Our Blog
The stories behind the grants
Vanessa Raditz, Produce Safety After Urban Wildfire, San Francisco, CA, USA
When we first applied, there was zero funding whatsoever, and the nascent partnership wasn't providing any funding, so the TPP grant was critical for some of the very first baby-steps. I really appreciate the TPP goal of providing to grassroots orgs that can't access...
Teodora Stoyanova, Kashalot – Living Reads, Varna, Bulgaria
The TPP grant gave us the boost (not only financial but creative as well) to start the project. Having TPP believe in us gave us confidence and reassurance that we are on the right path and our idea is not just a good idea, but has the potential to become a...
Emmanuel Kpon Saye, Support Rehabilitation Project, Nimba, Liberia
The TPP seed grant was the first grant we received....Therefore, TPP has become the...foundation of our community work...The grant has built a well cemented link between the disabled community in Nimba, Liberia and our organization. The work we accomplished has...
Kindness…In All Shapes and Sizes
I believe in Kindness. Not just in acting kindly, but that kindness can save our world. Unfortunately, it seems to me we’ve become so busy and sometimes too greedy to take the time to help others. I say this is unfortunate because being kind makes us feel good and its...
Walteria Caldwell, Diversitá Opera Arts Company, Dallas, TX, USA
I would like to thank The Pollination Project for creating such a wonderful funding organization that helps small companies like ours thrive in the community. Without your help...hundreds of people that we served over the year's time would not have received the...
Ajay Dahiya, Executive Director
Ajay was born in Surrey, England, to a working-class immigrant family. Growing up in a diverse and disparate environment he enjoyed a childhood which immersed him in a variety of cultures. From early on in his life, Ajay felt a great need for inner transformation....
Mimi Aboubaker, TUSA, Minneapolis, USA
The TPP seed grant was instrumental in getting TUSA off the ground – it provided the organization with the capital needed to complete the initial steps of launching a venture and got us to a place where we could successfully seek outside capital. Without the TPP...
Michelle Carrera, Chili On Wheels, Brooklyn, NY, USA
The Pollination Project is amazing, and the people that work and volunteer there are as well. I didn't even apply for this particular grant, it was granted to me on behalf of folks who work there who were inspired by my work. You have no idea how much that means to...
Delphine Azo Cha Leke, Coping With Disabilities, Cameroon
One reason why persons living with disabilities have often remained voiceless is because they shy away from the public and do not interact. Bringing them to workshops where they get experts to educate them on the need to express themselves has gone a long way in...
Xiomara Arriaran, Youth Health Action Project, Santa Rosa, CA, USA
This grant gave YHAA the assurance and confidence it needed to successfully initiate our budding club...TPP has a multitude of opportunities and they are so invested in helping you reach your dreams.
Joy Tony, Imafon Bamboo Nursery Farm Project, Akure, Nigeria
I am glad to be a part of the Pollination Project family. For me it is more than just being a grantee. I see as a place of great inspiration. I follow up on some of the stories of other grantees across the globe on the Facebook group. I am so inspired by the great...
Signs, Inspiration, and Responsibility: My Path Toward Youth Advocacy
Recently, I found myself watching a video by a veteran named Richard Pimentel. His speech on being a leader resonated with me. He said “responsibility is a word made up of two words, the word ‘response’ and the word ‘ability’.” Responsibility isn’t what someone puts...
Juliana Castaneda Turner, Juliana’s Animal Sanctuary, Bogota, Colombia
The grant enabled us to do 24 free vegan cooking workshops in 2017 at the sanctuary and introduce a vegan diet to 288 visitors. Many of them brought along friends who tasted vegan food for the first time and everyone had a positive experience meeting all the rescued...
Wonnie Derondo, Kiddiepreneur, Volta Region, Ghana
The social challenges across the world are huge, but funding is extremely hard to come by. Even when funds are available, the criteria are simply not friendly to a newbie organization. With this said, however, there is a trusted friend in the Pollination Project,...
