The Sprout Fund
The Sprout Fund was a Pittsburgh-based 501(c)(3) community foundation (2001-2018) that deployed nearly $8 million in community-decided grants to 1,500+ grassroots projects across Pittsburgh and Allegheny County before sunsetting in 2018.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded2001
- HeadquartersPittsburgh, United States
- Headcount11–50
- GTM typeB2C
- OfferingServices
What The Sprout Fund does
The Sprout Fund was a 501(c)(3) nonprofit community foundation founded in 2001 by Cathy Lewis Long and Matt Hannigan and based in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, that operated until its planned sunset in 2018. Over 17 years the organization deployed nearly $8 million in community-decided grants to more than 1,500 people, projects, and ideas, primarily across Pittsburgh and Allegheny County. It ran roughly 27 distinct programs organized into signature initiatives (Seed Award, Remake Learning, Community Murals), community-innovation initiatives (One Northside, 100 Days of US, Grand Ideas, Engage Pittsburgh), and learning-innovation programs (Hive, Spark, City of Learning, The Digital Corps, Rec2Tech, My Brother's Keeper), plus knowledge products (Field Guide, Last Will & Testament) and Legacy Awards.
The organization did not develop proprietary technology; its core operating model was community-driven, community-advised philanthropy facilitated through open storefronts on Penn Avenue, face-to-face events such as the Hothouse annual report, and storytelling/documentation. Its grantmaking engine was supported by an ecosystem of more than 20 financial partners led by The Grable Foundation and the Richard King Mellon Foundation (each $4M+ cumulative), the John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation ($2M+), and the Claude Worthington Benedum, Hillman Family, Pittsburgh, Buhl, and Heinz Endowments foundations, alongside strategic partners such as the City of Pittsburgh, Remake Learning Network, Digital Promise, and Mozilla. Per-grant amounts typically ranged from $1,000 (Legacy Awards) to $50,000 (MBK Digital Literacy Collaborative), with the bulk of 2016 disbursements between $5,000 and $31,000.
The Sprout Fund had no revenue-generating product line; its inflows were philanthropic grants and its outflows were re-grants and program operating costs. Because the organization is closed, no current revenue is generated, and the $8 million lifetime disbursement equates to an average of roughly $470,000 of grants deployed per year across its operating life — the most relevant proxy for activity scale.
The Sprout Fund firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- The Sprout Fund
- Legal name
- The Sprout Fund
- Website
- https://sproutfund.org
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 2001
- Operating status
- Closed
- Headcount range
- 11–50 employees
- Short description
- The Sprout Fund was a Pittsburgh-based 501(c)(3) community foundation (2001-2018) that deployed nearly $8 million in community-decided grants to 1,500+ grassroots projects across Pittsburgh and Allegheny County before sunsetting in 2018.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
The Sprout Fund industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Community Philanthropy and Grantmaking
- NAICS
- Grantmaking Foundations (813211), Grantmaking and Giving Services (81321)
- SIC
- Services-Social Services (8300)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Community Foundations (BPAGAKAB)
- akta.pro secondary industries
- Public Charities & Grantmaking Intermediaries (BPAGAKAE), K–12 Support & School Improvement Nonprofits (BPAGADAB), Social Justice & Human Rights Grantmaking Foundations (BPAGAKAN)
Keywords
Where The Sprout Fund is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Pittsburgh
- HQ country
- United States
- HQ region
- North America
Offices1 record
Markets served
The Sprout Fund business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2C
- Offering type
- Services
- Cost components
- Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Others
Revenue model
- Foundation Grants and Philanthropic Investments: The organization received funding from major foundations including The Grable Foundation, Richard King Mellon Foundation, MacArthur Foundation, and others. Nearly $8 million of community-decided investments went to 1,500+ people, projects, and ideas from 2001 to 2018.
Distribution channels2 records
Marketing channels3 records
The Sprout Fund product offering
Product offeringCore offering
The Sprout Fund was a Pittsburgh-based nonprofit (501(c)(3)) that pioneered community-driven, community-advised philanthropy from 2001 to 2018. It invested nearly $8 million in catalytic grants across approximately 27 grant programs and initiatives supporting grassroots civic, educational, public art, and youth-led projects in Pittsburgh and Allegheny County. The organization worked out of open storefronts on Penn Avenue, making its funding accessible to anyone with an idea.
