Henry L. Hillman Foundation announces $4.5 million initiative to secure emergency power for essential providers
PITTSBURGH – Over the past several years, the southwestern Pennsylvania region has been significantly impacted by powerful storms and the widespread power outages that accompany them. Not only do outages impact residents and businesses, but they can significantly disrupt nonprofit organizations that provide essential services in their communities.
In response to this growing problem, Henry L. Hillman Foundation announced a new initiative seeking proposals from nonprofit essential service providers for backup power solutions to help them maintain service continuity through storm-related outages. Up to 15 selected applicants from southwestern Pennsylvania will each receive $300,000 to implement backup power solutions tailored to their particular requirements. Interested participants must register at www.poweredandprepared.org by 5:00 p.m. EST on August 26, 2026, and submit an application by 5:00 p.m. EST on September 17, 2026.
The idea for the Powered & Prepared Initiative, funded by Henry L. Hillman Foundation and administered by the Carrot Platform, came about in the aftermath of severe storms that struck Pittsburgh and surrounding areas just over a year ago. Uprooted trees, high winds, and torrential rain damaged power lines and critical infrastructure, leading to more than 679,000 customer outages in April 2025.
“After last year’s storms, our team heard from organizations that had suffered significant setbacks because of power outages,” said David K. Roger, president of Henry L. Hillman Foundation. “Food pantries were forced to throw away perishable food. Senior centers and shelters were unable to operate without electricity to operate elevators, air conditioning, or lights. Most essential service providers know how to operate without electricity for a day or two. When the outage lasts longer, the negative impact on the community increases significantly.”
One such organization was Family House, a nonprofit that offers housing for people who must travel to Pittsburgh for medical care. Its 121-room Shadyside building experienced a weather-related power outage in 2025 that lasted for 38 hours, impacting more than 150 patients and families staying there. Many of those patients use wheelchairs and oxygen equipment and rely on a consistent power supply to support their mobility and recovery.
After its outage, Family House requested funding support from the Hillman Foundation to install a backup generator to help provide uninterrupted power service to its 88,000-square-foot building. “The generator was installed this past January, and during high windstorms in March the power went out again at Family House,” said John Plante, chief executive officer of Family House. “However, in this instance service to our guests was never interrupted. Our backup generator kicked on immediately when normal service was interrupted, and it continued to power all of Family House throughout the duration of the outage.”
The Henry L. Hillman Foundation’s Powered & Prepared Initiative aims to help other nonprofit and municipal organizations achieve similar resilience against storm-related disruptions. The initiative will provide funding for a range of backup power solutions, including but not limited to solar power, fixed generators, portable generators, battery systems, and innovative energy systems. Applications for the fifteen $300,000 grants will be evaluated by a panel of experts with final awardees selected by Henry L. Hillman Foundation and announced by spring 2027.
“We know many nonprofits are focused on serving their communities and not necessarily developing their emergency response plans,” said David K. Roger of Henry L. Hillman Foundation. “Our hope is that the Powered & Prepared Initiative gets organizations thinking now about investments in backup power so they don’t have to worry about major setbacks the next time severe storms roll through the area.”
Full details on the initiative including eligibility, geographic focus, and more can be found at www.poweredandprepared.org.
Henry L. Hillman Foundation works to ensure that Pittsburgh’s considerable strengths, assets, and advantages are fully leveraged to make it one of the world’s most innovative and forward-looking cities, building on the late Henry L. Hillman’s legacy for solving big problems through civic leadership and collaboration. www.henrylhillmanfoundation.org
Learn more about the 18 individual foundations associated with the Hillman family at www.hillmanfamilyfoundations.org.
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