Jada Imani, Tatu Vision, San Francisco, CA, USA
Tatu Vision has expanded tremendously since receiving the Pollination Project grant. Our team of volunteers has more than tripled and we've continued to expand our community events with a stronger team. It gives me greater confidence in the foundation of Tatu to have...
Nicola Gothard, Kitten Rescue Tales Humane Education Book Drop in Spain, Granada, Spain
Thank you for believing in our project . . . The funding provided by the pollination project has given us another achievement to our name which will hopefully encourage future grants from other sources for more humane education projects.
Jingo Joseph Nkumbi, CARDI, Uganda
The work funded by TPP has helped to build our confidence better and to improve training services to the community. This grant has instilled hope and confidence in me and my team now that our work is recognized and appreciated by the world of development partners and...
Lisa Gross, West York Borough Community Garden, York, PA, USA
We are so grateful for our grant from TPP. It has helped us with ongoing fundraising, and to have so much support when we really didn't know what we were doing when first applying for grants really helped us to take our next steps . . . [it] allowed us to build our...
Danielle De La Fuente, The Amal Alliance Inc, Athens, Greece
The TPP seed grant was instrumental in allowing us to kickstart our pilot program, and allowed us to lay the foundation for a model that can easily be replicated in various countries. While we had raised money through crowdfunding, fundraisers, and donations, we were...
Dr.Iur. Bulambo Katambu Ambroise, Traditional Arts Program, Sud Kivu, Congo
We realized our dream: The beneficiaries learned to produce artistic products...the survivors needed art therapy and they got it. They recovered their human dignity.
How Kindness Can Influence Connections & Collaborations
Chris McGilvery, TPP Global Kindness Lead & Founder of Give More Hugs talks about how kindness is a viable strategy for organizational outcomes. Read over your peer grantees comments, questions, and presenters answers here.
Ngwalem Berlin Ngwentah, Addressing Adolescent Sexual And Reproductive Health Needs Through Edutainment, Cameroon
The grant broadened the scope of my work in the community and enhanced my project management skills...It gave me the opportunity to realize our work of mixing education and entertainment by providing the tools needed to achieve my goals.
Brighton Kalinga, Women And Girls Awareness On Their Land Rights, Tanzania
The work funded by TPP grant has allowed me to serve the communities through the trained paralegals who are permanently stationed within the communities. More community members receive legal aid/advice in time as a result of the project.
Second Annual Meditation Retreat for Farm Animal Advocates
During a highly stressful week while LA apartment shopping and managing a full schedule, I called to notify the retreat staff I would no longer be able to participate in their most generous offer. “I am so sorry but I just don’t have the luxury of taking time off” I...
Kieshaun White, The K.W. Cleaner Skies Experiment, Fresno, CA, USA
Yes, because of this grant i was able to get materials i couldn't afford and show people the need in our city to take pollution seriously. Just being able to say that i received the grant has gotten me national attention and I submitted my findings to the American...
Transitioning From Your Project
An interview with Charles Orgbon, III on his successful transition out of the project he started. Read over your peer grantees comments, questions, and presenters answers here.
Solange Impanoyimana, Her Voice Matters, Kigali, Rwanda
We would like to thank The Pollination Project for their generous support. Without this grant, we could not have implemented our pilot project successfully. Providing teacher training was the first step in ensuring our program is effective and sustainable, and our...
How Can Engaging Youth Bring Them Purpose?
What a fun morning on a beautiful sunny day in San Diego County visiting with Craig Williams, a teacher at Sunset High School, a continuation school designed to give extensive help to students in need of flexibility and individualized attention. Craig received a grant...
Erin Stone, NursingWise, Lewistone, ME, USA
I am forever grateful for your belief in my ideas. I know that with my NP and your initial grant my non-profit will be a huge success and I will make a difference in hundreds of individuals in their end of life care. Thank you!
Patterns of Successful Projects
Facilitator, Nicole Huguenin asks a panel of TPP Staff about patterns they see that make a project successful. Read over peer grantees comments, questions, and presenters answers here.


















