Matt is a co-founder of The Sprout Fund and currently serves as its Deputy Director. Sprout is a non-profit organization that supports innovative ideas and grassroots community projects catalyzing change in Pittsburgh. Since 2001, Sprout’s approach has worked successfully across political and geographic boundaries to make community-decided investments totaling more than $4 million in more than 500 early-stage projects, organizations, innovators, and activities.
Matt provides oversight for Sprout’s principal program areas, actively participates in fundraising, program development, and planning, and maintains primary responsibility for overseeing the finances and business operations of the organization. Matt has been involved in the creation and implementation of all of Sprout’s major programs, and through this work developed a keen interest in decisionmaking processes and fostering civic innovation through grantmaking. Matt is also Vice President of the corporation.
Originally from the state of Indiana, Matt received undergraduate degrees in political science and biology from The George Washington University in Washington, D.C., and a graduate degree in public policy analysis from The H. John Heinz III School of Public Policy and Management at Carnegie Mellon University. During his school years, Matt interned for his home state Senator, Richard G. Lugar, on Capitol Hill, with the Department of Veterans Affairs, for former Speaker of the House Newt Gingrich at the American Enterprise Institute, in management consulting with Deloitte, and in the Office of Allegheny County Chief Executive Jim Roddey.
In addition to his work with Sprout, Matt has served on several local and national advisory and planning boards and is an adjunct faculty member of his alma mater, Carnegie Mellon University’s Heinz College. A former YMCA Youth Governor of Indiana, Matt is a former advisor to Schenley High School and the Pittsburgh delegation to the Pennsylvania YMCA Youth and Government program. A Pittsburgher since moving to the region for graduate school in 2000, Matt lives the Squirrel Hill neighborhood of Pittsburgh’s East End.
