Please ensure Javascript is enabled for purposes of website accessibility

Join & Give

Pittsburgh Glass Center’s continued success relies on teamwork. Like glass, it takes many people working together including donors, artists, patrons, students, visitors, and community members.

There are many ways that you can keep the fire burning and make our glass art community more diverse, vibrant, and accessible such as becoming a member, sponsoring an event or making a donation today.

Individual Giving

Your gift ensures that Pittsburgh Glass Center remains:

  • Free for all! We open our doors to the community for free six days a week so that everyone can experience contemporary glass art without financial barriers.
  • Fun and memorable as a one-of-a-kind experience for everyone who walks through our doors.
  • Accessible for people of all ages and abilities to try glassmaking with a talented group of skilled instructors who make the process enjoyable and fun.

There are several ways to make your gift:

  • Make your gift online
  • Send a check made payable to Pittsburgh Glass Center addressed to: Pittsburgh Glass Center, ATTN: Development Team, 5472 Penn Avenue, Pittsburgh, PA 15206

Memorial and Tribute gifts are a generous way to honor or remember someone special. Please email or call Olivia Narciso, Donor Relations Manager at 412-365-2145 x213, to make this gift so that those who you are honoring or loved ones of those you are remembering will receive a personalized message on a special card of your commemoration. 

Other Ways To Give

This information is not intended as legal or tax advice. PGC strongly advises that you consult your professional advisor(s).

Donor-Advised Fund

Pittsburgh Glass Center will work with you to make the giving process from your Donor-Advised Fund simple and efficient.

 

To give through your donor-advised fund:

  • Request that your fund administrator issue a check made payable to Pittsburgh Glass Center, 5472 Penn Avenue, Pittsburgh, PA 15206
  • You may make a legacy gift to Pittsburgh Glass Center by listing the Glass Center as a charitable beneficiary of your existing donor-advised fund, retirement plan, or life insurance policy.

IRA-Qualified Charitable Donations

Are you 70 ½ or older? Consider a Qualified Charitable Distribution to make the most out of your charitable giving.

A Qualified Charitable Distribution (QCD) is a distribution made directly from your individual retirement account (IRA) to a qualified charity. You can transfer up to $100,000 in gifts each year to qualified non-profits like Pittsburgh Glass Center.

As an IRA deduction is categorized as an “above-the-line deduction,” you can take advantage of this tax benefit even if you don’t itemize deductions. It is a simple process to roll over your QDC directly to Pittsburgh Glass Center, which your IRA administrator can facilitate.

For more information, please contact Rachel Niederberger, Development Director.

Matching Gifts

Double your gift’s impact!

 

Your company may have a matching gift program that can double your level of support. Each company’s guidelines for participation are different, so please contact your Human Resources Department for more information.

Gifts of Stock, Securities, and Appreciable Assets

Looking to make the most out of your gift? Consider making a stock gift to Pittsburgh Glass Center.

 

Your gift of appreciated securities – publicly traded stocks, bonds, and mutual fund shares – to Pittsburgh Glass Center are among the most cost-effective assets to use when making a gift.

 

Pittsburgh Glass Center Stock Transfer Instructions

 

Account Name: Pittsburgh Glass Center, Inc.
DTC # 0164 Code 40
Account # 4690-9545
Contact at Charles Schwab: Beth Williams
Email | 412-471-5320

 

For more information on donating securities, please contact Rachel Niederberger, Development Director.

Planned Giving

Has Pittsburgh Glass Center made a positive impact on your life?

Consider including PGC in your estate plan. Naming us in your will, trust, or by beneficiary designation will help ensure that PGC is here for generations to come. By planning now, you can maintain control of your assets and significantly reduce estate taxes.

For more information, please contact Rachel Niederberger, Development Director.

Become a Member

Our members fuel one of the most influential and dynamic glass art communities in the United States. They make it possible for us to keep our furnaces hot, attract the world’s finest glass artists, offer scholarships, and provide a level of glass art instruction available nowhere else in the region. Members are fundamental to our mission. There are a variety of membership levels, but all PGC members save 10% on most classes and workshops, receive invitations to members-only events, and have access to rent PGC studios and equipment. We invite you to become a member, renew your membership or give a gift membership today.

