Building Wellness and Inclusion Together: A Conversation with Gateway Engineers
Marissa and two members of the Gateway Fund team stand and talk in Open Up’s studio.
At Open Up, we’re always inspired by the partners who help make our work possible — organizations that believe, as we do, that wellness, creativity, and connection should be accessible to everyone. This year, we’re proud to welcome Gateway Engineers as a first-time supporter through The Gateway Fund. Their generous donation directly supports our mission to teach mindfulness tools through movement and art practices that center people living with disabilities.
We recently spoke with the team at Gateway Engineers about what inspired their support, how our missions align, and the role corporate giving plays in building stronger, more inclusive communities. Here’s what they shared.
What inspired Gateway Engineers to support Open Up with this generous donation, and what about our mission aligns with your company’s values?
Open Up Mission: Open Up’s mission is to teach mindfulness tools through movement and art practices that center people living with disabilities. Our programs are open to all who identify as having a disability and those who do not. They are for everyone.
“Open Up’s mission directly aligns with the Gateway Fund’s priority of Human Health and wellness — specifically what we call Act Well — or supporting movement for everyone. We believe movement is an important part of people’s lives, and the access Open Up Pittsburgh provides to the community, especially persons with disabilities, spoke to us when we were reviewing this application.”
As first-time funders, what stood out about Open Up’s work or impact that encouraged your team to get involved?
“What stood out to us about Open Up was their powerful commitment to making wellness accessible to everyone. Their mission to teach mindfulness through movement and art — especially centering people living with disabilities — directly aligns with our Act Well priority at The Gateway Fund. We believe movement is essential to overall health, and Open Up’s inclusive approach really spoke to us. Their work creates meaningful opportunities for people to connect with their well-being in ways that are both creative and impactful, and we’re proud to support that mission.”
Gateway Engineers is known for shaping infrastructure — how do you see your investment in Open Up contributing to building stronger, more inclusive communities?
“Building strong communities isn’t just about infrastructure — it’s about people. Supporting organizations like Open Up helps afford those in our community have a voice in shaping the places where we live and work. When more perspectives are included and more opportunities to share space are created, our communities become stronger and more connected.”
What does corporate social responsibility mean to Gateway Engineers, and how do partnerships like this one with Open Up help bring that to life?
“We want to utilize the profits we have to give back to the community leaders that are on the ground performing this work. We believe that by providing corporations with the funds to do the work, they can exponentially increase the value of each dollar.”
Looking ahead, how does Gateway Engineers hope to continue engaging with organizations like Open Up that center equity, wellness, and access?
“The Gateway Fund is currently accepting applications for the 2026 grant season, and will continue to fund organizations that have STEM education and technical workforce development, human health and wellness, and environmental stewardship at the core of their mission and the projects they are attempting to execute. We look forward to continuing to provide these funds in the years to come, and explore ways we can share volunteering opportunities to our employees.”
