How it works
Four steps, one rule: nothing moves until it's fully funded.
1. Propose
Each ward gets up to three nominated projects, plus three citywide projects open to the whole city. Projects are small-to-medium, visible, quality-of-life improvements — a public staircase in disrepair, a stretch of unlit park trail, a vacant lot, a weathered monument. Right now project entry is admin-curated and pre-vetted; a public submission process is a future phase.
2. Fund
Once a project is listed, anyone can contribute directly to it. Every project shows its funding goal, how much has been raised, and a deadline. Donations are restricted to the project a donor chooses.
3. Trigger — the core promise
Only fully-funded projects move forward. Donations are collected at the time you give, and a project is handed to the City for execution only once it reaches 100% of its goal — no half-finished work ever gets started. If a project misses its goal by its deadline, your gift is refunded, or, only with your consent given at checkout, redirected to another project.
4. Execute
Fully-funded projects are completed by the City through its existing Department of Public Works and capital-project workflows — the same crews and process the City already uses. Let's Fund Pittsburgh doesn't hire outside contractors or bypass the City's process; it removes the funding bottleneck that keeps small, popular projects stuck in a budget queue.
Why this structure
- No new taxes, no new city spending. Money comes from willing donors; the City's role is limited to executing work through channels it already runs.
- Zero financial risk. Projects don't start until they're fully funded.
- Built to last. Let's Fund Pittsburgh is an independent civic initiative, not tied to any single office, candidate, or campaign.