Product overview
The Sprout Fund was a community-driven philanthropy organization that operated as a portfolio of grantmaking programs and initiatives rather than a unified technology product. The organization managed approximately 27 distinct programs including signature initiatives (Seed Award, Remake Learning, Community Murals), community innovation programs (One Northside, 100 Days of US, Grand Ideas), learning innovation programs (Hive, Spark, City of Learning, The Digital Corps), and showcase/creativity programs (Hothouse, Belonging, TENACITY). Nearly $8 million of community-decided investments went to 1,500+ people, projects, and ideas from 2001-2018. At sunset in 2018, the organization documented its practices through a Field Guide and Legacy Awards program.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Brands
- Seed Award: Providing support when just a small investment has the potential to yield big results in the community. Operated from 2001-2014.
- Remake Learning
- Community Murals
- One Northside
- Hive
- 100 Days of US
Products and services
- Seed Award Grant program providing small catalytic investments with the potential to yield big community results; awarded to individuals and small groups with innovative grassroots ideas in Pittsburgh.
- Remake Learning Network of educators and innovators shaping the future of teaching and learning in the greater Pittsburgh region, supported through network coordination and convening.
- Community Murals Public art grant program enhancing the urban landscape of Pittsburgh and surrounding communities of Allegheny County through community murals.
- One Northside Place-based community development initiative improving quality of life for residents across all 18 neighborhoods of Pittsburgh's Northside.
- Hive Learning innovation program promoting production-centered, peer-supported, interest-driven learning in and out of school.
- Spark Early learning program creating relevant opportunities for young children through technology, media, and the arts in partnership with The Grable Foundation.
- City of Learning Digital credentials program recognizing learning and achievement through digital badges and enriching summer learning experiences for youth.
- The Digital Corps Digital literacy program developing skills to enable youth to thrive in school, college, and the workforce through trained mentors deployed into afterschool community centers.
- Rec2Tech Technology learning program transforming community spaces (municipal recreation centers) into technology learning centers for Pittsburgh youth.
- My Brother's Keeper Program addressing opportunity gaps for boys and young men of color from cradle to career through partnerships, digital literacy, and community engagement.
- Grand Ideas Innovation grants program demonstrating how a good idea and a small amount of support can go a long way in the community.
- 100 Days of US Civic engagement program empowering the people's agenda for the first 100 days of a new presidential administration.
- Economic Opportunity Workforce and economic development program supporting collaborative approaches that expand economic opportunity for all in the region.
- Legacy Awards Award and micro-grant program recognizing 50 exceptional Pittsburghers as representatives of the next generation of "Sprouters," providing $1,000 each to carry forward the organization's ideals.
Quantifiable outcome
- Nearly $8 million invested in 1,500+ projects and people
- +1 more outcomes
Companies that use The Sprout Fund
Customer profileSegments3 records
Ideal customer profiles3 records
The Sprout Fund technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed No
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
The Sprout Fund partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
Six partnerships are on record, tiered major and core.
- Obama Office of Science & Technology PolicymajorSprout facilitated a White House event on behalf of OSTP (2016) to discuss ways to apply maker learning principles and reimagine underutilized municipal assets.
- LRNGmajorApplied Sprout's strategies for participatory events and knowledge management through national community work on behalf of LRNG and Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation.
- City of PittsburghcorePartnered on Rec2Tech to demonstrate potential for municipal rec centers as 21st century learning labs. Led digital literacy collaborative for My Brother's Keeper on behalf of City and Allegheny County.
- Digital PromisecorePartnered with MacArthur Foundation and Sprout to host international Open Badges Summit in Silicon Valley (2014) to focus attention on potential of open digital badges.
- MozillamajorThe Digital Corps was part of the Mozilla global community. Established to deploy trained mentors into afterschool community centers to improve digital literacy skills.
- Remake Learning NetworkcoreSprout formalized and helped grow the learning innovation network from a hundred people and few dozen organizations to thousands of teachers, techies, and civic leaders from 500+ regional organizations.
