About Heritage Community Initiatives


Heritage Community Initiatives has a history of service stretching back more than a quarter-century. It was created in 1983 as Heritage Health Foundation, the endowment management arm of Braddock Medical Center. In 1994, the Foundation launched a highly successful capital campaign that significantly updated the Medical Center’s facilities and reinforced its importance in the communities it served.

In 1996, Braddock Medical Center became UPMC Braddock, and it was decided that Heritage Health Foundation would take another major step- to become a free-standing, community based nonprofit organization. While it still supported the work of the hospital, it greatly expanded the scope of its direct work with the community and its collaborations with other like-minded organizations.

Through growth and response to changing community needs, in 2008 Heritage’s board of directors, employees, and community representatives came together to update the organization’s mission, restate its vision, and reaffirm its core values. The new name, Heritage Community Initiatives, was chosen to reflect the redeveloped mission, “to enable individuals and organizations to improve health, education, economic strength, and social vitality in their communities,” as well as to familiarize funders and collaborators with the diverse services offered by the organization. 

Headquartered in the heart of the 20 Mon Valley neighborhoods we serve, Heritage has an on-the-ground understanding of the needs of local communities and residents. Today, Heritage Community Initiatives focuses primarily on three program areas: education, transportation and life enhancing initiatives.