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About Us

Who We Are

Pittsburgh's Highmark Foundation is a private, charitable organization dedicated to public health and human service initiatives. As a thought leader in these fields, we strive to unite regional, national, and global organizations to raise awareness and bring about long-term systematic change.

Total foundation funding for 2020 was $2,803,330: school grants and awards - $376,500; traditional grants - $2,356,344; educational support and contracts - $70,486

Mission

The Highmark Foundation is a 501 (c)(3) private, charitable organization dedicated to improving the health, well-being, and quality of life for individuals who reside in the communities served by Highmark, Inc. and its subsidiaries and affiliates. We fulfill our mission by awarding high-impact grants to charitable organizations that implement evidence-based programs aimed at improving community health. Central to the Foundation's mission is identifying and continuously re-evaluating our region's prevailing health care needs. By doing so, the Foundation remains at the forefront of those needs, well-equipped to pinpoint the issues that most urgently need support.

Our History

Since its inception, the Foundation has fostered urgency around many public health issues that face the region. We accomplish change by funding strategic and evidence-based health care initiatives that educate, protect, and improve the well-being of the populations they serve.

A major part of the Foundation's history is our unparalleled dedication to children's health, funding grants for children's programs, and finding solutions to bullying. In 2006, we introduced Highmark Healthy High 5, a children's health initiative that promoted and supported lifelong good health for children and adolescents between 6 and 18 years old. Two major focus areas from the initiative — bullying prevention and childhood obesity — remain an integral part of the Foundation's work.

The Foundation also funds innovative health care programs for diverse populations. In 2011, we announced our plan to serve the state of West Virginia using the same thoughtful approach to grant making we have applied throughout history. Whether the community is based in an urban, suburban, or rural area, the Foundation supports programs that reach vulnerable or at-risk individuals such as the elderly, the poor, individuals with special needs, and minority populations. Programs have included demonstrations, pilot projects, model programs, expansion plans, and well-established initiatives.