Transforming leaders, nonprofit organizations, and ecosystems for a more equitable society and improved quality of life.
Comprehensive Solutions
The Equity | Impact Center is a research-based institution dedicated to transforming leaders, founders, organizations, and ecosystems to build a more equitable society and improve quality of life. The Equity | Impact Center specializes in delivering equitable and effective sustainable solutions through people-centered, intentionally designed frameworks that are consistently responsive to the evolving needs of communities and individuals.
We steward change initiatives by empowering solutions developed by diverse people with lived experience, critical skills, appropriate knowledge, expertise, and innovative perspectives.
While the Equity | Impact Center intends to advance the work of businesses, governments, institutions, and nonprofit organizations to drive equitable systems change throughout the U.S., we are currently focused on the Pittsburgh region. We address systemic inequities across social, cultural, and economic sectors with comprehensive, intentionally designed solutions. Since our launch, we’ve designed and implemented viable systems-level interventions to support economic resilience in marginalized communities and develop entrepreneurs and social justice, nonprofit, and institutional leaders.
We understand that systemic inequities impact people across communities, identities, and areas of work; therefore, our processes are efficient and intentional. We develop data-driven solutions that provide the education, tools, and resources necessary to mitigate harm and support, sustain, and advance individuals and organizations. Our work enables systemic change in the region by explicitly centering people who have been historically excluded or marginalized and providing real and comprehensive opportunities for transformative change that produce immediate outcomes and will positively impact future generations.
Learn more about The Equity | Impact Center! Watch as our President & CEO Leigh Solomon Pugliano, joined by Board Chair, Laura Miller, Transformative Leader participant, Fatima Bunafoor, and members of the Equity | Impact Center community, talk about who we are, what we do, and how we serve.
The Values That Guide Our Work
Advance: we provide resources and empower leaders with the intention of a more equitable and just future
Amplify: we strengthen the voices and empower the ideas of program participants
Authenticity: we amplify the combined value of lived experience, knowledge, and expertise
Access: we ensure resources and networks are available to underserved and marginalized people
Accountability: we strive to incorporate our equitable value system and mission at all points of planning, decision-making, implementation, and evaluation
We define equity as the creation of conditions and experiences of situational fairness, transparency, and accountability achieved when we apply differential resources to address unequal needs because people are situated differently.
We define inclusion as a system of activities and processes designed to create a culture and climate that is fair, equitable, and actively welcoming in which people are genuinely valued.
We define a just relationship as one where the included parties are committed to the work and values that define the relationship and equally responsible for their contributions, as well as the benefits and risks of the collaboration.
