2021 Fellowship

Kin of Duncan is a handmade pet gear brand that allows Fur Kids to match with their favorite human. We strive to set the bar high for youth to chase their dreams and goals. While helping pet paw-rents with food donations during the time in need when owners can’t afford due to loss of income. Also we want to educate owners on pet ownership, spray, and neutering pros for pets.

We are currently looking to expand to making a pet treat brand and a community dog park to allow big and small dogs to socialize in a safe place.

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We are a dual mission social enterprise that both disrupts and rescues textile and material waste from entering landfills while also providing work from home production opportunities to women and queer folx in and around our region. This model became particularly helpful during a pandemic where we became part of a network that made and distributed over 11,0000 masks to the people with low to no access to them while going to work on the frontlines, in the warehouses, within community centers, and traveling to doctor appointments during the height of the pandemic and continue to do so to this day. We have rescued 4,136+  lbs of textiles from manufacturers, interior designers, and artists and hope to continue reclaiming more materials while finding new opportunities to create new things with the small but growing amount of scraps that we have accumulated. We have a network of 25+ women who are part of our Sew from Home Sewcial Network, and our goal is to continue building, creating, and expanding, and creating new opportunities with this community.

Blakbird Jewelry’s mission is to provide reasonably priced hand cut metal jewelry while encouraging wellness and healing through storytelling. My goals are to make Blakbird more sustainable. I would also like to hire an assistant within the next year and find ways to engage the community in jewelry making projects.

Good Days Brand is a lifestyle streetwear brand founded on the concept of making each day better than your last. Our idea is that you truly feel good while you wear our pieces. Good Days Brand benefits the community by inspiring people to be good “neighbors” to people while turning streetwear consumers into art collectors. My goal for Good Days Brand is to be an internationally recognized brand, I also want to have customers in every state in this country.  I want to open a “With Love From Pittsburgh” Museum within 5-7 years. Another goal is to collaborate with other brands and sports teams across the city/nation.

Our mission to address the needs of local communities that are lacking resources, knowledge, and accessibility to fresh produce and seedlings. We are shortening the distance between the grower and the produce that reach your table. We service our community helping all growers, local restaurants, backyard gardeners, school gardens and more to access fresh food and fighting against food apartheid through plant sales, workshops and demonstrations along with free garden supply giveaways and a youth summer program. Our goal is to involve more people of color in agriculture and food sustainability believing it will dismantle food injustice in our community.

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