Grants

A national network of chapters that amplify youth voices through writing. The largest youth writing network in the country, it serves over 100,000 students annually in its centers and online. In addition to free writing programs, it publishes the narratives and perspectives of young writers and creates a space for volunteers and stakeholders to listen to and learn from local students. The 826 Digital platform provides free access to timely and topical writing curricula alongside real samples of student writing.

A technology nonprofit that works to connect incarcerated people with support networks, decrease recidivism rates, and reduce prison populations. Its ecosystem of products helps families, corrections officials, and service providers empower successful reentry from day one.

A national media arts organization that strives to make essential documentaries accessible as a catalyst for public discourse. AmDoc goes “beyond the broadcast” by partnering with television and radio stations, community groups and local, and national organizations to spark conversation about the issues presented in point-of-view films.

The world's oldest and largest library association comprised of 57,000 libraries and library professionals. It provides programmatic and financial support, as well as education, publications, and professional development to member libraries. With this support, libraries provide their communities an inclusive space to connect and build empathy, breaking down institutional and cultural barriers.

A wildlife conservation organization based in Kenya. Through collaborating closely with local communities, partner NGOs, national parks, and government agencies, it apprehends wildlife criminals, helps compensate herders for predator attacks, teaches humane methods to protect crops, and conducts conservation workshops. To help eliminate lion hunting from the Maasai culture, it partnered with the local Maasai to create the first-ever Maasai Olympics: the hunt for medals, not lions.

A public media organization elevating African American and global Black experiences. It is committed to supporting diverse voices through training, education, and investment in visionary content makers and sharing stories to address the needs of unserved and underserved audiences.

A national nonprofit uniquely delivering choice and ownership of books to children from low-income families. Working with Title 1 schools, it provides a book allowance to students so they can select their own books from Scholastic Reading Club each month, building an extensive home library each year. It provides equity, dignity, and responsibility for all children.

A Sacramento-based public radio service that aims to provide a trusted and indispensable source of information, music, and entertainment while strengthening the civic and cultural life of the communities it serves. Its reporting inspires people to look at the world from multiple perspectives and capitalizes on emerging opportunities to serve audiences and engage communities.

A public media organization dedicated to presenting stories that convey the richness and diversity of Asian American experiences to the broadest audience possible. It funds, produces, distributes, and exhibits Asian narratives in film, television, and digital media. With a specific focus on exposing audiences to new voices and communities, it advances the collective understanding of the American experience by offering programs to engage Asian Americans and the public at large.

A women of color, artist-led organization, inspiring artists and culture makers to imagine a world where power is distributed equitably and where people live in harmony with nature. It supports artists through fellowships, training and opportunities for activation; creates stories and content to address social issues; and engages groups in cultural strategy for social change.

A chimpanzee sanctuary in Louisiana. It provides a home to over 300 chimpanzees, most from government biomedical research centers. In addition to promoting best care practices as a permanent sanctuary, it offers educational outreach programs and works to inspire action for the species on a global scale.

An arts non-profit whose mission is to foster New York City's – and America’s – living cultural heritage through education and public programs. It documents, presents, and advocates for grassroot cultures to ensure their living legacy in stories and histories, places and traditions. Its programs focus on four cultural domains: urban folklore and history; preservation; arts education; and grassroots poetry traditions.

A donor collaborative housed at Rockefeller Philanthropy Advisors that is working to build a world where every women, no matter her zip code or income level, has the knowledge, resources, and power to shape her own life. The founding donors share a deep commitment to advancing reproductive health and women’s rights and recognize these as inextricably linked to the broader advancement of women and girls.

A national culture change organization using the power of story to transcend politics and shift conversations about immigrants, identity, and citizenship in a changing America. It works to humanize the conversation on immigration through television consulting, original content development and production, media advocacy, and live events.

A reported, narrative podcast about a new generation of working mothers. The goal of the podcast is not just high quality journalism, but to use storytelling to fundamentally transform how society sees mothers and how mothers see themselves in order to achieve greater parity for women in all aspects of society.

A nonprofit journalism outlet producing content about, and often by, Americans who are experiencing the fallout from economic inequity. By challenging and deepening the quality of the narrative on key economic issues, it seeks to support a growing movement to transform the way society views the poor and improve understanding of and compassion for those living in poverty.

