The Gift of Belief

Explores how ideals of charity and philanthropy defined Pittsburgh’s civic life.

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Philanthropy has long been associated with Pittsburgh, but in a narrative that favors industrial titans and wealthy families, overlooking the work of ordinary Pittsburghers. This book reveals how, women and men from every strata, creed, ethnicity, and circumstance organized for the public good in Pittsburgh. The industrialists and their foundations are here but with lesser known philanthropists equally civic-minded. The book explores how ideals of charity and philanthropy entwined to produce distinctive forms of civic engagement that defined Pittsburgh’s civic life.