Location
Davis, California, USA
Grantee
Julielani Chang
Project
Kai’s Kindness Library
Julielani Chang
Julielani Chang is the founder of The Life of Kai: Compassion Connections Inc., a volunteer-run nonprofit based in Davis, California, that uses storytelling to teach children empathy, compassion, and kindness toward animals. Drawing on a background in humane education and animal behavior, she built the organization around the life of a rescued community cat, whose experiences became the starting point for a growing collection of humane education stories. With no prior experience in video production, Chang set out to test whether AI-supported narration could make humane education more engaging for children growing up in a technology-centered world. The workflow she developed with TPP support continues to power new story production, and Life of Kai has since secured additional funding from the Swingle Foundation to expand its programming.
What the seed grant made possible
30
narrated humane education videos produced, double the original goal of 15
40
people directly impacted, including collaborators, authors, partners, and volunteers
15
animals directly impacted through the storytelling work
250
volunteer hours contributed to building the library
The project
- The grant covered a Synthesia subscription and a student internship, which together built a sustainable workflow for producing narrated videos with Canva, Synthesia, and YouTube.
- Kai’s Kindness Library now offers free stories on kindness, empathy, adoption, and coexistence with animals to children, families, and educators worldwide.
- The project opened new partnerships with RedRover, Ohlone Humane Society, Lakes Animal Friendship Society, and Kitty Kotor, which is exploring a Montenegrin translation of selected stories.
- The library earned local coverage in the Davis Enterprise’s Pet Tales column, and Ohlone Humane Society now shares selected videos through its own channels.
Julielani Chang and The Life of Kai are helping bring humane education to children through short, narrated stories told from the perspective of a real community cat. With TPP support, the organization built a production workflow that turned a plan for 15 stories into a free library of 30 videos, directly impacting 40 people and 15 animals with 250 volunteer hours. The templates and systems developed during the grant continue to support new stories, while partnerships with animal welfare organizations and a planned Montenegrin translation are extending the library’s reach to new audiences.