The Trail Volunteer Fund is a Donor-Advised Fund of The Pittsburgh Foundation, which manages the assets and actually makes the grants.
Major funding is provided from the proceeds of FreeWheeling Easy in Western Pennsylvania, and by Roy Weil and Mary Shaw, who are the formal donor advisors for the fund. They have a group of advisors from foundations and trail support groups.
We gratefully acknowledge additional funding from:
- Michael Baker Corporation.
- friends and family of David Bialsky
- Robert C. Levin
In addition, we gratefully acknowledge contributions we have received through The Pittsburgh Foundation and United Way. We do not receive information about the donors, but we deeply appreciate your support.
You can contribute to the Trail Volunteer Fund through The Pittsburgh Foundation directly, via PayPal, via an annual United Way drive, or by ordering our regional guide books.
We encourage you to donate both time and money to your favorite local trail. However if you also wish to support trails across all of western Pennsylvania and nearby areas, or if you don’t have a strong affiliation with a particular trail, or if you would like to help develop an endowment for future maintenance and development, we welcome your support. You have many ways to contribute.
Contributing directly to The Pittsburgh Foundation
The most direct way to contribute is to send your contribution directly to The Pittsburgh Foundation. Officially, your contribution will be to The Pittsburgh Foundation, a 501(c)3 public charity; in order to be sure your contribution goes to the Trail Volunteer Fund within the Pittsburgh Foundation, add a designation for “Trail Volunteer Fund” when you contribute.
The Foundation accepts gifts of cash, appreciated stock, and closely held stock, among other options. For further information, visit The Pittsburgh Foundation’s website or contact Lydia McShane 412-394-2653.
Donations can also be made via the web. Simply click on “Donate Now” on The Foundation’s home page and you will be taken to a page to make your secure contribution with PayPal or with a credit card. Be sure to type “Trail Volunteer Fund” in the “Name of Fund” field.
Contributions by check can be made payable to “The Trail Volunteer Fund of The Pittsburgh Foundation” and mailed to
The Trail Volunteer Fund of The Pittsburgh Foundation
Attn: Lydia McShane
912 Fort Duquesne Blvd., Floor 10
Pittsburgh, PA 15222
If you would like your contribution to be anonymous (that is, if you do not want to be named on The Pittsburgh Foundation’s list of donors), please indicate that preference with your contribution.
A copy of the official registration and financial information for The Pittsburgh Foundation may be obtained from the Pennsylvania Department of State by calling toll-free, within Pennsylvania, 1-800-732-0999. Registration does not imply endorsement.
Contributing via PayPal
Contributing via United Way annual drive
If you contribute through the United Way, including through your employer’s annual drive, you can direct your contribution to an organization of your choice. To choose the Trail Volunteer Fund, use contributor choice code 9040783. Your employer may have a way to contribute, or you can go to https://unitedwayswpa.org/.
Regional Guide Books – Linking Up or Freewheeling Easy
We publish guide books to biking in Western Pennsylvania. All proceeds from the books are directed to the Trail Development Fund.
Linking Up – Planning your traffic Free Bike Trip between Pittsburgh, PA and Washington, DC is a planning guide for the trip. It begins with questions that people most often ask, followed by suggestions about things to think about as you plan and ideas about itineraries. At the end, we list services and amenities you may find helpful and give a table of distances between towns. You can see the content of the book at https://linkup.shaw-weil.com or order it at https://linkup.shaw-weil.com/orderbook.php.
FreeWheeling Easy in and around Western Pennsylvania – Vol 4, Includes a 2 to 5 page write-up on the over 19 trails that are north of Pittsburgh, in particular those trails that will comprise the Eire to Pittsburgh trail. Each write-up includes a description, local history, attractions, extensions to the ride, and detailed directions to the trailheads. You can see the content of the book at https://freewheelingeasy.com or order it at https://freewheelingeasy.com/order-the-book/.
