff, Our board, Our funders, Our community partners,
-
How has asking for feedback from the people you serve changed your relationship?
The Promise is working to promote high educational aspirations among urban youth on a consistent basis.
-
Which of the following feedback practices does your organization routinely carry out?
We take steps to get feedback from marginalized or under-represented people, We engage the people who provide feedback in looking for ways we can improve in response, We act on the feedback we receive,
-
What challenges does the organization face when collecting feedback?
It is difficult to get the people we serve to respond to requests for feedback,
Financials
Financial documents
Download audited financialsRevenue vs. expenses: breakdown
Liquidity in 2021 info
102.53
Months of cash in 2021 info
2.6
Fringe rate in 2021 info
26%
Funding sources info
Assets & liabilities info
The Pittsburgh Promise
Revenue & expensesFiscal Year: Jul 01 - Jun 30
SOURCE: IRS Form 990
The Pittsburgh Promise
Balance sheetFiscal Year: Jul 01 - Jun 30
SOURCE: IRS Form 990
The balance sheet gives a snapshot of the financial health of an organization at a particular point in time. An organization's total assets should generally exceed its total liabilities, or it cannot survive long, but the types of assets and liabilities must also be considered. For instance, an organization's current assets (cash, receivables, securities, etc.) should be sufficient to cover its current liabilities (payables, deferred revenue, current year loan, and note payments). Otherwise, the organization may face solvency problems. On the other hand, an organization whose cash and equivalents greatly exceed its current liabilities might not be putting its money to best use.
Fiscal Year: Jul 01 - Jun 30
SOURCE: IRS Form 990
This snapshot of The Pittsburgh Promise’s financial trends applies Nonprofit Finance Fund® analysis to data hosted by GuideStar. While it highlights the data that matter most, remember that context is key – numbers only tell part of any story.
Created in partnership with
Business model indicators
| Profitability info | 2017 | 2018 | 2019 | 2020 | 2021 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Unrestricted surplus (deficit) before depreciation | -$5,631,948 | $35,363,412 | -$8,068,919 | -$4,312,753 | $4,424,015 |
| As % of expenses | -25.4% | 175.8% | -48.4% | -30.0% | 35.3% |
| Unrestricted surplus (deficit) after depreciation | -$5,676,068 | $35,312,412 | -$8,134,854 | -$4,379,386 | $4,364,875 |
| As % of expenses | -25.5% | 175.1% | -48.6% | -30.3% | 34.7% |
| Revenue composition info | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Total revenue (unrestricted & restricted) | $5,437,770 | $11,765,083 | $10,120,091 | $12,741,686 | $8,011,763 |
| Total revenue, % change over prior year | -49.3% | 116.4% | -14.0% | 25.9% | -37.1% |
| Program services revenue | 0.0% | 0.0% | 0.0% | 0.0% | 0.0% |
| Membership dues | 0.0% | 0.0% | 0.0% | 0.0% | 0.0% |
| Investment income | 11.9% | 11.4% | 12.7% | 9.6% | 11.0% |
| Government grants | 0.0% | 0.0% | 1.0% | 0.0% | 0.0% |
| All other grants and contributions | 71.8% | 78.9% | 67.4% | 75.5% | 58.9% |
| Other revenue | 16.3% | 9.7% | 18.9% | 14.8% | 30.0% |
| Expense composition info | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Total expenses before depreciation | $22,209,878 | $20,115,340 | $16,677,696 | $14,385,281 | $12,520,714 |
| Total expenses, % change over prior year | 6.4% | -9.4% | -17.1% | -13.7% | -13.0% |
