July marked a significant month for The Pollination Project team. Five TPP team members gathered in person along with dozens of grantees and hundreds of animal advocates from around the world at the Animal and Vegan Advocacy Summit in Los Angeles.
Meeting with our grantees
During the summit, seventeen grantees from The Pollination Project had the opportunity to share their impactful work with attendees. Their talks were inspiring, sharing important ways we can use AI and technology to increase our impact, working across movements, encouraging the veterinary field to embrace activism, and the power of media. We are so proud to see their impact for animals and how they are giving back to the movement since first receiving a small grant from TPP.
In the picture above: Emmanuel Marquez, Josue Cabrera, Marta Ovstrovska, Lourdes Jimenez (GAAP Mexico coordinator), Deva Holub (TPP’s grants manager), Ari Nessel (TPP’s founder) Alexis Fox (TPP’s executive director), Tamara Human, Will Lowrey, Diego Naropa Furlan, Jamie Alexandre, Beatriz Cossermelli (GAAP Brazil coordinator), Tessa Graham (GAAP director), Birju Pandya (TPP board member), Marcela Borges, Laura Matanah.
Learn more about these superstar grantees and their work: Crystal Heath – Our Honor, Tamara Human – Every Animal, Oksana Khomiak and Marta Ovstrovska – Lviv Kitchen, Sofia Balderson and Constance Li – Impactful Animal Advocacy, Ignacia Uribe – Vegetarianos Hoy, Seb Alex, John Oberg, Dr. Faraz Harsini, Unny Nambudiripad, Taylison Santos – Forum Animal, Jo-Anne McArthur, Innocent Nabaasa Kashobera – Vegan Society Uganda, David van Beveren – Vegan Hacktivists
We were honored to hear Tamara Human with Every Animal and Vegan Kitchen and the women behind Lviv Kitchen, Oksana Khomiak and Marta Ovstrovska, talk about their work serving thousands of vegan meals to Ukrainian soldiers and refugees during the war in Ukraine. They held a discussion on animal advocacy during war time and spoke during the movement celebrations ceremony where they received standing ovations. Their dedication, courage, and care for their community and country, and their unwavering commitment to their values was felt by everyone at the summit. We are proud to have been a small part of supporting the incredible work these activists have done and continue to do everyday.
We held a meetup and got to share breakfast and conversation with TPP grantees from around the world. We learned more about their work and their current needs during insightful and exciting conversations about growth, with a focus on the support needed by both TPP and the broader movement.
Embracing Grantee Insights
We left AVA feeling grateful for the opportunity to unite in a shared space which brought together large international organizations with grassroots activists along with donors and other stakeholders. TPP’s Global Animal Advocacy Program coordinator who traveled from Mexico to attend AVA noted how reassuring and strengthening it was to hear from fellow animal advocates outside of Mexico that the work she’s been doing and advocating for in her home state as a grassroots leader is happening elsewhere and within big groups too. We all returned home eager to put into action the ideas from grantees about how TPP and the movement as a whole can better serve grassroots animal activists, and uplifted in continuing to serve as connectors, supporters, and grassroots leaders in this growing and important movement.