Scale indicators4 records
Recent moves7 records
Expansion highlights4 records
The Sprout Fund competitors and assessment
Company assessmentDirect peers
- The Pittsburgh Foundation: The largest community foundation in the Pittsburgh region and a major funder of Sprout. Operates a similar community-focused grantmaking model serving the same geographic and civic ecosystem, and would be the most natural institutional peer or successor partner.
- The Buhl Foundation: Pittsburgh-focused foundation and Sprout supporter ($500K+), including backing for One Northside. Operates regional grantmaking targeting community development, education, and quality of life in the Pittsburgh area.
- Chicago Community Trust: Major regional community foundation serving the Chicago metropolitan area. Comparable to Sprout in operating as a community-focused grantmaker that aggregates donations and redistributes them to local nonprofits and grassroots projects.
- Boston Foundation: One of the largest community foundations in the U.S., serving the Greater Boston region. Comparable in its community-driven grantmaking model, donor-advised funds, and civic leadership role in a single metro area.
Broad incumbents
- Heinz Endowments: Pittsburgh-based major foundation that co-funded the original Seed Award program with Richard King Mellon. Operates as a community grantmaker in the same region, with overlapping interests in education, creativity, and quality of life.
- The Grable Foundation: Pittsburgh-based family foundation and one of Sprout's largest funders ($4M+). Focuses on children, families, and community development in the same region, making it both a funding partner and a comparable grantmaking institution.
- Richard King Mellon Foundation: One of the largest foundations in Pennsylvania and a foundational Sprout funder ($4M+). Conducts regional grantmaking across Pittsburgh, with a broader endowment-driven portfolio but overlapping civic and learning-innovation priorities.
- Claude Worthington Benedum Foundation: Regional foundation serving West Virginia and Pittsburgh that supported Sprout at the $1M+ level. Operates community-focused grantmaking with overlapping interests in education, economic development, and civic engagement.
Emerging players
- Case Foundation: National philanthropic venture focused on civic engagement, social innovation, and impact investing. Conceptually comparable to Sprout in championing grassroots innovation and participatory approaches, though operating at a national rather than regional scale.
Others
- Aspen Institute: National policy and leadership organization that convenes networks around community change, civic innovation, and education reform. Comparable in spirit to Sprout's community engagement and network-building work (e.g., Remake Learning), though operating at much greater scale and breadth.
Market position
Strengths4 records
Weaknesses4 records
Competitive moat4 records
Key risks6 records
Key highlights6 records
Customer concentration
The Sprout Fund social profiles
Digital presenceThe Sprout Fund financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
The Sprout Fund leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
The Sprout Fund funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
The Sprout Fund M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A
Investments
M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Frequently asked questions about The Sprout Fund
What does The Sprout Fund do?
The Sprout Fund was a Pittsburgh-based nonprofit (501(c)(3)) that pioneered community-driven, community-advised philanthropy from 2001 to 2018. It invested nearly $8 million in catalytic grants across approximately 27 grant programs and initiatives supporting grassroots civic, educational, public art, and youth-led projects in Pittsburgh and Allegheny County. The organization worked out of open storefronts on Penn Avenue, making its funding accessible to anyone with an idea.
Is The Sprout Fund a public or private company?
The Sprout Fund is a private company. It is classified as nonprofit foundation owned and is currently closed.
When was The Sprout Fund founded?
The Sprout Fund was founded in 2001. It employs 11 to 50 people.
Where is The Sprout Fund based?
The Sprout Fund is headquartered in Pittsburgh, United States, in the North America region.
How does The Sprout Fund make money?
One revenue line is on record: foundation Grants and Philanthropic Investments.
Who are The Sprout Fund's main competitors?
Direct peers on record are The Pittsburgh Foundation, The Buhl Foundation, Chicago Community Trust and Boston Foundation. Broad incumbents are Heinz Endowments, The Grable Foundation, Richard King Mellon Foundation and Claude Worthington Benedum Foundation. Case Foundation is listed as an emerging player. Aspen Institute is listed as an others.
Does The Sprout Fund have an API?
No public API is recorded for The Sprout Fund.
What industry is The Sprout Fund in?
The Sprout Fund's product category is Community Philanthropy and Grantmaking. Its primary akta.pro industry code is BPAGAKAB, Community Foundations, with a secondary code of BPAGAKAE, Public Charities & Grantmaking Intermediaries. Its NAICS code is 813211 and its SIC code is 8300.