The A.L. Spencer Foundation is a Pittsburgh-focused funder that concentrates large gifts on local youth-serving and faith-based community organizations. Grants emphasize recreational and outdoor youth programs (camps, YMCA), faith institutions and affiliated social ministries, and neighborhood play/park improvements. Their giving appears aimed at strengthening community infrastructure that supports children and families in the region.
AL Spencer Foundation’s largest recent grants center on the YMCA of Greater Pittsburgh, including $232,000 in 2025 and $225,000 in 2023 for grant agreements. That pattern points to a funder that uses sizable, repeated awards to support local organizations over time rather than dispersing small one-off gifts. The foundation’s giving also reaches faith-linked community institutions and youth-serving camps, with $104,500 to The United Methodist Church Union in 2025 and $100,000 to Pine Valley Camp in 2025. Across the recent grants list, the same theme appears again and again: support for programs and facilities that serve children, adolescents, and neighborhood families in the Pittsburgh area. Their awards include program support, capital work, and operating help, showing a practical approach to strengthening community infrastructure. Recent grants also touch child development and youth recreation through organizations such as Kidcelerate, the Boy Scouts of America, and the Miracle League of Moon Township.
Youth recreation is a clear line of giving. The foundation awarded $232,000 to YMCA of Greater Pittsburgh for a 2024 grant agreement, and it also supported the Boy Scouts of America with $20,000 for a 2025 outreach day camp program. Camp and outdoor programming show up in multiple places too, including $100,000 to Pine Valley Camp for a 2024 grant agreement and $50,000 to Seneca Hills Bible Camp for a 2024 grant agreement. Child-centered education and enrichment are another thread: Childrens Museum of Pittsburgh received $20,000 for its museum lab program, and Kidcelerate received $50,000 for 2022 & 2023 programming. The foundation also backs services for children with developmental and medical needs, such as $20,000 to UPMC Children’s Hospital Foundation for a child life program and $20,000 to St Anthony Charitable Foundation for a speech therapy program.
AL Spencer Foundation’s typical grant size is $10,000 at the 25th percentile, $20,000 at the median, and $41,250 at the 75th percentile. The recent grants list shows repeated support to the same organizations across years, including YMCA of Greater Pittsburgh, Pine Valley Camp, The United Methodist Church Union, Kidcelerate, and Greater Latrobe Partners in Education Foundation. The pattern includes both operating-style support and project-specific funding, such as grant agreements, programming, facility work, and scholarships. The foundation does not fund individuals, and there is no indication of program-related investments in the provided data.
$1.3M
$12.2M
$769K
$735K
Most grants fall between $10K and $41K, with a median of $20K.
25th Percentile
$10K
Median
$20K
75th Percentile
$41K
About 100% of grants go to recipients in PA.
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Concentrated, local giving: a small number of relatively large grants with repeat support to flagship grantees (YMCA received multiple awards), focused on Pittsburgh-area organizations rather than many small national grants.
Notable grantees: YMCA of Greater Pittsburgh, The United Methodist Church Union, Pine Valley Camp, Urban Impact Foundation
Giving is entirely in Pennsylvania, with 100% of grants going to recipients in the foundation’s top state by grant count. Pittsburgh is the main recipient city, including awards to YMCA of Greater Pittsburgh, The United Methodist Church Union, Urban Impact Foundation, Kidcelerate, and several hospital and education groups. Other Pennsylvania recipients include Ellwood City, Polk, Latrobe, Wexford, Coraopolis, Cranberry Township, Bridgeville, and Pittsburgh-area neighborhoods. The geographic scope is local rather than regional or national.
The recent grants show a strong pattern of support for youth-serving and faith-linked organizations, especially YMCA of Greater Pittsburgh, Pine Valley Camp, The United Methodist Church Union, Boy Scouts of America, and children’s service providers such as UPMC Children’s Hospital Foundation and St Anthony Charitable Foundation.
The foundation’s grant-size distribution is $10,000 at the 25th percentile, $20,000 at the median, and $41,250 at the 75th percentile. Recent awards range from $8,000 to $232,000, with several gifts clustered at $20,000 and $10,000.
No. The grant data provided shows 36 grants to U.S. recipients, and 100% of the grants went to recipients in Pennsylvania.
Yes. Several recipients appear across multiple years, including YMCA of Greater Pittsburgh, Pine Valley Camp, The United Methodist Church Union, Kidcelerate, and Greater Latrobe Partners in Education Foundation.
The foundation does not fund individuals, and it does not make program-related investments.
2025
Source: IRS Form 990-PF, fiscal year 2025.
