The Pittsburgh Foundation

Ballay Family Fund

Established: 9/30/2011

           This fund was created by Joe and Sue Ballay in 2011 to advance innovation in education at all levels. In 2016, The Pittsburgh Foundation’s Center for Philanthropy collaborated with the LUMA Institute and the Ballay Family Fund to establish  an accelerated workshop called “Change Agents.” This workshop brought together 18 Pittsburgh Public School students and educators to reevaluate education through human-centered design. Since then, numerous Change Agents have been held and continue to empower students and teachers to transform public education and address issues in their communities.

            Joe Ballay, through his fund and his work, is dedicated to adapting education to suit the modern age through creative thinking, problem solving and promoting inclusion in education. He is a nationally-known designer and former head of the School of Design at Carnegie Mellon University. There, he implemented technology into traditional graphic and industrial design curriculum. In 1989, he left Carnegie Mellon to co-found Pittsburgh-based Maya Design, a technology and design company, now a subsidiary of The Boston Consulting Group Inc. of Boston.

            The couple credits Joe’s parents, Joseph and Georgina Ballay, who helped inspire his giving, saying that, “Generosity within the family is the foundation for a broader outreach of encouragement and giving.”

Read more about the first “Change Agents” workshop that was made possible by the Ballay Family Fund here: https://pittsburghfoundation.org/node/46457

Type of Fund

  • Advised