Planting a tree takes an afternoon. Keeping an urban forest healthy for decades takes an organization with staff, equipment, and a steady budget. That second need is where the Colcom Foundation has focused its support for Tree Pittsburgh.
The relationship began in 2007. Five years later, the Foundation began providing annual general operating support, a type of funding that nonprofits often find hardest to secure because it pays for salaries, facilities, and daily operations rather than a single headline project.
Growing Trees From the Ground Up
Much of that support sustains the Heritage Nursery. Each year it produces thousands of native trees and shrubs for planting across Allegheny County, giving Tree Pittsburgh a reliable local supply of species suited to the region.
Operating dollars have also helped the group expand its programs, build internal capacity, and take on regional leadership roles in urban forestry. Those gains mattered when Pittsburgh’s tree cover came under heavy pressure.
From Local Nonprofit to Regional Leader
Allegheny County lost 10,148 acres of canopy between 2010 and 2015. Emerald ash borer, oak wilt, and development all contributed, and the county still loses roughly 2% of its remaining canopy every five years. Colcom Foundation responded with grants that paid for a 2019 to 2020 giveaway of 4,000 trees, directed to the communities with the heaviest losses.
Tree Pittsburgh led the formation of the Pittsburgh Canopy Alliance in 2020. The coalition brings together 20 environmental organizations, including Western Pennsylvania Conservancy, Pittsburgh Parks Conservancy, and Allegheny Land Trust, with a goal of no net loss in tree coverage across the county.
The capacity built over years of steady funding also helped the Alliance win an $8 million U.S. Forest Service grant through the Inflation Reduction Act. The City of Pittsburgh received an additional $1 million. Those funds must be spent within five years on planting, maintenance, education, and workforce development in neighborhoods facing high pollution and economic distress.
The partnership shows how Colcom Foundation approaches restoration: patient, long-term backing for organizations that can then attract larger public investments on their own. Refer to this article for related information.
More about Colcom Foundation on https://www.privateequityinternational.com/institution-profiles/colcom-foundation.html