TRCF strongly considers the following when reviewing grant applications:
- Grassroots organizations with budgets under $200,000;
- New organizations or projects that have not been previously funded by TRCF;
- Projects that take place or have a strong focus on creating change in Southwestern PA (Allegheny, Armstrong, Beaver, Butler, Fayette, Greene, Indiana, Lawrence, Washington, and Westmoreland counties);
- Projects addressing persistent divisions in society based on race, color, age, sexual orientation, gender identity, class religion, disability, sex, ancestry, or national origin;
- Projects developing new, grassroots leadership, with strong components of community organizing, community education, problem identification and solving, and community building;
- Youth-led projects and those promoting youth activism;
- Projects addressing emerging or cutting-edge issues and using new approaches to problem solving;
- Organizations or projects which take affirmative steps to assure that their workplaces, programs, and services are accessible to people with disabilities; and
- Collaborations and coalitions that emphasize joint strategies and projects.
Most grantees fall into one of our seven Key Issue Areas:
- Disability Rights
- Economic Justice
- Environmental Justice
- LGBTQ Rights (lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer/questioning)
- Peace/Human Rights
- Racial Justice
- Women, Youth, and Families Issues
Other grantees fall under the very broad category of social justice (arts, prisoner/ex-offender rights, voter mobilization, media justice, etc.).
The Black Political Empowerment Project (B-PEP) is a community formed through collaboration, bringing together agency, organization, and religious leaders, as well as individuals.
The Tides Foundation, founded in 1976, grew out of a need for the facilitation of philanthropic giving. Tides works to promote a change towards a society founded on a few basic principles: social justice, shared economic opportunity, a healthy democratic process, and sustainable environmental practices. 