Most recent grants reported to the IRS.
| Recipient | Location | Amount | Year | Purpose |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| YMCA OF GREATER PITTSBURGH | PITTSBURGH, PA | $232,000 | 2025 | 2024 GRANT AGREEMENT |
| THE UNITED METHODIST CHURCH UNION | PITTSBURGH, PA | $104,500 | 2025 | 2024 GRANT AGREEMENT |
| PINE VALLEY CAMP | ELLWOOD CITY, PA | $100,000 | 2025 | 2024 GRANT AGREEMENT |
| SENECA HILLS BIBLE CAMP | POLK, PA | $50,000 | 2025 | 2024 GRANT AGREEMENT |
| UPMC CHILDREN'S HOSPITAL FOUNDATION | PITTSBURGH, PA | $20,000 | 2025 | CHILD LIFE PROGRAM |
| ST ANTHONY CHARITABLE FOUNDATION | WEXFORD, PA | $20,000 | 2025 | OCCUPATIONAL THERAPY PROGRAM |
| BOY SCOUTS OF AMERICA | PITTSBURGH, PA | $20,000 | 2025 | 2025 OUTREACH DAY CAMP PROGRAM |
| URBAN IMPACT FOUNDATION | PITTSBURGH, PA | $20,000 | 2025 | MAINTENANCE OF FOUNDATION'S MISSIONARY HOMES |
| NAZARETH PREP | PITTSBURGH, PA | $18,500 | 2025 | STUDENT SCHOLARSHIPS |
| CANINE COMPANIONS | BRIDGEVILLE, PA | $10,000 | 2025 | GENERAL PURPOSES |
| GREATER LATROBE PARTNERS IN EDUCATION FOUNDATION | LATROBE, PA | $10,000 | 2025 | STEVEN LOCASCIO MEMORIAL FUND |
| MIGHTY PENGUINS SLED HOCKEY INC | CRANBERRY TWP, PA | $7,000 | 2025 | PLAYERS' GAME JERSEYS |
| CAF MOMENTUM | PITTSBURGH, PA | $5,000 | 2025 | PITTSBURGH OPERATIONS MENTAL HEALTH PROGRAM |
| ALINA'S LIGHT INC | PITTSBURGH, PA | $5,000 | 2025 | 2024 GRANT MAKING |
| PENNIES FROM HEAVEN | BRADFORD WOODS, PA | $5,000 | 2025 | 2025 GRANT MAKING |
| BIG BROTHER BIG SISTERS OF GREATER PITTSBURGH | PITTSBURGH, PA | $5,000 | 2025 | BIG FUTURES MENTOR 2.0 PROGRAM |
| YMCA OF GREATER PITTSBURGH | PITTSBURGH, PA | $225,000 | 2023 | 2022 GRANT AGREEMENT |
| URBAN IMPACT FOUNDATION | PITTSBURGH, PA | $76,000 | 2023 | INSTALLATION OF PLAYGROUND UNDERDRAIN AND STONE REGRADING |
| KIDCELERATE | PITTSBURGH, PA | $50,000 | 2023 | 2022 & 2023 PROGRAMMING |
| PINE VALLEY CAMP | ELLWOOD CITY, PA | $50,000 | 2023 | DINING HALL PROJECT (PHASE 3) |
| BOY SCOUTS OF AMERICA - LAUREL HIGHLAND COUNCIL | PITTSBURGH, PA | $45,000 | 2023 | TRAILBLAZER SCOUTS FUN DAY |
| KIDCELERATE | PITTSBURGH, PA | $40,000 | 2023 | GREEN THUMB PROJECT |
| THE MIRACLE LEAGUE OF MOON TOWNSHIP | CORAOPOLIS, PA | $20,000 | 2023 | CONSTRUCTION OF MIRACLE LEAGUE FIELD AND PLAYGROUND |
| UPMC CHILDREN'S HOSPITAL | PITTSBURGH, PA | $20,000 | 2023 | CHILD LIFE DEPARTMENT FUND |
| CHILDRENS MUSEUM OF PITTSBURGH | PITTSBURGH, PA | $20,000 | 2023 | MUSEUM LAB PROGRAM |
| CHILDREN'S HOSPITAL OF PITTSBURGH FOUNDATION | PITTSBURGH, PA | $20,000 | 2023 | CHILDREN'S HOSPITAL OF PITTSBURGH CHILD LIFE PROGRAM |
| ST ANTHONY CHARITABLE FOUNDATION | WEXFORD, PA | $20,000 | 2023 | SPEECH THERAPY PROGRAM |
| GREATER LATROBE PARTNERS IN EDUCATION FOUNDATION | LATROBE, PA | $20,000 | 2023 | STEVEN LOCASCIO MEMORIAL FUND |
