Pittsburgh Comedy Festival is a unique event for a lot of reasons. There’s the intimacy of the performance space, the breadth of styles we showcase, and of course the celebration of local talent. There’s also the fact that, unlike many comedy venues and shows you find in town, PCF is a nonprofit event. What’s that mean? First, think about for-profit comedy shows. If you’re putting together a show for profit, the focus tends to be on big-name, mainstream performers — acts guaranteed to get people in the door and keep your business out of the red. That’s not a bad thing, but it tends to leave smaller or more experimental artists out of the loop.
PCF was built by a few passionate Pittsburghers looking to share their favorite pastime with the community. Our love of unexpected acts, and our mission to elevate the art form of comedy made the choice to go nonprofit an easy one. By relying on grants, sponsorships, and donations from our friends and fans, we can take chances on up-and-comers, local talent, and other amazing artists that we think deserve the community’s attention. And any money we do make goes right back in to making subsequent events the best they can be.
But running a nonprofit comedy festival is a big project! Apart from the time and efforts of our volunteer staff, putting on a great weekend of shows requires paying performers, printing signage, renting equipment, and many more costs large and small. Only about 40% of our funds come from ticket sales. The rest is generously donated by members of our community — people like you who are passionate about comedy, Pittsburgh, and encouraging the arts. With your help, we’re able to put together a festival that’s an absolute blast for our performers and audiences alike.
Support the art of comedy in Pittsburgh by making a donation! Even the littlest bit goes a long way. Want to get more involved? Contact us about volunteer, sponsorship, and other opportunities. We’d love to hear from you!