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The stories behind the grants
Readers To Dreamers®: Working for Equity and Representation in Literature
87.7% of authors in the USA are white in 2022, US Bureau of Labor Statistics. “I am looking for a legacy in making an impact and truly changing our community, our world. I really want this work to have a much deeper impact than I can even envision right now,” Corinne...
Maria Weston Kuhn: Driving Toward a Safer Future for All
In the car with her family that cold winter morning in 2019, Maria Weston Kuhn had no idea how her world would change – or how she would change the world. That day a distracted driver crashed into her family’s car head on, and Maria and her mother suffered severe...
Poseidon Army: Youth Working for Marine Conservation in Sri Lanka
Sri Lanka was 5th place worldwide in dumping plastic into the ocean in 2010, according to Plastic Waste Inputs from Land into the Ocean from AAAS. “My hope in the world is to have a younger generation for conservation and environment consciousness to create a better...
Corpus Christi VegFest: Promoting the Health Benefits of Eating Vegan
Every 33 seconds a person dies from cardiovascular disease in the USA, CDC. “Bringing people together, working side by side, and spreading what we know - that's how our impact grows”, Sonny Rodriguez, Corpus Christi VegFest.Physical health is a treasure that we often...
Rhythms of Change: Music as a Tool of Empowerment and Social Justice
8.8 million youth 15 to 24 years are not studying nor employed or under any type of training, Uganda’s Youthful Population Quick Facts by United Nations Population Fund. “I want to inspire and impact youth in a positive way, using what I know how to do,” Emmanuel...
Restoring Nature to Save the Pollinators
By 2017, 347 native bee species from the USA and Hawaii were at extinction risk, Pollinators in Peril, a report by the Center for Biological Diversity. “If our kids can learn about taking care of the environment now, then there is some hope”, Jane Collister, Founder...
Young Female Leaders Bond to Eradicate Immigrant Stereotypes
The United States of America had 18% of the world's international migrants population in 2020, International Migration 2020 Highlights by UN. “My hope is that there will be less hate in the world, that we will treat one another better, that there will be more...
Embracing Peace From Within in Sierra Leone
56.8% of the population in Sierra Leone lived in poverty in 2018, Sierra Leone Integrated Household Survey (SLIHS) Report 2018. “Peace is not something you have outside but it's what you have to have inside to be able to change things in the world, even if it's very...
Planting Trees for Justice in Brazil
Temperature is projected to rise by 1°C to 2.2°C in Brazil by the 2060´s, according to the Climate Risk Profile: Brazil (2021): The World Bank Group. “Everytime we collect something from nature we have to give back to nature because it is a relationship of mutual...
Spotlight on GAAP coordinator: Mohini Sharma
At The Pollination Project (TPP), there is a remarkable group of individuals who embody the spirit of service and are committed to making a positive difference in the world. These dedicated changemakers are made up of grantees, volunteers, advisors, and others who...
Gee’s Home: Quality of Life for Stray Dogs
Around 6.3 million companion animals end up in shelters every year in the US, The American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals. “The love that animals have to offer is one of the most beautiful and heartwarming things I have ever experienced,” Megan...
Documentary Inspires Action on Climate Crisis
Climate change has caused the sea ice in the Arctic to shrink 40% since 1979, NOAA. “My greatest hope is that this documentary will inspire meaningful community action towards climate change so this can make local changes that will have a global impact”, Tehya...
The Boy Who Carries a Fire: Libraries for Literacy in South Africa
In 2021, 10.5% of people 20 years and older were illiterate in South Africa, Department of Higher Education and Training of the Republic of South Africa. “I believe libraries can change the world. Learning to read without access to books is like learning to play...
Rebuilding Horizons in Peru: Human Settlement’s Community Hub
1 out of every 4 people lived in poverty in Peru in 2022, according to the National Institute of Statistics and Information Technologies of Peru. “I am very moved by the idea of shared dreams. In the beginning someone else's dream may not come across as yours but,...
The Healing Outlet: Working Against Gun Violence in DC
Homicides have continuously increased in DC from 2017 to 2021, National Institute for Criminal Justice Reform. “Storytelling is a mode of healing. It is to express what you have been through, make meaning of it and then reframe it so that you can contribute to...
The Healing Power of Nature
“Nature creates a balance and helps all different ecosystems thrive.” Falon Tabares, Founder of The Healthy EarthFalon Tabares is the mother of two amazing children and the Founder of The Healthy Earth Organization, a charitable nonprofit organization created to...
Spotlight On Grantee: Isabelle Tancioni
Isabelle is a vegan vet on a mission to educate the next generation of veterinarians on biases in veterinary medicine and the need for vets to protect, care, and advocate for all animals. Through her work, Isabelle aims to create a more compassionate and ethical...
Valhalla Organics: Resilience & Regrowth After Disaster
Ruby Reid was an environmentalist from an early age, but she never expected to become a double climate refugee. “I’ve been concerned about climate change since I was a tiny kid. I had the book 50 Things Kids Can Do to Save the World and I did all of them.” As an...
A Smile From Above: The Little Library That Will Fight Book Banning in the USA
874 book titles were banned from schools in the United States in the first half of the 2022-2023 school year, PEN America. “Keep fighting forward but do it with integrity, in a way that your children will be proud of you,” Nicole Smith.Human life is finite and, after...
Setting Souls Free: DeafCan Mentorship for Deaf-Autistic Adults
It is estimated that around 2,500 million people will have a certain degree of hearing loss by 2050, World Health Organization. “We do have a future as long as we still have people committed to being a friend to those in need”, Zaineb Al-Abdulla, founder of Deaf...
A Way to The Heart: The Community Plant Based Lunch Program
1 in 200 Australians don’t have a safe or affordable place to sleep, Australian Human Rights Commission. “My hope for the future is for people to care more about connecting to each other, as well as our planet and all the species that inhabit it. When profit is not...
A Small Part in the Extraordinary
Where We BeginIf I’ve learned anything from being an advocate for a better world, it’s that the story is rarely about you. It’s about them. Those who are impacted by and benefit from the actions of others. There are people doing incredible work. Everyone has their...
Knitting a Better Future for Girls in Uganda
“Starting something is an achievement. Taking the first step is already being on the way to something better,” Ruth Abwalo. In Uganda, 1 in 4 women aged 15 to 49 experienced violence by a former intimate partner in 2018, UN Women.Knitting is a silent promise for the...
Building Bridges of Hope: Bello’s Robotic Club
“Bridges can be built to help people have a better quality of life,” Carolina Hernández, Bello's Robotic Club.Between 1820 and 2002, technological growth and change has caused global inequity to increase from 28% to 85%, UNCTAD Technology and Innovation Report 2021....
Spotlight On Grantee: Lourdes Jimenez Mora
This year Lourdes celebrates 33 years working to protect animals! Lourdes has been a grantee since 2018 when she received a seed grant to support the International Congress of Animal Rights in Veracruz, Mexico. Lourdes holds this yearly conference to bring together...
LightEd: Bringing Light Where It’s Most Needed
775 million people don't have access to energy worldwide. “The little things we do for people go a long way,” Stanley Anigbogu, CEO LightEd.Life is a collection of moments, both common and extraordinary, that shape the course of our personal story. But it's in the...