Fisa Foundation

FISA Foundation (FISA) is a private grantmaking foundation that champions equity, justice, safety and inclusion for women, girls, and people with disabilities, combatting systemic racism that impedes progress for these populations in southwestern Pennsylvania. FISA seeks to foster a community that is strong and vibrant, where all members are treated with dignity and respect, are safe and healthy, have fair access to opportunity, and are fully included. During its more than 100-year existence, FISA's focus has remained consistent, but its activities have continually evolved to meet changing needs. The mission began in 1911 when alumnae of six girls' schools formed a membership organization that eventually became known as the federation of independent school alumnae (FISA). Their first project was to establish harmarville convalescent home for women, serving at-risk women and their babies. Forty years later, they re-engineered the home's focus to become harmarville rehabilitation center, which became internationally known for its innovative therapies for people with physical disabilities. In 1996, to meet the financial challenges of a changing healthcare market, the federation and harmarville boards decided to sell the not-for-profit center to a for-profit corporation. The endowment of the FISA Foundation was created with the proceeds of the sale. Because FISA's assets came from the sale of a healthcare institution, in keeping with the legal doctrine of cy prs, all of the foundation's work is focused in areas related to health and human services. In 2000, the name of the organization was legally changed to FISA Foundation.FISA's finance and investment committee oversees the investments of the foundation, in conjunction with the outsourced chief investment officer. FISA agreed to retain various liabilities stemming from the harmarville rehabilitation center agreement of sale. These obligations are now satisfied except for a small charitable annuity payment to a harmarville donor. An IRS ruling letter dated November 23, 2001, held that all expenses paid with respect to liabilities assumed from harmarville are qualifying distributions for a private foundation.FISA's board of directors and staff further the mission through a variety of activities to raise awareness about the needs of women, girls, and people with disabilities, to strengthen nonprofits that serve these populations, to improve available services, and to promote system-wide change in southwestern Pennsylvania. The most significant of these activities is grantmaking. FISA Foundation strategic priorities FISA Foundation funds nonprofit organizations providing services in southwestern Pennsylvania, limited to the following counties: allegheny, armstrong, beaver, butler, fayette, greene, Indiana, lawrence, Washington, and westmoreland. FISA focuses its disability-related grantmaking on adults and children with physical, intellectual, sensory, and developmental disabilities. O improve the health and well-being of people with disabilities, women, and girls. Priority will be given to proposals designed to:o improve access to health care and dental care for people with significant disabilities or complex health conditions;o address bias among healthcare professionals; o address the specific needs of women, girls and people with disabilities who are black or other people of color;o influence policy and practice to change systems. Prevent domestic and sexual violence, andsupport the most vulnerable victims in pursuit of safety, healing, and justice.o priority will be given to proposals that specifically address the needs of people with disabilities, black people and other people of color, immigrants and refugees, members of the LGBTQ+ community.o remove societal barriers and promote equitable opportunities for women, girls, and people with disabilities. Priority will be given to proposals designed to:o promote equal rights, access, and full inclusion for people with disabilities, particularly black people and other people of color with disabilities, in all aspects of life;o include programs, services and advocacy efforts focused on girls who have been marginalized, particularly black girls and other girls of color, girls with disabilities, and girls in under-resourced areas;o address the needs of women that society marginalizes and fails to serve, particularly those who struggle with addiction, homelessness, trauma, and poverty.applying for a grantorganizations interested in applying for funding should submit a letter of inquiry outlining the need to be addressed, a brief description of the proposed project or program, and the amount of the request. Letters should be accompanied by a completed application form. Additional details and guidelines for submission are available on the website: www.fisafoundation.org under grants.before applying, please also review the instructions on types of funding that will be considered as well as restrictions/requests that will not be funded.