Mom’s husband possessed a car, a luxury for families on my block. My brothers, friends, and I bobbed joyously on the sidewalk next to his tan sedan, ecstatic about the first day of school at Johnston Elementary in Wilkinsburg in 1975… READ MORE
We focus on building the capacity of minority entrepreneurial enterprises by providing space, social capital, education, and a variety of business services including coaching, technical assistance, and investment preparation.
Through our membership and partner network, we work to build trusted and diverse professional ecosystems that break down silos causing distrust and cycles of disinvestment in order to rebuild on the basis of real relationships, equity, and shared prosperity.
We offer courses, mentorship, and artist residency programs that support people in developing real skills in business and technology that propel them to the next level of their career.
We believe investing in youth is a critical component to transformative community development. Thus, we partner with other non-profits and run our own youth leadership council to ensure young people in our community are being uplifted and empowered to achieve their goals.
Community Forge hosts events from youth performances to music festivals to community conversations. Check out what’s coming to Wilkinsburg this week on our events calendar.
Read MoreWe have space available in our beautiful former classrooms. Make Community Forge the new home for your office, educational program, meeting, coworking desks, or studio. Contact us for a tour or to get more details.
Read MoreRunning a community space takes a village to succeed. Join our crew and support our efforts to provide affordable space and programming in Wilkinsburg with your labor, donations, and love.
Read MoreLooking for afterschool programs for your kids? Want to develop as an artist? Community Forge and our Resident Organizations host a wide range of programs and services for youth and adults.
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Mom’s husband possessed a car, a luxury for families on my block. My brothers, friends, and I bobbed joyously on the sidewalk next to his tan sedan, ecstatic about the first day of school at Johnston Elementary in Wilkinsburg in 1975… READ MORE
After years of empty classrooms and vacant hallways, the former Johnston Elementary School in Wilkinsburg once again is buzzing with activity. The school closed in 2012 and was vacant for five years before Community Forge, a group of eight entrepreneurs with ties to Pittsburgh, purchased the building in...
When the team behind Community Forge came together in 2016, they envisioned a cooperative social enterprise that would do important things: It would offer a platform for community service, education and civic action, and also play a key role in revitalizing an economically distressed neighborhood. Community members would...
The mission-driven organization “Community Forge” acquired the former Johnston Elementary School in July of 2017 and has been working daily for the past 9 months to transform the property into a community center. Today, the building is open again and now houses more than a dozen local businesses,...
On July 18th, the mission-driven organization “Community Forge” acquired the Johnston Elementary School at 1256 Franklin Avenue from the Wilkinsburg School District. Community Forge plans to transform the Johnston School into a community space that will be a home for small businesses, local events, municipal meetings, and educational...
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