A non-profit committed to ending mass incarceration and excessive punishment in the United States, to challenging racial and economic injustice, and to protecting basic human rights for the most vulnerable people in American society. Its initiatives include The Legacy Museum, which uses first person accounts to help visitors explore the history of racial inequality and its relationship to a range of contemporary issues from mass incarceration to police violence. Additionally, the National Memorial for Peace and Justice is the nation’s first memorial dedicated to the legacy of enslaved Black people, people terrorized by lynching, African Americans humiliated by racial segregation and Jim Crow, and people of color burdened with contemporary presumptions of guilt and police violence.

An education nonprofit that uses lessons of history to nurture empathy, critical thinking, and civic agency in generations of young people, inspiring them to be upstanders and leverage their civic power for the common good.

An animal welfare organization that runs educational, public engagement, research, and advocacy initiatives. It focuses on the plight of farmed animals, the impact of industrialized animal agriculture on the environment, public health and social equity. It works to forge a new food system rooted in empathy and justice for animals, people, and the planet.

An independent film and media organization in Minnesota. Committed to the craft of visual storytelling, it empowers artists at all stages of their careers. It supports a diverse community through networking, education, funding, and opportunities for showcasing work for a larger audience.

<p>A Rapid City-based organization that honors and supports the Collective Spirit of First Peoples artists and culture bearers. Its "Dances with Words" program is a youth spoken word initiative on the Pine Ridge Indian Reservation. It connects youth to Native American oral traditions and amplifies young voices in the community through facilitating and mentoring the creation of literature, poetry, spoken word, and music. It is among the organizations that make up the Youth Speaks Brave New Voices Network.</p>

A children's nonprofit media company that models an enthusiasm for learning and earns the trust of parents and caregivers. Since 2012, it has developed content that supports children’s social-emotional learning while giving all children the chance to see themselves represented on screen.

<p>A social impact gaming nonprofit. Harnessing the narrative power of games to inspire action and connect with audiences beyond traditional media, it facilitates the creation and distribution of digital games to further humanitarian and educational efforts; convenes a community of practice; and empowers game creators to drive real-world impact.</p>

A scientific research center based at UC Berkeley. It sponsors groundbreaking scientific research on social and emotional well-being, and helps the public apply this research to their personal and professional lives. In addition to its studies on the psychology, sociology, and neuroscience of well-being, its website, programs, and podcasts provide research-based tools and training to foster a thriving, resilient, and compassionate society.

A national humane education nonprofit. HEART offers direct services to schools and nonprofits to engage youth on how they think about their responsibility to the natural world. Its approach nurtures youth’s natural love and fascination with animals to develop compassion toward not only animals, but also people and the environment.

An education nonprofit putting LGBTQ+ history in the classroom through a groundbreaking digital curriculum. By integrating these histories into the mainstream curriculum, it aims to ensure all students are able to learn and understand a more complete story of our nation and develop a more genuine understanding and empathy for all humans who have shaped America.

A New York City theater company that amplifies unheard voices and engages communities with creative workshops, original performances, and post-show discussions. The company is grounded in the belief that one’s life reflected onstage affirms the dignity and humanity of all citizens, thereby enriching communities by allowing people to better understand themselves and others.

An animal protection organization in Silicon Valley. This trusted, best-in-class nonprofit shelter offers quality services that treat and rehabilitate animals and shares its best practices across the country with other organizations. It also works toward finding homes for shelter animals, keeping pets in homes, preventing overpopulation, and educating the community about animal welfare to enhance the human-animal bond.

A museum built around the founding principle: Remember the Past, Transform the Future. It is dedicated to preserving the legacy of the Holocaust by honoring the memories of those who were lost and by teaching universal lessons that combat hatred, prejudice, and indifference. Through the exhibition, preservation and interpretation of its collections and through education programs and initiatives, it fosters the promotion of human rights and the elimination of genocide.

A nonprofit that promotes free access to public art and whose mission is to rally large groups of people together to create impossible works that, through awe, free humanity's better nature. In 2021, it partnered with sculptor and activist Dana King on Monumental Reckoning, a 350-piece art installation that tells the story of the 350 African ancestors who were abducted and forcibly taken to the United States as the country’s first enslaved people. The installation surrounds the site of the toppled statue of Francis Scott Key, who was both a slave owner and the author of The Star Spangled Banner.

A nonprofit that funds and mentors professional, disabled screenwriters with the goal to close the disability representation gap in film and TV. Its goal is to create a world where people with disabilities are valued both on and off screen.

An academic institute that executes education and research programs to elevate the relationships between people, other species, and the environment to improve the health and welfare of all. It is dedicated to understanding, confronting, and dismantling historic and ongoing marginalization and oppression in human-animal-environment interactions.

