Pittsburgh Promise scholarship fund grows by $4.8 million

The Pittsburgh Promise scholarship fund grew by $4.8 million in new contributions this year, Executive Director Saleem Ghubril announced Friday.

About $1.2 million of that total was raised through a fundraising gala, “A Night of Promise,” held Saturday evening. The event featured a performance by Grammy and Tony winner Leslie Odom Jr., a Carnegie Mellon University graduate.

“We are so grateful to the donors who made ‘A Night of Promise’ possible and who support Pittsburgh’s students as they pursue their dreams and prepare to contribute to our region’s workforce,” Ghubril said in a statement. “ ‘A Night of Promise’ is a celebration of our kids and their accomplishments, as well as a call to action to make sure that thousands more can grow into the fullness of their promise.”

A new giving circle called The Sentinels Society, which recognizes donors who contribute $10,000 or more annually, also contributed to the fund.

The fund also received $2 million from the Grable Foundation, $1.5 million from the Buhl Foundation and $120,000 from the Massey Charitable Trust.

This year’s contributions bring the fund’s fundraising total to $213.4 million.

The fund has provided over $139 million in higher education scholarships to more than 9,300 Pittsburgh Public School graduates since 2008. More than 3,200 Pittsburgh Promise recipients have graduated from higher education programs and are working in the Pittsburgh region, according to figures provided by the fund.