OVERVIEW: The Richard King Mellon Foundation is a major Pittsburgh-based funder that supports conservation across the United States and economic development, economic mobility, health and community vitality in Southwestern Pennsylvania. It also offers capacity-building grants to recent grantees and program-related investments to mission-driven companies.
IP TAKE: The Richard King Mellon Foundation is a powerful environmental funder in Pennsylvania and one with a sizable amount of money to spend on keeping local nonprofits afloat. It is unusually approachable for a private foundation of its size. It accepts unsolicited applications throughout the year and offers project, capital, land-acquisition and general operating support. But an open portal does not mean broad eligibility. Most proposals must directly benefit Allegheny or Westmoreland County, and every application is judged against a detailed strategic plan.
New applicants should skip the generic introductory meeting request: Program officers are generally unavailable until after a proposal has been submitted. The strongest approach is a focused application that names the relevant program and investment area, establishes a precise geographic fit and presents measurable outcomes, credible evidence and strong implementation partners. Fiscal sponsors and collaborative proposals are eligible.
The foundation periodically issues RFPs, but grantseekers should not wait for one. Its rolling general application is the main entry point.
PROFILE: The Richard King Mellon Foundation was established in 1947 by Richard King Mellon, the longtime president and chairman of Mellon National Bank and an influential figure in Pittsburgh’s civic and economic development. Conservation was also a lifelong interest, and the foundation continues to pair regional grantmaking in Southwestern Pennsylvania with environmental work across the country. He served in both World Wars, was involved in many local ventures and passed away in 1970. The Richard King Mellon Foundation is one of the largest in its region, with about $3.4 billion in assets.
The foundation’s 2021–2030 Strategic Plan organizes grantmaking around four primary programs—Conservation, Economic Development, Economic Mobility, and Health & Well-Being—and two cross-functional programs: Organizational Effectiveness and Social-Impact Investments. The original plan called for more than $1.2 billion in grants and program-related investments over the decade.
Grants for Environment Conservation
The foundation’s national Conservation program is its largest funding area.
- It supports four related strategies:
- Habitat Conservation: Land purchases, conservation easements and other approaches that permanently protect ecologically valuable landscapes.
- Stewardship: Habitat and watershed restoration, wildlife management, invasive-species control and work addressing wildlife diseases.
- Activation: Rural economic development, conservation finance, hunting and angling participation, outdoor recreation and efforts to broaden participation in conservation.
- Sustainable Communities: Renewable energy, energy efficiency, environmental technologies, green infrastructure, trails, healthier homes and community environmental quality.
- The foundation has helped protect more than 4.5 million acres and generally prioritizes large landscape projects involving at least 1,000 acres, often exceeding 5,000 acres.
- It also backs smaller projects involving recreation, trails, environmental education, technology and community sustainability. Grants and program-related investments are both used.
- Conservation is the foundation’s only fully national nonprofit program.
- Recent awards include $5 million to the Conservation Fund for an acquisition in the Florida Wildlife Corridor, $1 million to the National Park Foundation, $500,000 to the Montour Trail Council, $280,000 to Allegheny Land Trust and grants to Ducks Unlimited, the Audubon Society of Western Pennsylvania and the Gallatin Valley Land Trust.
- In 2024, the foundation approved 104 Conservation grants and investments totaling approximately $55.8 million.
Grants for Economic Development, Economic Mobility, Arts and Culture
The Economic Development program seeks to improve Southwestern Pennsylvania’s economic competitiveness through three investment areas:
- Talent Development: Adult education and training, career pathways, transferable skills, work-based learning and stronger regional workforce systems.
- Employment Opportunities: Job creation, entrepreneurship, business growth, access to capital, economic independence and support for independent, contract and gig workers.
- Community Building: Arts and culture, innovation districts, transportation, infrastructure and other assets that make the region more attractive, connected and economically vibrant.
- Talent-development funding generally serves adults age 18 and older. Workforce proposals should demonstrate employer participation, industry relevance or a clear pathway to family-sustaining employment. Entrepreneurship funding may support startups, small businesses, incubators, accelerators and efforts to increase access to capital for underrepresented founders.
- Arts and culture fall under Economic Development rather than a separate arts program. The foundation has historically supported major Downtown Pittsburgh institutions but will also consider organizations elsewhere in the region when their work contributes to economic development, livability or regional identity.
- General Economic Development proposals must benefit Allegheny or Westmoreland County.