Become a Member Today!

Membership Perks

Membership Perks

  • 10% discount on select classes and workshops
  • Invitations to members-only events
  • Access to PGC studio and equipment rental
  • 10% discount at the PGC gift shop
  • Memberships are tax-deductible less the fair market value of the benefits used. Please consult your tax advisor for more information regarding the deductibility of your membership.

Membership Types and Cost

  • Senior Members receive benefits for 1 person over the age of 65 for $30.00
  • Student Members receive benefits for 1 person over the age of 18 for $30.00
  • Educator Members receive benefits for 1 person for $40.00
  • Individual Members receive benefits for 1 person for $50.00
  • Family Members receive benefits for 2 adults and any children living in their household for $75.00
  • Friend Members receive benefits for 2 adults and any children living in their household for $150.00
  • Contributor Members receive benefits for 2 adults and any children living in their household for $250.00
  • Supporter Members receive benefits for 2 adults and any children living in their household for $500.00
  • Patron Members receive benefits for 2 adults and any children living in their household for $1,000.00

Ways to Become a Member

  • Join online
  • Call Olivia Narciso, Donor Relations Manager at 412-365-2145 x213
  • Send a check made payable to Pittsburgh Glass Center addressed to: Pittsburgh Glass Center, ATTN: Membership, 5472 Penn Avenue, Pittsburgh, PA 15206

Institutional Support

Pittsburgh Glass Center is one of the top glass art facilities in the U.S. and is a driver of economic development in our East End neighborhood. A unique blend between visual and performance art, PGC is like nothing else that exists in southwestern Pennsylvania, successfully connecting the region’s history as a major producer of glass to its creative future through the innovative use of glass as art.

Sponsorship Opportunities

Year-round opportunities for partnerships are available to accomplish your business’s philanthropic and marketing goals while supporting PGC’s innovative programming. Each benefits package is customized based on your company’s specific needs.

 

For more information, please contact Rachel Niederberger, Development Director.

Educational Improvement Tax Credit (EITC) Program

If you are a Pennsylvania business, the EITC program could lower your state tax liability. Pittsburgh Glass Center has been approved by the Pennsylvania Department of Community and Economic Development to offer Educational Improvement Tax Credits to companies who make a donation in support of PGC’s qualifying education programs.

PGC is pleased to recognize the following businesses that made EITC contributions in 2023:

 

For more information, please contact Rachel Niederberger, Development Director.

Corporate Parties & Entertainment

People love hosting events at Pittsburgh Glass Center because you and your guests can:

  • Feel the heat as artists create amazing works of art with hot glass
  • Explore contemporary glass art exhibitions in PGC’s Hodge Gallery
  • Make your own one-of-a-kind piece of glass art, or receive a custom glass gift made by PGC artists (must be ordered in advance)

For more information, please contact Rachel Niederberger, Development Director.

Corporate Retreats & Team-Building Activities

Get outside of the office and build camaraderie among your colleagues and team members with a change of scenery and a taste of glassmaking at PGC. Exercise the right side of your brain with an exciting hot glass demonstration and hands-on glass activity, and then round out your retreat with the option to book a private conference room for lunch and a meeting.

For more information, please contact Olive Hughes, Outreach & Accessibility Coordinator.

Annual Fundraiser

Art on Fire Celebration & Auction

Pittsburgh Glass Center annually hosts the hottest event of the year called Art on Fire, a fun celebration and Pittsburgh’s only glass art auction. Your attendance and support of this fundraiser collectively raises approximately 10% of our overall programming and operational needs. Plus, you’ll leave the event with a unique, hand-made piece of glass art by an emerging or world-renowned artist.

Shattering Expectations

Pittsburgh Glass Center is glowing up and shattering expectations with a $15 million expansion. This is a transformational capital campaign that seeks your support to realize Pittsburgh Glass Center’s full potential as a hub for artistic excellence and a driver of economic opportunity through a major expansion of our facilities. Completed by Summer 2024!