Elevate Nonprofits of Southwestern Pennsylvania Inc.

Elevate NP is a regional movement of nonprofits, funders, and capacity builders working together to help organizations access knowledge, build networks, and create greater impact in the communities they serve.

It all started in 2023 with a meeting of more than 200 southwestern Pennsylvania nonprofit leaders and support professionals. The outcome? An honest and robust discussion about the challenges and opportunities to uplift the regional nonprofit sector.

Then referred to as the Regional Capacity Building Initiative, the project was created to better understand the capacity needs of nonprofit organizations and explore investments that could systemically strengthen the sector.

A regional scan of capacity building resources revealed:

• A disconnected “patchwork” of regional capacity building services.
• Significant gaps in the types of support offered by existing providers.
• Persistent challenges for organizations seeking to assess needs and identify the right capacity building investments and providers.
• Inequities in the accessibility of services, particularly for small, rural and BIPOC-led and -serving organizations.

The process also resulted in a shared commitment from funders, nonprofit organizations, and others supporting the sector to build the capacity of nonprofit organizations in southwestern Pennsylvania through the investment of time, talent and dollars.

We envision a future where the nonprofit sector is powered by a stable, connected, and accessible system of capacity-building resources and supports.

Elevate operates three main program areas: Navigation and Assessment, Pathways, and Shared Services.