03/12/2026
📣Hill CDC Celebrates Nearly $1M in Pilot Round of Funding
Milestone reflects the power of resident-led vision and the promise of a neighborhood in transformation.
PITTSBURGH, PA — Today, a pilot round of funding from the Greater Hill District Neighborhood Reinvestment Fund (GHDNRF / LERTA Fund) was approved and distributed to community development projects serving Pittsburgh's historic Hill District; a milestone made possible by the determination, leadership, and vision of the people who call this neighborhood home.
Marimba Milliones, president and CEO of the Hill Community Development Corporation (Hill CDC) and Co-Chair of the GHDNRF Advisory Board, issued the following statement:
“This moment belongs to the residents of the Hill District. For too long, decisions about investment and development in this community have been made without the voices of those who have lived here, raised families here, and sustained the neighborhood's culture and character through generations. We have been working with residents to change that, and through our advocacy and partnership, we were able to deliver unprecedented funding to our community. This nearly $ 1 Million is just the beginning of investments from this fund, and yet these investments will have a significant impact on moving Hill District development projects forward. Thank you to Councilman and Co-Chair Daniel Lavelle and the Greater Hill District Neighborhood Reinvestment Fund Advisory Board and staff for their partnership in achieving this milestone.”
The approved funding will flow directly to Hill District organizations and development projects, prioritizing organizations and initiatives that offer tangible growth opportunities for long-term residents and business owners — not displacement, not development that bypasses residents, but investment that works for the Hill District community. The first round of funding has been dedicated to projects mostly on Centre Avenue anchoring the revitalization of the Hill District’s commercial corridor(s).
• African Queens Apartment Project — $250,000
• Big Tom’s Barbershop Housing & Dev. Phase I — $240,000
• Rhythm Square Phase I — $250,000
• Herron and Wylie Project — $190,000
This is not an endpoint. It is an important chapter of a larger, community-driven strategy to honor the Hill District's extraordinary legacy while actively building its future. Our hope is that public and private partners turn their collective attention towards investing in the Hill District as we create a hub for commerce, culture, education, and entertainment that offers housing to long-time and new residents, and enables economic prosperity.
The Hill District has given Pittsburgh, and the world, an outsized legacy. This investment is a commitment to ensuring that the people at the heart of that legacy are the ones who benefit most in its future.
Learn more at www.hilldistrict.org/lerta.
See this weekend’s Hill District Weekend Roundup for more Lower Hill District updates.
