Winners of 2026 Downtown Placemaking Grant Announced!
Nine grants awarded to activate downtown public spaces through diverse and engaging experiences in 2026 and 2027
Downtown Pittsburgh – The Pittsburgh Downtown Partnership’s (PDP) Placemaking Grant, with generous support from Citizens, has awarded nine grants to a selected crop of local entrepreneurs, creatives, civic groups, and non-profit organizations to activate public spaces with community events, art activations, and youth-led programming in 2026 and 2027.
The nine winning concepts were chosen out of more than 60 applicants and include public art activations, curated artists’ markets, a sustainable fashion design competition, community engagement featuring Argentine dance, and a youth-led multi-disciplinary initiative presented by the Boys & Girls Clubs of Western Pennsylvania. Projects will be completed within the next year.
“We are thrilled to have received an amazing number of quality applications for this year’s Citizen’s Placemaking Grant,” said Jack Dougherty, Senior Director of Strategic Partnerships at the Pittsburgh Downtown Partnership. “Each and every applicant brought something truly special to Downtown. The projects we chose will bring Downtown diverse and inclusive events, highlight the voices of our youth, support small businesses, and enhance the public realm of the Golden Triangle.”
Citizens is once again supporting the PDP’s Placemaking Grant, marking its second year as a supporter of the program, with this new investment. Since launching in 2024, PDP has provided 37 grants to support creative projects and people from around the region.
See past winners here!
“The strength of Pittsburgh comes from the passion and creativity of the people who call it home,” said Lisa Gillespie, Pittsburgh Retail Market Executive, Citizens. “At Citizens, we’re committed to supporting the people, organizations, and ideas that help our communities thrive. From celebrating local entrepreneurs and artists to creating spaces that bring people together, this year’s Placemaking Grant projects will enrich Downtown Pittsburgh while celebrating local culture and creating the meaningful experiences that make our city so vibrant.”
2026 Citizen’s Placemaking Grant Winners
- 11th-12th Street Community Mural by Riverlife | Riverlife and Friends of the Riverfront will partner with local artist Max Emiliano Gonzales to commission and create a multi-artist public mural along the Allegheny Riverfront Trail between 11th and 12th Streets.
- Argentine Tango: Building Connection, Wellness, and Community in Downtown Pittsburgh by PGH Tango | This project will bring a series of accessible Argentine tango classes and social dance experiences to Downtown Pittsburgh’s public spaces.
- Black Made: A Pittsburgh Night Market by Alycia Washington | A curated night market celebrating Black creativity, entrepreneurship, culture, and community in Downtown Pittsburgh.
- Downtown Holiday Shopping Trail by Handmade Arcade | A ‘shopping trail’ will be designed to connect Handmade Arcade’s Holiday Market at the Convention Center to the 2026 Holiday Market in Market Square through a map that will highlight small businesses that sit between these two Holiday locations.
- The Gooxd Joy Project by gooxjy co, Tye Clarke | An experiential public art activation that will feature two upcycled vending machines, refurbished and reimagined as interactive art installations that dispense unexpected “pieces of joy”.
- The Hill Is A Gallery: Art, History & Community at Frankie Pace Park by Charles Lyons | An accessible public gallery that elevates Hill District artists and stories while using Frankie Pace Park as a cultural bridge between Downtown and the Hill.
- Project Trendz by Imani Batts | A sustainable fashion design competition inspired by the hit TV series Project Runway! Designers will be given a theme and a collection of secondhand and donated materials, then have one hour to create a fashion look on the spot using only the materials provided.
- SculptureHaul by International Sculpture Center | Box trucks will be repurposed to provide artist-curated spaces directly into the public realm. Visitors can walk from truck to truck, discovering a series of miniature artistic environments that are approachable and free to experience.
- Voices of Pittsburgh: Youth on the Line by Boys & Girls Clubs of Western Pennsylvania | A youth-led initiative to amplify young people’s perspectives on Pittsburgh’s future. This multidisciplinary project brings together teens from BGCWPA’s Downtown Teen Center and Point Park University to design an interactive public art installation and podcast designed to spark meaningful conversations about the future of Downtown Pittsburgh, through the voices of teens.
Projects will be announced throughout the next year via PDP newsletters and social media. The next round of funding is anticipated to be announced mid-2027.
About the Pittsburgh Downtown Partnership (PDP):
The PDP is a dynamic, nonprofit organization comprised of business and community leaders, property owners, civic organizations, foundations, and residents who provide energy, vision, and advocacy for Downtown Pittsburgh. Working collaboratively with its partners, the PDP strives to create a positive Downtown experience for residents, workers, and visitors alike. The PDP’s strategic initiatives include clean and safe services, transportation, economic development, and advocacy. For more information, visit DowntownPittsburgh.com, follow us on Instagram, Threads, X, Facebook, TikTok, LinkedIn, and X @downtownpitt.
Citizens Financial Group, Inc. is one of the nation’s oldest and largest financial institutions, with $233.8 billion in assets as of June 30, 2026. Headquartered in Providence, Rhode Island, Citizens offers a broad range of retail, private banking, wealth management and commercial banking products and services to individuals, small businesses, middle-market companies, large corporations and institutions. Citizens helps its customers reach their potential by listening to them and by understanding their needs in order to offer tailored advice, ideas and solutions. In Consumer Banking, Citizens provides an integrated experience that includes mobile and online banking, a full-service customer contact center and the convenience of approximately 3,000 ATMs and approximately 1,000 branches in 14 states and the District of Columbia. Consumer Banking products and services include a full range of banking, lending, savings, wealth management and small business offerings. Consumer Banking includes Citizens Private Bank and Private Wealth, which integrate banking services and wealth management solutions to serve high- and ultra-high-net-worth individuals and families, as well as investors, entrepreneurs and businesses. In Commercial Banking, Citizens offers a broad complement of financial products and solutions, including lending and leasing, deposit and treasury management services, foreign exchange, interest rate and commodity risk management solutions, as well as loan syndication, corporate finance, merger and acquisition, and debt and equity capital markets capabilities. More information is available at www.citizensbank.com or visit us on X, LinkedIn or Facebook.