Galvanizing Energy Transition: Solar for Non-Profits (G.E.T. Solar) announces Request for Proposals

Posted on November 8, 2018 by Scott Wolovich

Tax-exempt [501(c)(3)] organizations located in western Pennsylvania in the West Penn Power
service territory or in Allegheny County are invited to submit applications to go solar through the
new G.E.T. Solar initiative. Selected organizations will receive a solar feasibility analysis from a
Penn State engineering class, assistance to select a qualified solar contractor as well as detailed
financial savings projections and links to investors to finance their projects. The process may enable
non-profit organizations to go solar with little or no upfront investment of funds through a power
purchase agreement (PPA), depending on current electricity price and solar installation
considerations.

The process for non-profit organizations to go solar with the best savings is time sensitive,
as the federal tax credit for private investors in non-profit projects begins to decline in
January 2020. G.E.T. Solar is attempting to assist non-profits to take advantage of this opportunity
and to install solar before the end of 2019.

The Pennsylvania Solar Center (PSC) is a project of the New Sun Rising (NSR), a 501(c)(3) non-
profit organization, and the Hot Earth Collaborative LLC. The mission of the Pennsylvania Solar
Center is to maximize the number of people, organizations and businesses who benefit from solar
energy in Pennsylvania. The G.E.T. Solar initiative is made possible through generous funding from
the West Penn Power Sustainable Energy Fund (WPPSEF).

Date RFP Released Thursday, November 1, 2018

Application Due Date Monday, January 8, 2019 at 5:00 PM

Eligible Applicants Tax-exempt organizations located in the West Penn Power service territory or in Allegheny County who are interested in going solar

To obtain the complete RFP with additional details or ask Application Questions, please email Sharon Pillar at info@pasolarcenter.org

The Bright Spot: Kenny’s

Posted on July 9, 2018 by Scott Wolovich

Shining a light on the projects and businesses supported by the Vibrancy Funds

Neighborhood: Pittsburgh, Homewood

Program: Launch Culture

Grant Awarded: April 2018

A once vacant lot in the center of Homewood is now home to a vibrant, active space. Depending on the day of the week and time, you may find yogis lined up for a pay-what-you-can yoga session, a neighborhood birthday potluck for one of the young residents, or a late-night dance party with DJ spinning motown and local vendors selling their creative wares and art.

“Kenny’s exists to give residents a new and different experience while allowing people from outside the neighborhood an avenue to experience the greatness that is Homewood,” said Demi Kolke, the Founder and Owner of Kenny’s.

Demi built deep roots and connection with the community, through years of working with the local community development group, Operation Better Block. During her time working on various community development projects, she kept hearing the same thing from the residents of Homewood; they wanted to return their neighborhood to its former glory. They would reminiscence about the how Homewood used to be – a neighborhood with a thriving business district, strong community ties, and neatly maintained rowhomes.

The story of Homewood is not unique to the City of Pittsburgh. Currently, the neighborhood’s population is just 17% of its peak of 35,000, leaving nearly 2,000 vacant lots and 600 empty buildings in the majority Black neighborhood. The blight has been more persistent than in other neighborhoods due to structural racism, elevated crime activities, and lack of investment, leaving Homewood slower to rebound than other neighborhoods within the City.

That didn’t stop the neighbors from taking action on their own. Kenneth Stubbs was one such neighbor dedicated to changing the narrative of the neighborhood he was so proud of. At first, he was weary of Demi, a young woman originally from North Dakota. His hesitation soon faded and they formed a strong and unlikely friendship.

Tragically, that friendship came to an end when Kenneth was murdered in 2014.

In his honor, Demi purchased a vacant lot that he had owned and turned into a safe, accessible, informal outdoor gathering space: an idea born from countless conversations with him. She named it Kenny’s in his honor.

“I named the space Kenny’s to keep Mr. Stubbs’ dedication to the community giving and service alive,” explains Demi, “Every time a person asks me ‘Why the name Kenny?’ I get to tell them about my friend and they work he did in the community.”

Kenny’s website describes the space as a “community and cultural gathering space”. The intent is to give a platform for the great activities that are going on in the neighborhood.

One night in June, Demi’s former employer, Operation Better Block, hosted a summer kick off potluck. Residents brought dishes, kids chased each other on the grass and neighbors met one another, many for the first time.

For Robert Bey, resident and former friend of Kenneth, Kenny’s space means an opportunity to get to know his neighbors. He is thankful for the access to the space so he can program it for the kids in his neighborhood.

“If I want to host barbecue or something like that, all I have to do is contact Demi and ‘BOOM!’ – we bring the barbecue grills out here and cook hamburgers and hot dogs for the kids and have something for them to do.”

The Vibrancy Funds will be used to continue such programming the space throughout the summer so everyone will be able to participate in the events on site.

Kenny’s sits on a corner, with a bevy of energetic children to one side, and the older residents who remember what Homewood once was on the other. In addition to the Vibrancy Funds, Demi has secured funds from Lively Pittsburgh to offer additional programming centered around building connections between the generations.

Kenny’s is always going to be about resident-driven ideas and programming, Demi vows. It’s about giving the neighborhood a positive, open atmosphere to promote health and wellness, art and culture, entrepreneurs and existing businesses

Much like Mr. Stubbs himself, Kenny’s the space, is not there to work for the community, but rather with the community.

You can check out a full list of upcoming events at Kenny’s here.

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The Vibrancy Funds are made possible by a gift from the Henry L. Hillman Foundation.

Interested in finding out how we can help bring your idea to life? Contact us.

Ignite Northside Profile: Kate Kelley of Brighton Arts fights for a kid-friendly community

Posted on October 31, 2017 by Scott Wolovich

Written by: Brian Conway

When Kate Kelley moved to Brighton Heights from Bethesda, MD 15 years ago her new neighborhood was a very different place.

