About Us

We Ignite Potential.

Established in 1965, Big Brothers Big Sisters of Greater Pittsburgh is the region’s premier evidenced-based youth mentoring agency—earning national recognition for program quality and organizational excellence.

Our target population includes children ages 6-25 from single parent families, low-income households, and underperforming schools. In many cases, these children have incarcerated parents, encounter bullying in school, and face other challenging circumstances that increase their susceptibility to negative outcomes.

At BBBSPGH, we make meaningful, monitored matches between adult volunteers (“Bigs”) and children (“Littles”) in Allegheny, Greene, and Washington counties. There are three program options available that are designed to help develop strong one-to-one relationships, and make a direct and lasting impact on the lives of young children—Community-Based, Site-Based, and Big Futures.

After just 12 months in the BBBSPGH program, most mentees show improvement in the following:

  • 66%

    REPORTED HIGHER FEELINGS OF SOCIAL SUPPORT

  • 86%

    REPORTED DISAPPROVAL OF RISKY BEHAVIORS

  • 87%

    REPORTED HIGH EDUCATIONAL EXPECTATIONS

  • 57%

    EARNED ABOVE AVERAGE GRADES

Mentorship amplifies the power and promise of youth

96% avoided or decreased risky behaviors

91% kept or created plans for high school graduation and beyond

86% reported a strong or increasing level of engagement with school

86% stayed on track with or improved emotional regulation skills

84% reported a strong or increasing level of social competance

Hannah and Kay
 

Mission

Create and support one-to-one mentoring relationships that ignite the power and promise of youth.

Vision

All youth achieve their full potential.

 

Impact

Consider what young people are facing today — a global pandemic, racial unrest, distance learning, social isolation, fear and uncertainty. Greater Pittsburgh students struggle with one of the highest opportunity gaps — and the lowest ratios of students to guidance counselors — in the nation. That translates to tens of thousands of youth who need mentors in their lives. Kids need support now more than ever!

Mentored youth excel in many areas of their lives. It’s the student who makes measurable gains in academic performance. It’s the child who transforms from withdrawn to confident. It’s the young adult who now has hope and a plan for their future.

Big Brothers Big Sisters Greater Pittsburgh seeks to amplify the potential that lives within all children to realize their biggest possible future.

Mentored Youth Excel

93%
of BBBS high school seniors graduated on time

versus

70%
of Pittsburgh students without a mentor

OUR BOOKS ARE OPEN

It’s your money that keeps us going and enables us to start more kids on the right path. So you have every right to know how it is used. Every local Big Brothers Big Sisters agency is an independent 501(c)3 nonprofit organization.

Annual Report

2022
2019-2021
2018, 2017, 2016, 2015

For more information about our statements or other financial matters, please contact Jason Dix, Director of Finance, at jdix@bbbspgh.org or 412.204.1221.