An educational and cultural institution based in Jonesborough, TN. It advocates for the value of storytelling nationwide by providing the knowledge, experience, and tools to help individuals, organizations, and communities tap into the power of their own voices. In conjunction with Harvard Graduate School of Education, it is developing research on the value of storytelling in building communities, furthering education, and resolving conflict.

An incubator and presenter of independent films. It partners with filmmakers to bring untold stories to public television and communities around the world. It encourages independent artists to take creative risks and tell complex, character-driven stories that uplift underrepresented voices in order to kindle empathy, combat negative stereotyping, and promote understanding and positive social change.

A Northern California public media organization. Its television, radio, digital media, and educational services convene community dialogue and take people of all ages on journeys of exploration — exposing them to new people, places and ideas. Its podcast "The Leap" shares stories of people who start out in one place in life and end up somewhere else — or as someone else — entirely.

A public media organization providing a voice to the diverse Latino community throughout the United States. Through development, production, acquisition, and distribution of non-commercial educational and cultural media that is representative of Latino people, LPB addresses issues of particular interest to Latino Americans.

<p>A nonprofit organization focused on bridging divides through conversation. It develops and disperses materials to create conversational bridges across issues that divide and separate us. By providing self-guided conversation toolkits, it helps participants build relationships, generate understanding , and enable collaborative problem-solving.</p>

A documentary photography organization in New York City. Grounded in the premise that stories transform how we see the world, it supports a global network of social justice and human rights focused photographers, fostering diverse visual storytelling projects as a means to raise awareness, awaken empathy, mobilize action, and strengthen society.

An academic institute that executes education and research programs to elevate the relationships between people, other species, and the environment to improve the health and welfare of all. It is dedicated to understanding, confronting, and dismantling historic and ongoing marginalization and oppression in human-animal-environment interactions.

A nonprofit news organization that covers conservation and environmental issues to fill the gap in mainstream media coverage. The new Mongabay Kids platform was created as an online environmental education platform to connect kids, families, and educators with nature and conservation.

An ocean wildlife conservation nonprofit. It provides free education programs for more than 80,000 students and educators each year, working to inspire conservation of the ocean. In addition to giving voice to urgent ocean issues and vulnerable ocean species, it also conducts scientific research and runs conservation and education programs involving threatened species, including sea otters, tuna, and sharks.

A senior canine compassionate care organization in the Bay Area. It works to improve the lives of dogs ages 7 and older who are at a high risk for euthanasia at shelters. It rescues, cares for, and connects senior dogs with loving families for the remainder of their lives or provides hospice care for the dogs' final days.

An education nonprofit that harnesses the power of stories to build capacity for compassion—especially among and for the under-served, underprivileged, and communities in conflict—using story-based arts to help participants unlock their human potential and create positive, action-based change in the world around them.

A museum, set in Memphis Tennessee, that shares the culture and lessons from the American Civil Rights Movement. It examines today’s global civil and human rights issues, and provokes thoughtful debate and serves as a catalyst for positive social change. It is located at the former Lorraine Motel, where civil rights leader Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. was assassinated on April 4, 1968. Through interactive exhibits, historic collections, dynamic speakers, and special events, it offers visitors a chance to walk through history and learn more about a tumultuous and inspiring period of change.

A funder and field builder collaborative supporting the expanding community of practitioners, storytellers, researchers, and innovators working to foster a culture of pluralism in America.

<p>A public media organization that promotes a deeper understanding of and appreciation for Pacific Islander themes, culture, and contemporary issues. Through support of productions, training and education, broadcast services, and community outreach, PIC works to bring the stories of Pacific Islanders to a national audience.</p>

An American public broadcasting organization and media content distributor comprised of hundreds of member stations and a monthly reach of over 100 million people through television and digital platforms. It provides public access to educational experiences; to hear diverse viewpoints; and to take front row seats to world-class drama and performances. Its educational media helps prepare children for success in school and opens up the world to them in an age-appropriate way.

A nationwide champion of writers and freedom of expression. Recognizing the written word as a tool of great power and great change, it brings together novelists, journalists, essayists, poets, translators, and more to create a network of advocates to inspire change in America and the world. It encourages discourse, diversity, and the spread of ideas with a focus on ensuring that everyone has the freedom to create, express, share, and access literature.

A companion animal organization in the Bay Area. It provides educational programs, pet assisted therapy, low-cost and free spay/neuter programs, cruelty investigation, animal adoptions, lost and found, low-cost microchipping and vaccinations, dog obedience training, animal behavior consultations, wildlife care and rehabilitation, foster care, underage kitten care, and pet loss support.

