Our Blog
The stories behind the grants
Art-making as Therapeutic Practice for Refugees
In the summer of 2019, a small group of volunteers began to notice an important need within the refugee community in Athens, Greece. Women and LGBTQIA+ migrants and asylum seekers needed a safe space where they could engage in creative expression. In such a space, art...
Reflections from The Greenhouse
Over the last six weeks, nearly 50 grassroots volunteer leaders gathered each Tuesday and Thursday morning over Zoom. They were part of our very first cohort of “Greenhouse,” The Pollination Project’s new community and capacity-building effort. Representing 17...
“I Matter”: Uplifting the Voices of Youth Around the World
Isabella Hanson received her first Pollination Project grant for her work which focused on empowering girls when she was only nine-years-old. Then in 2020, at the age of 14, Isabella once again looked to empower and amplify the voices of youth, only this time it was...
One Woman’s Expressive Quilts Inspire Us All to Create a Better World
Allyson Allen is not only an exceptional quiltmaker, she’s an artist and storyteller who is using her gifts to create works that inspire reflection and, most recently, stand up to censorship. In 2019, Allyson was thrilled when she won the Laguna Beach Arts Alliance...
Tumbleweed Sanctuary: An Illustration of Love and Respect for All
Imagine driving along a four lane road when you suddenly come upon a dog standing in the middle of one of the lanes. Would you stop and help? When Andrea Johnson found herself in that exact situation, it wasn’t even a question as instantaneous thought gave way to...
News From the Resilience & Recovery Fund
This month, The Pollination Project’s Resilience & Recovery fund will turn two years old. It was born in the early days of the pandemic, conceived out of an understanding of the importance of community-led, grassroots responses to unforeseen emergencies. We...
One Man Recycles Trash to Create Healthy Food and Feed a Town
The Mushroom Guy. That is the name the community has given to him. It might have something to do with the jacket he wears as it has a giant mushroom on the back but more than likely, it has to do with the fact that Jake Garza has done something extraordinary - he’s...
Inspiring Young People to Apply Design Thinking to Social Issues
As a young girl, AnnaLise Hoopes felt overwhelmed by all the problems in the world and continually asked herself, “What can I do with my one life to make the most impact?” The answer would arrive in college, when she learned of humane education—using education as a...
Journeying Together
Dear Friends, I want to thank you for the warm messages I have received from so many of you during this, my first full week as Executive Director of The Pollination Project. It goes without saying that I am deeply humbled and honored to have the immense privilege of...
Raising the Voices of Indigenous People in an Effort to Save Our Planet
When Abdel Mandili, a filmmaker from the Netherlands, returned home after working on a project that documented the threats that Indigenous people were facing in a battle over palm oil in Indonesia, he hoped things would change. However, in speaking with community...
One Inspiring Program Empowering Women Entrepreneurs
When two, talented women with a love of technology and entrepreneurship came together to create a program that would inspire young Nigerian women to further their education and develop entrepreneurial skills, they had no idea how many lives they would positively...
Transitions
It was nearly ten years ago when I found myself at a crossroads. After years of monastic life - the only world I had known as an adult - I felt a pull in my heart that it was time to move on. I didn’t know what the future held, but I knew that I had grown as much as I...
Dancing with the Natural World
Imagine dancing upon a beautiful, wooden dance deck that lives among a lush landscape of gardens and trails on a warm summer afternoon. The sun kisses your skin as you move across the floor and through the space exploring the connection between your body and the...
Doing Nothing Is Easy
To see something takes little effort. And when we see something, doing nothing is easy. Part of the problem we have in today's times is that we have lost view of the inherent agency each and everyone of us have to be agents of change. It’s become far too easy to do...
Hope Floats on the Wings of a Butterfly
Perhaps it was witnessing her mother’s commitment to environmental politics and the work she did for Los Angeles Mayor Tom Bradley’s Solar Committee in the 1970’s that inspired her. Or it might have been her own personal experience of saving a chrysalis - the hard...
One Woman’s Inspiring Journey to Provide Access to Education for Children in Nigeria
The Beyond the Classroom Foundation, an incredible volunteer-driven nonprofit working to improve access to education for children and reproductive health education for girls in marginalized communities in Nigeria, was founded by Raquel Kasham Daniel. When varying time...
The Heartivist Legacy of Thich Nhat Hanh
Last week, the prolific author and thinker Thich Nhat Hanh died; although in penning that sentence I recognize he would take offense to the very idea. He did not believe in death, once writing: This body is not me. I am not limited by this body.I am life without...
Virtual Animal Advocates Retreat
May what I’m about to do yield favorable results. May it give me the capacity to benefit others. May it help me overcome ignorance and limitation. May it clear away all obstacles on the path. May it lead me to the union of wisdom and compassion. OM AH HUM SO’HA So...
Compassion in Action: Saving One Wildlife Animal at a Time
Gretchen Strate had always loved animals but witnessing a terrifying incident inspired a far deeper connection to them, one that would change her life forever. On her way to a wedding reception, Gretchen watched as a car in front of her intentionally ran over a flock...
Meet Me in the Greenhouse
Much of our world is oriented around accumulation of financial capital. Even in the non-profit sector, where our service flows from altruistic intentions, the continuous need for fundraising pulls our work back squarely into the exhausting, unceasing capitalist...
TogetherWell: Listening & Empowering the Community to Increase Access to Mental Health Education
Dr. Michele Haley has a beautiful and distinctive ability to make people feel seen. The way she leans in to listen with her heart and extends genuine kindness with her thoughtful words opens the door to meaningful connections that foster healing and growth. Combine...
An Invitation to Dream Big Opens the Door to Lasting Change
When the Napalese Lounge and Grille in Green Bay, Wisconsin decided to install a public art mural to foster pride and acceptance of LGBTQ+ people and host a modest celebration in its honor, they had hoped it would encourage cooperation and collaboration among...
New Year’s Evolution
I must admit, I am not a big fan of New Year’s resolutions. I appreciate setting positive intentions, continual improvement, and self-reflective efforts to be a better human. However, I find the idea of rigid timelines and lofty goals counterproductive and in some...
2021: Projects & Changemakers
Dear Pollination Nation, As we approach the end of 2021, we’re taking a moment to pause as we look back on the work of the everyday heroes that we’ve had the honor to serve this year. Hundreds of inspiring individuals around the globe took action in making their ideas...
A Compassionate Dialogue to Change the World for Generations to Come
While working on her Masters degree in 2019, Greshma Pious Raju had an amazing opportunity to do an internship with Earth Charter International, an organization located in the middle of a forest in Costa Rica. One afternoon, Mirian Vilela, the Executive Director,...
Diane Callaway: Life is Delicious
Faith in the Unknown Inspires One Woman to Make Life More Delicious for All Faith is what it takes to follow your heart into unknown spaces hoping that you will find your way; Diane Callaway’s life is a beautiful illustration of what happens when you take that leap....