PNC Charitable Trusts

Over $3.6 million in grants issued to recipients in the fields of health, social services, education, religion, and the arts in 2009.

View the list of PNC administered endowments

Grant proposals are reviewed four times each calendar year. Submit by:   Decisioned in: February 1   March May 1   June August 1   September October 1   November Decision notifications are mailed within a few weeks after the meeting at which the proposal is reviewed.

The PNC Charitable Trust Grant Review Committee ("Committee") serves over sixty perpetual charitable trusts and private foundations for which PNC is trustee. Our mission is to implement the legacies set forth by the individual donors who established these trust relationships with PNC.

The Committee distributes grants from these charitable trusts to worthy 501(c)(3) non-profit organizations at local and regional levels. In accordance with the provisions of the trust agreements, the Committee funds grant requests that demonstrate a capacity and commitment to charitable service and enhance the quality of life for the people and their communities.  The Committee seeks grant applications with a focus on support for year-round programming.

Our Grantmaking Priorities:

• Organizations that are direct providers of services, with projects and programs that meet our donors' intent.
• Programs in communities where donors lived and/or engaged in their grantmaking activities. Currently, these areas include:
• Greater Pittsburgh, Greater Philadelphia, Central PA, Lancaster, PA, Oil City, PA, Titusville, PA, Luzerne County, PA, Lackawanna County, PA, Wyoming County, PA, Washington DC, Baltimore, MD, Weirton, WV, Steubenville, OH, Greater Cincinnati, OH, Cleveland, OH, Youngston, OH, Columbus, OH, Zanesville, OH, Peoria, IL, Michigan, Ft. Wayne, IN, and Hardin and Jefferson Counties, KY.
• Applicant demonstrates a capacity to meet the stated objectives of the request; and those objectives are clearly articulated and measurable.
• The critical nature of the need being addressed by the proposed program.
• Organizations with strong leadership, diversified income streams, and long-term sustainability that have demonstrated efficiencies in delivering their services.

Other Considerations:
The Committee supports projects and programs that:  

• Reflect the core social mission of the applicant's organization;
• Address a need in the community and for which there is a demonstrated demand;
• Have broad impact or benefit underserved populations;
• Have measurable outcomes and a plan for documenting results;
• Have detailed project budgets and demonstrate effective financial accountability;
• Involve collaboration with other organizations;
• Are of longer duration than one-time events, conferences, or seminars;
• Complements rather than duplicates the work of other non-profit organizations.

The grants are one-time awards and are not pledges of continued support. Size of grants depends on the fit with donors' intent, availability of funds, breadth of organizations represented in the grant proposal mix, and the project's social impact.

Ineligible Proposals:
We do not provide grants for:

• General operating costs
• Event, conference or seminar sponsorships or entry fees
• Pilot or new programming
• Multi-year commitments
• For-profit organizations
• Individuals or private foundations
• Fraternal, political, advocacy or labor organizations
• Organizations that discriminate based on race, color, creed, gender, or national origin

As much as we would like to fund every worthy cause presented to us, the number of requests for consideration exceeds the trusts' ability to fund them all.