First Course is an online platform to increase the accessibility of training for entrepreneurs interested in opening businesses in the food products, systems, and service space. The project is a collaborative project between New Sun Rising, Shift Collaborative, La Dorita, and Smallman Galley, and supported by The Heinz Endowments.
Launch Wilkinsburg is a civic innovation lab, supporting the development of a vibrant community through social businesses, nonprofit projects, and community engagement.
Launch Wilkinsburg is committed to equitable community development and implemented in partnership with the Wilkinsburg Chamber of Commerce. In order to determine which areas of impact are top priority, we reviewed community planning documents, surveyed stakeholders through our Vibrancy Index, and held an interactive public forum. This local stakeholder insight and discussions identified community values and priorities for development including:
Additionally, the Ignite Wilkinsburg workshop connected over 30 startup leaders and mentors to further their plans, strategic connections, and identify resources.
Launch Hilltop is an inspiration dojo, where a collective of passionate, driven entrepreneurs challenge perceptions to drive personal and community change.
Following neighborhood discussions and assessment with local stakeholders, the Hilltop neighborhoods anchored by the Allentown business district were selected as New Sun Rising’s second Launch community.
New Sun Rising’s Launch Hilltop provides services and programming to a number of organizations and initiatives committed to promoting inclusive neighborhood redevelopment, in partnership with local stakeholders such as Work Hard Pittsburgh, the Hilltop Alliance, Pgh Works, RE360, and others. New Sun Rising works closely with these partners, businesses and community projects to create positive opportunity and change with the community.
Learn more about the Allentown’s priorities for development through the Equity Cafe series: Discovery, Dream + Design, and Destiny
Listen to audio stories from community members
Launch Millvale is an civic innovation lab, where socially focused entrepreneurs create new opportunities around the food, energy, water, air, mobility, and equity goals of the community.
Initially building the local food system, Launch Millvale broadened to support sustainability leaders activating the Millvale EcoDistrict Pivot 2.0 Plan. The EcoDistricts community planning process, led by partner and
renowned Pittsburgh firm evolveEA, brings together citizens, neighborhood organizations, businesses, and local government to develop a unified vision for their community.
Social enterprises and initiatives supported by Launch Millvale receive services such as fiscal sponsorship, growth strategy, and funding. Activities are coordinated by Zaheen Hussain, the Millvale Sustainability Coordinator and NSR Director of Sustainability, in collaboration with the partners of the Millvale EcoDistrict Collaborative (Millvale Community Library, the Borough of Millvale, Millvale Community Development Corporation, and New Sun Rising).
Following a year of engagement and conversations, Sto-Rox community members have shared their values and priorities for development. In the coming year, the Launch Sto-Rox program will begin activating social businesses and projects which align with these priorities.
Our first opportunity for business and community project owners was the free Ignite mentoring workshop on November 11, 2017. Participants learned skills like how to improve their pitch, overcome barriers, connect with resources, and develop a plan for action.
Special focus on supporting Sto-Rox resident priorities: communication + community engagement, public safety initiatives, restaurant + food business development, job skills + creative professionals, health + addiction resources.
Presented in partnership with:
A program for immigrants + refugees with business ideas to identify resources, create plans, + build relationships.
The Welcome Mat, piloted in partnership with the Pittsburgh Hispanic Development Corporation, consists of learning events and support to help underserved entrepreneurs find assistance and start their business in Pittsburgh. Find out where to get help with marketing, operations, finance, and government regulations. Meet other like-minded business people who speak your language, increase your network of support, and get your business launched and growing with other immigrant and refugee leaders in your community.
Participants learn which local university programs, government offices and nonprofits can assist you to start your business. Find local trade groups or national associations in your industry and identify local online resources to get the information you need.
At each learning event, you’ll meet other business people and together form a Welcome Mat Peer Group. These groups work together and help one another think through and write a business plan. This business plan can help you attract investors, apply for financing and guide you to make your dream a reality.
Welcome Mat Peer Groups also serve as references and support when your are ready to apply for funding and implement their plan.
One Northside is a community-driven initiative to improve the quality of life in all 18 Northside neighborhoods of Pittsburgh. Since 2016, through the support of The Buhl Foundation, New Sun Rising has helped 250 Northside residents and community members put their ideas into action through the One Northside Consensus Plan’s focus on Quality of Education, Employment, Place, Safety, and Health.
New Sun Rising served as the proud steward of the One Northside Mini-Grant program since 2018. To better serve the residents, One Northside is currently re-evaluating the Mini-Grant Program with the intention of reinstating a more robust program to allow for greater impact with clearly defined goals and measurable outcomes. Thus the Mini-Grant Program will not be offered for the 2023 calendar year. For future updates about the program or to stay informed about One Northside news and highlights, you can sign-up for the One Northside Connect Newsletter at https://onenorthsidepgh.org/northside-news/
Learn more about the projects and get involved
Mini-grant expands after school reading program in Northside
Placemakers find funding through One Northside Mini-grant program
One Northside mini-grants fund community-driven projects
2018 One Northside Mini-grant Program
Ignite Northside: 2017 Social Business + Project Incubator
Ignite Northside 2017: Showcase + Celebration Recap
iXMessage: An Ignite Northside Story
New Business New Beginnings w/ Riverside Center for Innovation 2016
Family Legacy Dinner: An Ignite Northside Story
Ignite Northside at Heathside Cottage
Removing barriers for kids to participate in music lessons and groups. The Sunburst Music Scholarship Fund depends on your support! Donate with the form on your left or inquire to the fund below!
UpTo is a pop-up creative firm, helping neighborhood businesses by raising the awareness of good design & writing services. Small business owners & entrepreneurs benefit from high design & quality communications services, sparking creative change on main streets. Freelance designers, writers & new media specialists are encouraged to apply & participate in upcoming UpTo events.
UpTo intentionally leverages the power of creativity to serve a community’s interest while driving an agenda for social change & transformation in a way that also builds a quality of place. Business owners need quality artistic, marketing & design services. UpTo staff are experienced designers, communicators & marketers. Together we are re-imagining main street. Learn more about upcoming events & services from UpTo.
Giving makes the world go round. Every day, countless people offer their time and resources for the benefit of others, without expecting anything in return. At involveMINT, we’ve seen the tremendous impact that individuals and organizations can have when they work together to help the communities around them. Our goal is to spread the good even further, by creating an easy way for everyone to give more AND get more through every volunteer opportunity.
We’re introducing a fresh new way of looking at volunteering, by offering a more active, social, and rewarding experience to everyone involved. We do so by awarding TimeCredits to volunteers for every hour that they spend contributing to a good cause. These credits can then be used to redeem discounts and free items at local businesses. Throughout the process, volunteers are also encouraged to record much-needed data and stories for the organizations and businesses involved, resulting in a win-win for all.
@AcademyPGH provides meaningful skill building opportunities to more and different kinds of people looking for economic advantage and personal growth. Our boot camp sessions, methodology, and partnerships focus on delivering practical value to a community and corporate partners as we help grow the region’s technology ecosystem.
Academy Pittsburgh’s mission is to give back and strengthen the regional entrepreneurial ecosystem. A portion of our profits are directed into an impact investment fund to help seed the next round of innovation. Academy does not charge tuition or fees to our boot camp participants. Each session of our 12 week boot camp wraps with a service projects for local nonprofits.