A no-kill animal organization in the Bay Area. It rescues dogs and cats from public kill shelters and finds them new homes. In an effort to reduce and ultimately end pet homelessness, it provides free spay and neuter services to the pets of any California resident. It provides mobile surgical and veterinary care to communities with high rates of chronic animal homelessness and abandonment.

A companion animal crisis response organization. It works with law enforcement, local agencies, and animal organizations to shelter and care for animals displaced by natural disasters and human cruelty; provides financial assistance and emotional support to owners struggling with economic hardship; and offers educational programming to children to develop empathy and critical thinking skills by exploring the human-animal bond.

A direct care animal organization serving rural and low-income communities across the US and abroad. It sets up temporary field clinics for the care of companion animals and provides community education for continued care. It helps thousands of vulnerable animals a year, offering basic healthcare, surgical care, and urgent care treatment. Its volunteers are veterinary and veterinary technician students, who are given the opportunity to engage in hands on clinic experience.

<p>A companion animal protection organization in San Francisco. The 4th oldest humane society in the nation and the founder of the No-Kill movement, its role at the forefront of animal welfare is evidenced by the fact that San Francisco has the lowest euthanasia rate of any major city in the nation. It analyzes statewide trends in companion animal welfare (live release, euthanasia, and intake) and uses that data to choose shelters to support with trainings and collaborations.</p>

A research and conservation organization in Kenya, it works to secure a future for elephants in a rapidly changing world. To battle the current surge in ivory poaching, it identifies the most effective methods and partners to stop poaching, thwart traffickers, and end demand for ivory. As leaders in elephant science, it provides cutting-edge scientific insights into elephant behavior, intelligence, and long-distance migration, and applies them to the long-term challenges of elephant conservation.

A mutual human-animal compassion program in the Bay Area. It supports and nurtures the human-animal bond by providing individuals who have terminal, life-threatening, or disabling illnesses with comprehensive companion animal support services. Its programs include free and subsidized veterinary care, dog walking, in-home cat care, grooming, foster care when clients need hospitalization, and the rehousing of animals when clients pass away.

A snow leopard conservation and research nonprofit in Central Asia. Its community-based conservation programs work to empower people who live in the cat's habitat to help protect their local wildlife and ecosystems. Its research team creates tools and technology to better monitor and study the snow leopard while its networks facilitate the exchange of scientifically sound information to further preservation efforts. It promotes the stories of both the snow leopards and the communities protecting them, to deepen the understanding and importance of these conservation efforts.

A research and outreach organization focused on empathy, prosocial behavior, and social connection. In particular, it studies how empathy and human connection benefit individuals and communities and barriers, such as polarization, that get in the way of human connection. It also develops research-based tools for overcoming those barriers.

A national storytelling organization. It preserves and shares humanity’s stories in order to build connections and create a more just and compassionate world. It provides people across the country the opportunity to record interviews about their lives, pass wisdom from one generation to the next, and leave a legacy for future generations in its archive at the Library of Congress. Through "One Small Step," it asks people with different political viewpoints to record interviews with each other to help people get to know each other as human beings and remember our common humanity.

An institute dedicated to the discovery and development of independent artists and audiences from the United States and around the world. It connects film, television, new media, and theater artists with audiences to present original voices, inspire new ideas, and create community around independent storytelling. Through mentorship, outreach, community-building, and research to investigate barriers and opportunities for diverse artists, it aims to reach the widest possible array of projects for support across its programs.

An historical museum based in New York City. It preserves and interprets the history of immigration through the personal experiences of generations who settled in and built lives on Manhattan's Lower East Side, America's iconic immigrant neighborhood. The Museum forges emotional connections between visitors and immigrants past and present; and enhances appreciation for the profound role immigration has played and continues to play in shaping America's evolving national identity.

An initiative that aims to provide 650 women across Georgia an average of $850 monthly for two years. This project emerged from the recommendations of a community-driven task force that examined the root caused of economic insecurity and wealth and found that Black women face some of the harshest economic insecurity and financial instability, with significant ripple effects on families and communities.

A global community conservation organization that advances the vision and work of Dr. Jane Goodall. It leads a movement of conservation for the common good—one that builds on our connections to each other, our fellow species, and the natural world we all share. Across its programs and reach, JGI works to inspire individual action to protect the world, humans and animals alike.

A nonprofit committed to the national reckoning around race by finding creative ways to honor the voiceless, the minimized, and the ignored. Its three phase effort involves erecting the Mothers of Gynecology monument, opening a Travel Center, and finally a Creative Changemakers Museum. These projects will highlight the power of art, music, and conversation to change narratives and heal wounds of indifference.

