Economic Mobility
Economic Mobility supports low-income children and young adults in Allegheny and Westmoreland counties through education, career preparation, stable living environments, and community projects that expand opportunity.
Funder: Richard King Mellon Foundation
Due Dates: Rolling (General Application)
Funding Amounts: Most grants last 12–18 months; $20,350,125 awarded across 67 grants in 2024
Summary: Supports pathways to economic opportunity for low-income children and young adults ages 0–24 in Allegheny and Westmoreland counties, Pennsylvania.
Key Information: Organizations outside the target counties may apply, but services and activities must serve these counties.
Description
The Richard King Mellon Foundation’s Economic Mobility program invests in pathways to opportunity for vulnerable children and young adults. It aims to improve social, economic, and academic outcomes for young people from low-income households in Allegheny and Westmoreland counties. Successful applications advance at least one outcome within its four investment areas: Educational Attainment, Future of Work, Supportive Living Environments, and Places of Opportunity.
Supported work includes early-childhood education, academic achievement, postsecondary completion, career preparation, and meaningful work experiences. The program also addresses stable housing, food security, caregiver relationships, and resilience to trauma. Neighborhood-level investments strengthen community engagement and capacity, cross-community collaboration, shared spaces, and efforts to prevent or reduce youth involvement with the justice system. The Foundation periodically issues targeted requests for proposals alongside its rolling General Application.