At the time, the median age was somewhere in the mid-60s; today, it’s in the mid-30s, thanks to an influx of young people who, like Kelley, moved to the Brighton Heights and started a family.

“When I moved in I was not married and had no kids, so it was the perfect, cheap, close to the city place to live,” she says. “Then suddenly I’m married and I have kids and I have to start thinking of schools.”

Today, Kelley, is one of three community leaders behind Brighton Arts, a project of the Families, Youth and Children’s Committee of the Brighton Heights Citizens Federation.

“Brighton Arts is a collaboration between some artists and parents in Brighton Heights to try to provide some creative experiences for the youth in our neighborhood, because it’s largely a desert when it comes to activities for kids in our neighborhood,” says Kelley.

Some 800 area children go to schools outside of Brighton Heights, including her own, and Kelley feels strongly that there is a need for enriching after-school experiences for all local kids, regardless of where they receive their education.

“All the kids need something creative and productive to do,” she says.

Before forming Brighton Arts, Kelley, a grant writer, successfully secured $3,000 in funding from a Seattle nonprofit to pay for drums for children at Pittsburgh Morrow, the local K-8. She then secured another grant to pay for indoor playground equipment, like basketballs and volleyballs.

Another grant helped to secure a school garden, which was eventually overseen by Grow Pittsburgh. There was a community arts night at John Morrow in 2015, and in 2016, her work helped to secure a KaBoom! Playground right by the school.

Kelley is the first to say that her work is a group effort. She serves as Executive Director for Brighton Arts, alongside Program Director, Stacey Roa, and School Programs Coordinator, Donna Nyambe, who also happens to be President of Pittsburgh Morrow PTO.

Their top priority is to create a community space, somewhere that is permanent, visible (so kids know where to go), and walkable.

“There are a lot of creative experiences down in the Northside at the Mattress Factory, or the Carnegies or whatever,” she says, “but if you can’t get there on your own, if you’re 8 or 10 years old you’re not taking the bus down there by yourself.”

They thought they had found that permanent home, but after talks with mentors at Ignite Northside, realized it was too big a risk.

“[Ignite Northside Program Manager Ebony McQueen-Harris] is a coach but she’s also a business expert. She made us realize taking on that big of a building on our own would be a huge liability and not sustainable.”

One option for a permanent home may be the underused, 20,000 sq. ft. Brighton Heights Senior Community Center.

On Saturday, August 21, 120 Pitt students and other volunteers helped to clean the structure. Kelley laughs that the building is covered in vines “like the temples in Cambodia,” and that revealing the historic architecture and obscured murals, in a symbolic way, represent the reclamation of a neighborhood at large.

In the meantime, Kelley, who also owns a vintage store, Mustard & Relics, on Brighton Road, will persist. Two new Sprout Fund grants will pay for a pair of programs for middle and high school students: one focused on cooking and crafts, the other photography.

And she will continue to seek advice and mentorship from her peers and facilitators at Ignite Northside.

“For a fledgling business or organization, this is crucial,” she says. “We can’t pay for professional advice.”

For more information on the workshops and how to get involved, visit www.newsunrising.org/ignite-northside or email ebony@www.newsunrising.org.

Ignite Northside is an initiative by New Sun Rising in partnership with the Buhl Foundation and One Northside, working together to help neighborhoods gain control of their narratives and opportunity.

NSR Projects hit the 2017 Maker Faire

Posted on October 24, 2017 by Scott Wolovich

This past weekend, the annual Maker Faire took place on the lawn of the Children’s Museum of Pittsburgh and spilled over into the Buhl Community Park at Allegheny Square. Over 100 organizations and small businesses participated as exhibitors with projects ranging from fiber-arts and screen printing, to drone racing and VR dream illustration.

From the Maker Faire website regarding this year’s Pittsburgh installment:

“Maker Faire is a gathering of fascinating, curious people who enjoy learning and who love sharing what they can do. From engineers to artists to scientists to crafters, Maker Faire is a venue for these ‘makers’ to show hobbies, experiments, projects.

We call it the Greatest Show (& Tell) on Earth – a family-friendly showcase of invention, creativity, and resourcefulness.

Maker Faire Pittsburgh is produced by Children’s Museum of Pittsburgh, and made possible by Presenting Sponsors Chevron, The Grable Foundation and MAKE.

Maker Faire originated in 2006 in the San Francisco Bay Area as a project of the editors of Make: magazine. It has since grown into a significant worldwide network of both flagship and independently-produced events. Read more on Maker Faire history, the Maker Movement, as well as how to start a Maker Faire or a School Maker Faire where you live.”

Deco Resources, a graduate of New Sun Rising’s Launch Hilltop cohort, exhibited at the Maker Faire. Their mission is “to integrate sustainability into a project or organization from the original design through full implementation. We help guide eco-conscious choices through engineering and construction. We facilitate green practices in the commercial setting and improve metrics in energy, water, transportation, and air quality.” Anthony Stewart of Deco reported that “At maker fair, we were demonstrating our green tech solutions that demonstrate how we support gardening and urban agriculture. We displayed a solar panel and asked guests to use a pump to move water using solar power.” Check out their website here.

Prototype, a NSR fiscally-sponsored project, was also an exhibitor. Prototype is a “feminist makerspace with shared tools, space, events, knowledge, and support. All genders and disciplines are welcome to join.” They report that over the weekend, “We had a lot of fun at Maker Faire showing kids and adults how to use our CNC vinyl cutter, 3D printer, and laser cut stamp kit.” Check out their website for upcoming Open Swim nights and volunteer training sessions here.

Source: PrototypePGH Instagram