PITTSBURGH--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Nine Pennsylvania and West Virginia communities recently received grants through FHLBank Pittsburgh’s Blueprint Communities® initiative, which helps local leaders create sustainable and thriving neighborhoods. The grants, which total more than $220,000, will be used to enhance area leadership, management and oversight capabilities to support each community’s five-year strategy for comprehensive community revitalization.

“These grants are essential to helping Blueprint Communities build capacity within their local organizations to achieve their long-term community vision,” said John Bendel, FHLBank’s Senior Director of Community Investment. This year marks the first time that capacity-building grants have been awarded to Blueprint Community teams.

Six of the Blueprint Communities receiving grants are in Pennsylvania: Allegheny-Clarion River Valley Blueprint Community, Clarion Blueprint Community Inc., Curwensville Regional Development Corp., Juniata River Blueprint Community, New Castle Blueprint Community and Reynoldsville Blueprint Community.The other three communities are located in West Virginia: Bluefield Blueprint Community, Princeton Renaissance Project and Richwood Blueprint Community.

The Pennsylvania and West Virginia Blueprint Communities initiative and related grants are funded by FHLBank Pittsburgh and administered through the Pennsylvania Downtown Center to help revitalize local communities. Developed and implemented by FHLBank Pittsburgh in 2005, the Blueprint Communities initiative creates momentum for revitalizing older communities and neighborhoods by building strong local leadership, collaboration and development capacity; developing sound local and regional planning skills; and encouraging coordinated investments in targeted communities by public and private funders.

About FHLBank Pittsburgh

As an intermediary between global capital markets and local lenders, FHLBank Pittsburgh provides readily available liquidity, as well as affordable housing and community development opportunities, to member financial institutions of all sizes in Delaware, Pennsylvania and West Virginia. The Bank is part of the Federal Home Loan Bank System, which was established by Congress in 1932 and serves as a reliable source of funds for housing, jobs and growth in all economic cycles. To learn more, visit www.fhlb-pgh.com.