| Personnel | 6.5% | 6.6% | 7.5% | 9.1% | 16.1% |
| Professional fees | 1.2% | 1.5% | 1.8% | 2.6% | 3.6% |
| Occupancy | 0.3% | 0.3% | 0.4% | 0.5% | 0.6% |
| Interest | 0.0% | 0.0% | 0.0% | 0.0% | 0.0% |
| Pass-through | 89.0% | 88.6% | 86.7% | 84.3% | 75.0% |
| All other expenses | 3.0% | 3.0% | 3.6% | 3.6% | 4.8% |
| Full cost components (estimated) info | 2017 | 2018 | 2019 | 2020 | 2021 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Total expenses (after depreciation) | $22,253,998 | $20,166,340 | $16,743,631 | $14,451,914 | $12,579,854 |
| One month of savings | $1,850,823 | $1,676,278 | $1,389,808 | $1,198,773 | $1,043,393 |
| Debt principal payment | $0 | $0 | $0 | $0 | $0 |
| Fixed asset additions | $0 | $90,062 | $0 | $0 | $86,459 |
| Total full costs (estimated) | $24,104,821 | $21,932,680 | $18,133,439 | $15,650,687 | $13,709,706 |
Capital structure indicators
| Liquidity info | 2017 | 2018 | 2019 | 2020 | 2021 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Months of cash | 1.3 | 4.7 | 6.8 | 5.4 | 2.6 |
| Months of cash and investments | 17.4 | 40.2 | 42.6 | 48.3 | 58.2 |
| Months of estimated liquid unrestricted net assets | 17.0 | 39.8 | 42.2 | 45.3 | 56.2 |
| Balance sheet composition info | 2017 | 2018 | 2019 | 2020 | 2021 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Cash | $2,470,174 | $7,813,227 | $9,391,809 | $6,498,471 | $2,683,808 |
| Investments | $29,809,724 | $59,530,229 | $49,762,605 | $51,419,781 | $58,066,796 |
| Receivables | $45,798,748 | $4,201,892 | $6,174,990 | $5,716,297 | $5,637,146 |
| Gross land, buildings, equipment (LBE) | $466,738 | $556,800 | $567,213 | $567,213 | $653,671 |
| Accumulated depreciation (as a % of LBE) | 43.9% | 45.9% | 56.7% | 68.4% | 68.4% |
| Liabilities (as a % of assets) | 0.6% | 0.5% | 0.9% | 0.8% | 0.9% |
| Unrestricted net assets | $31,681,107 | $66,993,519 | $58,858,665 | $54,479,279 | $58,844,154 |
| Temporarily restricted net assets | $46,210,095 | $4,468,609 | $6,161,468 | N/A | N/A |
| Permanently restricted net assets | $0 | $0 | $0 | N/A | N/A |
| Total restricted net assets | $46,210,095 | $4,468,609 | $6,161,468 | $8,825,334 | $7,157,013 |
| Total net assets | $77,891,202 | $71,462,128 | $65,020,133 | $63,304,613 | $66,001,167 |
Key data checks
| Key data checks info | 2017 | 2018 | 2019 | 2020 | 2021 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Material data errors | No | No | No | No | No |
Operations
The people, governance practices, and partners that make the organization tick.
Documents
Executive Director
Mr. Saleem Ghubril
Saleem Ghubril is a committed and passionate advocate for children and for the City of Pittsburgh.
In 1985, Saleem, an ordained Presbyterian minister, founded The Pittsburgh Project, a community development organization that annually provides free home renovations to hundreds of vulnerable seniors, and mentors, educates, and deploys thousands of volunteer youth in meaningful community service initiatives. Saleem led The Pittsburgh Project until 2008, when he assumed the leadership of The Pittsburgh Promise.
The Pittsburgh Promise is a regional economic and workforce development entity that focuses on transforming the quality of education and life in the City of Pittsburgh, and making higher education a reality for all of Pittsburgh's urban youth.
He is currently the volunteer pastor of the Mosaic Community Church in Pittsburgh. He also serves on the boards of The Buhl Foundation, Vibrant Pittsburgh, and the World Affairs Council of Pittsburgh.
