Proud to Be From Pittsburgh

Proud to be from Pittsburgh: Pittsburgh Philanthropy Project

Philanthropy has a long history in Pittsburgh, and a website is working to educate residents and visitors to the city about it.

Gifts from philanthropists are hidden in plain sight all around the city, but are especially abundant in Oakland, where you'll find both Schenley Park and the Carnegie Library.

The Pittsburgh Philanthropy Project exists online to showcase not only the famous buildings and art you can find in Pittsburgh, but the sometimes esser-known faces behind them.

"The website seeks to show philanthropy as inclusive, which means that people from all walks of life, every faith tradition, participated regardless of their financial circumstances in making Pittsburgh better through their own individual philanthropy," said Kathy Buechel, the project director.

It wasn't just big names who served as philanthropists in the city. The awe-inspiring Cathedral of Learning at the University of Pittsburgh was funded not only by the Mellon family, but also by children who sent in dimes to help finance the project. A certificate sent to one of those children is featured in a documentary posted on the Philanthropy Project's website.

"What we're hoping to do with our website is to not only encourage people to think about, as you say, philanthropy that's hidden in plain sight everywhere we turn, but also to turn inwardly and think about their own role as philanthropists," said Buechel.

The Pittsburgh Philanthropy Project can be found online at

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