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WHEREAS, The Sprout Fund is a non-profit incubator and innovation fund that ran programming and supported community based organizations working to increase civic engagement and make Pittsburgh a better place to live, work and raise a family; and,
WHEREAS, The Sprout Fund was an important force for change in Pittsburgh, powering the grassroots response to many pressing regional issues, improving Pittsburgh by inspiring and nurturing people with innovative , grassroots ideas to positively impact their communities and by being a catalyst for civic change; and,
WHEREAS, The Sprout Fund jumpstarted organizations and tested new ideas, investing more than $7M in 1,100+ people, projects and ideas. In addition, The Sprout Fund inspired regional and national foundations to provide seed funding mechanisms and networks of support for tomorrow’s great ideas; and,
WHEREAS, since a cultural shift has taken root and the community is stronger and more resilient, The Sprout Fund has decided to sunset its operations in 2018 after 17 successful years. As a final legacy, they will be documenting best practices, sharing their enduring values and giving the rest of their money away; and,
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NOW, THEREFORE BE IT RESOLVED that the Council of the City of Pittsburgh does hereby commend and congratulate Cathy Lewis, Matt Hannigan and The Sprout Fund for a remarkable 17 year operation in which they lifted Pittsburgh from a city synonymous with the aging Rust Belt to a thriving city that is a nationally known hotbed of innovators and who spearheaded partnerships with regional and national foundations to help power the grassroots response to a wide range of social , environmental and economic challenges; and,
BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED, that the Council of the City of Pittsburgh does hereby declare Tuesday, June 19, 2018, to be “THE SPROUT FUND DAY” in the City of Pittsburgh.