- The foundation says that projects elsewhere in western Pennsylvania may be considered only in limited, case-by-case circumstances. It approved 66 grants and investments totaling about $27.1 million in 2024.
The Economic Mobility program supports children and young adults from birth through age 24 who live in low-income households in Allegheny or Westmoreland County.
- It consists of four investment areas: Educational Attainment, Future of Work, Supportive Living Environments, and Places of Opportunity.
- Funding may support early learning, K-12 achievement, postsecondary and career pathways, youth employment, mentoring, family stability, housing, safe neighborhoods, community facilities and efforts to reduce young people’s involvement with the justice system.
- Strong proposals should connect a specific service or intervention to improved long-term economic mobility rather than treating education, recreation or youth programming as an end in itself.
- The foundation approved 67 Economic Mobility grants totaling approximately $20.4 million in 2024.
- A 2026 RFP supported youth-serving organizations that incorporated social-capital research into their programs, with anticipated awards of $150,000 to $500,000 for 12- to 18-month projects. Its second and final application deadline was July 15, 2026.
- The foundation continues to accept other Economic Mobility proposals through its rolling general application.
Grants for Health and Science Research
The Health & Well-Being program uses a social-determinants-of-health framework and focuses on residents of Allegheny and Westmoreland counties, particularly vulnerable populations.
- Its three investment areas are:
- Healthy People: Chronic conditions, mental and behavioral health, and maternal and child health.
- Healthy Communities: The social, economic and physical conditions that influence health.
- Advancing Science: Research, clinical innovation and translation of scientific knowledge into improved health outcomes.
- This is broader than a conventional medical-research portfolio. Community health organizations, behavioral-health providers, maternal and child health groups, public agencies, healthcare systems, researchers and cross-sector partnerships may all fit.
- Proposed research or clinical work should demonstrate a credible pathway to practical health benefits, especially for the foundation’s two-county service area.
- Recent grants include support for school nutrition and physical-activity equipment through GENYOUth and food access through Steel City Table. The foundation approved 37 Health & Well-Being grants totaling more than $13.2 million in 2024.
Other Grant Opportunities
In addition to its four core program areas, the foundation also provides two other specialized sources of funding.
- The Organizational Effectiveness program supports current or recent foundation grantees in the areas of leadership and governance, human capital management, strategy and learning, and communications.
- The Social Impact Investments program works through the foundation’s four programs (Conservation, Economic Development, Economic Mobility and Health & Well-Being) to “pursue promising opportunities for charitable purposes” with businesses and capital markets.
Important Grant Details:
The foundation’s latest available Form 990 data show 296 reported grants for 2024, with a median grant of approximately $220,000 and awards ranging from $2,000 to $10 million. Large university, healthcare and conservation commitments skew the portfolio upward, so new applicants should not treat its largest grants as typical.
According to its 2024 annual report, the foundation approved about $125.7 million in grants and program-related investments and disbursed nearly $155 million during the year. Its detailed appropriations table lists 319 awards, including 52 first-time grantees. The foundation ended 2024 with approximately $3.46 billion in total assets and $3.05 billion in net assets.
- Learn more about this funder’s local giving on the grantees page on the funder’s website, as well as the annual report archive.
- Grantmaking focuses on Southwestern Pennsylvania. And while grants do sometimes support organizations from other parts of the country, the foundation discourages grant requests from organizations outside of Pennsylvania.
- Application Process:
- The nonprofit general application is open year-round and accepts unsolicited proposals for Conservation, Economic Development, Economic Mobility and Health & Well-Being. Applicants may request capital, project, land-acquisition or general operating support and may seek funding for planning, innovation, implementation or scaling.
- Organizations without their own tax-exempt status may apply through a fiscal sponsor. The sponsor must submit the proposal and provide its financial, governance and organizational documents. Collaborative proposals are also welcome, but applicants should upload signed memoranda of understanding, letters of support or similar evidence of partner commitment.
- Program officers are generally unavailable for meetings before submission. Grantseekers with a substantive eligibility or application question may contact the foundation by email, but the main route onto its radar is a strong proposal—not a cold cultivation campaign. Staff may contact an applicant after reviewing its submission
- This foundation accepts unsolicited grant applications from nonprofits throughout the year via its application portal. Guidelines and FAQs are provided here, as well as any current RFPs.
- Submit general questions to the founation’s staff at rkmf@rkmf.org or (412) 392-2800.
- Sign up for email updates at the bottom of the site.
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