CMU's Commitment to the City of Pittsburgh

June 16, 2026

Dear Members of the CMU Community:

Carnegie Mellon has long recognized that the success and vitality of our university and the City of Pittsburgh are deeply intertwined. For generations, faculty, students, staff and partners across our community have come together at pivotal moments to help address pressing challenges, expand opportunity and contribute to Pittsburgh’s renewal and growth.

Today, informed by ongoing conversations with city officials, I am writing to announce Carnegie Mellon's commitment of $3 million over five years to support initiatives that will benefit residents across the City of Pittsburgh. More specifically, this investment includes: 

• Strengthening opportunities offered through the City of Pittsburgh's Rec2Tech programming, which aims to increase access to technology and build future-ready skills among the city's youngest residents. 
• Enhancing public infrastructure in Pittsburgh neighborhoods, including improving green spaces and expanding pedestrian, bicycle and vehicle access on city streets. 

These commitments leverage Carnegie Mellon’s unique strengths in ways that align with the city’s priorities and answer Mayor Corey O’Connor’s call to make Pittsburgh a first-choice destination for families. They also fit within a fuller history of commitments to the city and occur at a time when CMU and the broader higher education ecosystem is navigating significant financial headwinds. Accordingly, this investment is intentionally targeted and time-bound while also subscribing to the simple but powerful premise that when Pittsburgh thrives, Carnegie Mellon thrives.

This latest investment is also only part of the picture. CMU’s longstanding support for the city extends well beyond these two areas and takes many forms — we also support economic development and job creation, teach K-12 students and train educators, serve nonprofits through technical expertise and expand innovation in areas like advanced manufacturing and robotics. Every day, CMU faculty, students and staff bring their research, creativity and talent to bear on challenges that matter — from improving air quality and public safety to enriching the local arts and culture scene. (I encourage you to visit our Regional Impact site for a more representative sample of Carnegie Mellon's contributions to our city and our region).  

As Tartans, we are extraordinarily grateful to call Pittsburgh home. We also recognize and applaud the many faculty, staff and students who prioritize community engagement in their day-to-day work, including those who contribute their time and expertise as members of our Community-Based Work Coalition. Without their efforts and insights, today's announcement — and the work that will follow — would not be possible. 

Thank you, again, for all that you do to support our university and the city of Pittsburgh.

Warm regards, 

Farnam Jahanian
President
Henry L. Hillman President's Chair