| MIGHTY PENGUINS SLED HOCKEY INC | CRANBERRY TWP, PA | $10,000 | 2023 | 2022 GRANT MAKING |
| BIG BROTHER BIG SISTERS OF GREATER PITTSBURGH | PITTSBURGH, PA | $10,000 | 2023 | COMMUNITY BASED PROGRAM |
| CANINE COMPANIONS | PITTSBURGH, PA | $10,000 | 2023 | GRANT MAKING |
| PITTSBURGH PASTORAL INSTITUTE | PITTSBURGH, PA | $10,000 | 2023 | OPERATING EXPENSES |
| SENECA HILLS BIBLE CAMP | POLK, PA | $10,000 | 2023 | BATHHOUSE PROJECT |
| ALINA'S LIGHT INC | PITTSBURGH, PA | $10,000 | 2023 | 2023 GRANT MAKING |
| THE UNITED METHODIST CHURCH UNION | PITTSBURGH, PA | $8,000 | 2023 | BRIDGE SECURITY SYSTEM |
| PENNIES FROM HEAVEN | PITTSBURGH, PA | $5,000 | 2023 | 2023 GRANT MAKING |
YMCA OF GREATER PITTSBURGH
$232,0002024 GRANT AGREEMENT
THE UNITED METHODIST CHURCH UNION
$104,5002024 GRANT AGREEMENT
PINE VALLEY CAMP
$100,0002024 GRANT AGREEMENT
SENECA HILLS BIBLE CAMP
$50,0002024 GRANT AGREEMENT
UPMC CHILDREN'S HOSPITAL FOUNDATION
$20,000CHILD LIFE PROGRAM
ST ANTHONY CHARITABLE FOUNDATION
$20,000OCCUPATIONAL THERAPY PROGRAM
BOY SCOUTS OF AMERICA
$20,0002025 OUTREACH DAY CAMP PROGRAM
URBAN IMPACT FOUNDATION
$20,000MAINTENANCE OF FOUNDATION'S MISSIONARY HOMES
NAZARETH PREP
$18,500STUDENT SCHOLARSHIPS
CANINE COMPANIONS
$10,000GENERAL PURPOSES
GREATER LATROBE PARTNERS IN EDUCATION FOUNDATION
$10,000STEVEN LOCASCIO MEMORIAL FUND
MIGHTY PENGUINS SLED HOCKEY INC
$7,000PLAYERS' GAME JERSEYS
CAF MOMENTUM
$5,000PITTSBURGH OPERATIONS MENTAL HEALTH PROGRAM
ALINA'S LIGHT INC
$5,0002024 GRANT MAKING
PENNIES FROM HEAVEN
$5,0002025 GRANT MAKING
BIG BROTHER BIG SISTERS OF GREATER PITTSBURGH
$5,000BIG FUTURES MENTOR 2.0 PROGRAM
YMCA OF GREATER PITTSBURGH
$225,0002022 GRANT AGREEMENT
URBAN IMPACT FOUNDATION
$76,000INSTALLATION OF PLAYGROUND UNDERDRAIN AND STONE REGRADING
KIDCELERATE
$50,0002022 & 2023 PROGRAMMING
PINE VALLEY CAMP
$50,000DINING HALL PROJECT (PHASE 3)
BOY SCOUTS OF AMERICA - LAUREL HIGHLAND COUNCIL
$45,000TRAILBLAZER SCOUTS FUN DAY
KIDCELERATE
$40,000GREEN THUMB PROJECT
THE MIRACLE LEAGUE OF MOON TOWNSHIP
$20,000CONSTRUCTION OF MIRACLE LEAGUE FIELD AND PLAYGROUND
UPMC CHILDREN'S HOSPITAL
$20,000CHILD LIFE DEPARTMENT FUND
CHILDRENS MUSEUM OF PITTSBURGH
$20,000MUSEUM LAB PROGRAM
CHILDREN'S HOSPITAL OF PITTSBURGH FOUNDATION
$20,000CHILDREN'S HOSPITAL OF PITTSBURGH CHILD LIFE PROGRAM
ST ANTHONY CHARITABLE FOUNDATION
$20,000SPEECH THERAPY PROGRAM
GREATER LATROBE PARTNERS IN EDUCATION FOUNDATION
$20,000STEVEN LOCASCIO MEMORIAL FUND
MIGHTY PENGUINS SLED HOCKEY INC
$10,0002022 GRANT MAKING
BIG BROTHER BIG SISTERS OF GREATER PITTSBURGH
$10,000COMMUNITY BASED PROGRAM
CANINE COMPANIONS
$10,000GRANT MAKING
PITTSBURGH PASTORAL INSTITUTE
$10,000OPERATING EXPENSES
SENECA HILLS BIBLE CAMP
$10,000BATHHOUSE PROJECT
ALINA'S LIGHT INC
$10,0002023 GRANT MAKING
THE UNITED METHODIST CHURCH UNION
$8,000BRIDGE SECURITY SYSTEM
PENNIES FROM HEAVEN
$5,0002023 GRANT MAKING