Number of employees
Source: IRS Form 990
The Pittsburgh Promise
Officers, directors, trustees, and key employeesSOURCE: IRS Form 990
Compensation data
The Pittsburgh Promise
Highest paid employeesSOURCE: IRS Form 990
Compensation data
The Pittsburgh Promise
Board of directorsas of 02/23/2023
Board of directors data
Ms. Anne Lewis
Oxford Development Company
Mark Laskow
Greycourt and Company
Wayne Walters
Pittsburgh Public Schools
Saleem Ghubril
The Pittsburgh Promise
Franco Harris
Super Bakery, Inc/ Member of NFL Hall of Fame
Kiya Tomlin
Uptown Sweats by Kiya Tomlin
Anne Lewis
Oxford Development Company
Debra Kline Demchak
Community Leader
Ed Gainey
City of Pittsburgh
Chester Babst
Babst Calland
Kirk Johnson
Merrill Lynch Wealth Management
James Taylor
UPMC
Thomas Lang
PNC Financial Services
Jackie Perlow
Community Justice Project
Blake Ruttenberg
American Textile Company
David Schaich
FNB Corporation
James Spencer
Exus Management Partners
Laurie Barkman
Small Dot Big LLC
Joshua Devine
Nat'l Community Reinvestment Coalition
Lisa Schroeder
The Pittsburgh Foundation
Eric Boughner
BNY Mellon Pennsylvania
John Hathaway
Primerock Capital
Aleta Richards
Covestro
Lisa Witte
Thermo Fisher Scientific
Vanessa Thompson
PNC
Patrick Dugan
Wabtec Corporation
Dwayne Finney
Key Bank
Board leadership practices
GuideStar worked with BoardSource, the national leader in nonprofit board leadership and governance, to create this section.
-
Board orientation and education
Does the board conduct a formal orientation for new board members and require all board members to sign a written agreement regarding their roles, responsibilities, and expectations? Yes -
CEO oversight
Has the board conducted a formal, written assessment of the chief executive within the past year ? Yes -
Ethics and transparency
Have the board and senior staff reviewed the conflict-of-interest policy and completed and signed disclosure statements in the past year? Yes -
Board composition
Does the board ensure an inclusive board member recruitment process that results in diversity of thought and leadership? Yes -
Board performance
Has the board conducted a formal, written self-assessment of its performance within the past three years? Yes
Organizational demographics
Who works and leads organizations that serve our diverse communities? Candid partnered with CHANGE Philanthropy on this demographic section.
Leadership
The organization's leader identifies as:
Race & ethnicity
Gender identity
Sexual orientation
Disability
Equity strategies
Last updated: 03/23/2021GuideStar partnered with Equity in the Center - an organization that works to shift mindsets, practices, and systems to increase racial equity - to create this section. Learn more
- We review compensation data across the organization (and by staff levels) to identify disparities by race.
- We ask team members to identify racial disparities in their programs and / or portfolios.
- We analyze disaggregated data and root causes of race disparities that impact the organization's programs, portfolios, and the populations served.
- We disaggregate data to adjust programming goals to keep pace with changing needs of the communities we support.
- We employ non-traditional ways of gathering feedback on programs and trainings, which may include interviews, roundtables, and external reviews with/by community stakeholders.
- We disaggregate data by demographics, including race, in every policy and program measured.
- We have long-term strategic plans and measurable goals for creating a culture such that one’s race identity has no influence on how they fare within the organization.
- We use a vetting process to identify vendors and partners that share our commitment to race equity.
- We have a promotion process that anticipates and mitigates implicit and explicit biases about people of color serving in leadership positions.
- We seek individuals from various race backgrounds for board and executive director/CEO positions within our organization.
- We have community representation at the board level, either on the board itself or through a community advisory board.
- We help senior leadership understand how to be inclusive leaders with learning approaches that emphasize reflection, iteration, and adaptability.
- We measure and then disaggregate job satisfaction and retention data by race, function, level, and/or team.
- We engage everyone, from the board to staff levels of the organization, in race equity work and ensure that individuals understand their roles in creating culture such that one’s race identity has no influence on how they fare within the organization.
Contractors
Fiscal year endingProfessional fundraisers
Fiscal year endingSOURCE: IRS Form 990 Schedule G
Solicitation activities
GuideStar Pro Reports
Report successfully added to your cart!
Want more data?
A GuideStar Pro report containing the following information is available for this organization:
- Email contact information
- Financial trends metrics for five most recent years 2021, 2020, 2019, 2018, 2017*
- Financial statements for 2022, 2020, 2019, 2014, 2012
- Letter of Determination
- Officer and/or Employee data for 2021, 2020, 2019, 2018, 2017
- Contractor and/or Paid Preparer data for 2021, 2020, 2019
- Board of Directors data for 2023
- *with the ability to download the data for 2021, 2020, 2019, 2018, 2017
Download it now for $125.
Need the ability to download nonprofit data and more advanced search options?Consider a Pro Search subscription.