A nonprofit devoted to the art and craft of storytelling. Built on the principle that sharing personal experiences prompts us to see each other's storied complexity, it inspires a worldwide community of courageous storytellers and connects them to compassionate listeners. It uncovers and elevates stories that are often overlooked, reinforcing our shared humanity.

A nonprofit news and media organization with a mission to lift up unheard, ignored, and misunderstood voices of military service. Through investigative journalism, first-person narratives, and writers workshops, it shares the stories of veterans and military family members with a personal context and awareness about U.S. military actions and their impact on our common humanity.

A coalition of national arts grantmakers that created an emergency initiative offering financial and informational resources to U.S. artists during the COVID-19 crisis.

A wildlife and wilderness conservation organization in East Africa. The Sheldrick Trust works alongside Kenya’s local people to share narratives of the relationships between Kenyans and wildlife in order to drive connections to a larger community and those around the world.

<p>A national immigrant youth-led community fighting for justice and dignity at the local, state, and federal level. It empowers young people to make their voices heard and win, helping them show politicians and the country that their #HomeisHere.</p>

<p>Although the Supreme Court blocked the current administration's attack on the DACA program, there is still no permanent solution for Dreamers. They are our neighbors, teachers, students, friends, lawyers, caregivers, and doctors and should feel safe and welcome in the U.S. -- in their home. Now is the time for Congress to step up and not only protect 700,000+ DACA recipients and their families but provide a pathway to citizenship for all undocumented immigrants.</p>

<p>A New York City organization that approaches dance from a woman-centered perspective and as members of the African Diaspora community. Working to create a more equitable balance of power and representation in the dance world, they use their peformances as the message and the medium to bring together diverse audiences across the country through choreography and collaboration.</p>

A public media organization devoted to empowering and engaging Native People to tell stories. It creates programming, preserves tribal media archives, produces classroom tools, and supports contemporary and historic stories. It works to counteract a history of cultural appropriation and negative portrayals to the outside world. It celebrates Native culture, heritage, wisdom, sacred stories, and the storyteller while promoting diversity in cultures, peoples, and programming across the country.

A nonprofit that advances human rights by amplifying the voices of people impacted by and fighting against injustice. Through an oral book series and educational programming, VOW emphasizes the importance of listening to and learning from the firsthand experiences of marginalized communities. Its stories build empathy that fosters critical inquiry into and understanding of seldom-heard stories.

A grassroots organization that produces and promotes literature that reflects and honors the lives of all young people. It works to put more books featuring diverse characters into the hands of all children through partnerships, including Title I schools and Scholastic. It also helps to support the pipeline for more diverse authors and illustrators by providing awards, grants, and internship programs.

A global dolphin and whale conservation organization. WDC aims to amaze people with the wonder of whales and dolphins and inspire global action to protect them. Using research, advocacy, and education, the organization emphasizes the importance of conserving and protecting the ocean and its inhabitants.

A global media-based poaching awareness program. It reduces the underlying demand for poached animals and animal products through public education and outreach. Its main programs focus on elephants, rhinos, sharks, tigers, mantas, and pangolins -- animals most at-risk for poaching. It also has initiatives targeting the issues surrounding climate change and marine protection.

A global animal protection organization. It provides independent wildlife conservationists with the tools, technical assistance, critical funding, and development support that they need to succeed. Its partners are among the world’s leading independent wildlife conservationists. It supports collaborations with fellow field-based NGOs, community conservancies, governments, and other stakeholders to enact bold systems changes to save endangered wildlife around the world.

A sanctuary for injured, orphaned, or abused wild animals in Half Moon Bay, CA. It provides lifetime care, including quality nutrition, health care, and behavioral enrichment, for over 50 non-releasable wild animals. It also works to inspire curiosity, empathy, and awe in future stewards of the earth through extensive school engagement programs about wild animals.

A worldwide conservation organization. WWF shares the belief that elevating stories from communities grounded in their interconnectedness with wildlife and the environment has the power to inspire humans to care deeply for all life on Earth and, as a result, protect it. The organization's expansive global network ensures the amplification of these stories will transcend borders.

A San Francisco-based youth storytelling and empowerment organization. It creates spaces, both in person and virtually, that challenge youth to find and present their voices through arts education and youth development practices, civic engagement strategies, and artistic presentations. It produces local and national poetry slams, festivals, and readings, alongside a slate of arts-in-education programs.