PULSE founder, John Stahl-Wert, in the early 1990s recognized that Pittsburgh was losing its young people at a rapid rate. This loss of young people contributed to a need for educated, skilled workers in the city’s nonprofit sector. At the same time, Stahl-Wert observed that recent college graduates across the nation were struggling to find creative, meaningful employment, particularly in the arts.
In response to these needs, PULSE was formed in 1994. Since its inception, over 250 PULSE participants have contributed some 400,000 hours of service to more than 125 Pittsburgh nonprofit organizations.
PULSE’s unique model which focuses on participants, nonprofit partners, and city neighborhoods has created lasting change in the lives of thousands of individuals and organizations.