The founder of a North Side-based nonprofit that supports Pittsburgh’s LGBTQ community is among 10 recipients nationwide — out of thousands of applicants — to receive a $175,000 grant from the New York City-based J.M. Kaplan Fund.

And when Dena Stanley, leader of TransYOUniting, received the news that she had won, she couldn’t believe it.

“I was very emotional and very excited,” said Ms. Stanley, a Black and transgender woman who grew up in Beltzhoover. “This is something major for not only me, but for Pittsburgh and for my community.”

Ms. Stanley, 41, who started TransYOUniting in 2015 after seeing a need for support in her community, is now only the second Pennsylvanian to win the “Innovation Prize” from the Kaplan Fund. The philanthropic organization, which is focused on the environm

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