About
“The mission of the Delta Foundation of Pittsburgh is to increase awareness and understanding of and improve the quality of life for the Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender community in the Pittsburgh region. We do this through financial support of LGBT organizations, as well as sponsorship and production of our own community events.”
Originally incorporated on July 17, 1996 as a spin-off of the Lambda Foundation, the Delta Foundation was created as a nonprofit organization for the purposes of uniting and fostering good fellowship and social interaction among lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender residents in the metropolitan Pittsburgh area. After hosting a number of Memorial Day picnics in North Park, the organization went dormant for several years and in 2006, a different group of interested LGBT
business owners and citizens came together with the idea of energizing Pittsburgh’s social scene and raising some funds for a good cause to boot. This original group organized three major events from December 2006 to June 2007, including:Spark! – A holiday party/fundraiser that netted over $20,000 for the Gay & Lesbian Community Center of Pittsburgh.
Pride in the Street– A Pride Week Celebration on Liberty Avenue that was hosted by Hollywood Square’s Bruce Vilanch and featured 80’s pop star Tiffany, nationally known DJs, dancing, food, liquor and beer on Liberty Avenue. More than 3,000 people attended in June of 2007.
Splash! – A summer pool party on Mt. Washington that raised $10,000 for the Persad Center
All three events were such a great success and they highlighted what the group had believed all along: that the Pittsburgh LGBT community is not only ready but also has a pent-up demand for more and bigger social and community events that generate excitement, with other cities and help the community financially as well.
Based on this vision, the group began to explore the formation of a 501(c)3 non-profit organization to provide the framework to continue to produce events, as well as from which to raise and grant funds to other LGBT social and service organizations. In August 2007, having observed their success and their desire to form their own non-profit organization, the founding members of the dormant Delta Foundation offered to cede their organization to the new organizers. New board members were elected, the name was changed to the Delta Foundation of Pittsburgh, and they were off and running!
The new leadership of the Delta Foundation will be producing events every year to make the Pittsburgh LGBT community a vibrant and exciting place to be. Annual events will include Pride Week Celebrations (such as Pride in the Street, PrideFest, PrideMarch and Splash!), (Pittsburgh) RED on World AIDS Day, a Memorial Day Picnic and fundraising events (such as Spark). The organization will also be raising money to support LGBT community organizations and causes in the region through a granting program.
