Published on Monday November 18th, 2013
By Andrea M. Meek

 

The Social Innovation Summit will be held on Tuesday, November 19 and Wednesday, November 20 at the Stanford Graduate School of Business in Stanford, California. Sponsored by lead partners JP Morgan Chase and Co, Landmark Ventures and the Stanford Graduate School of Business Center for Social Innovation, the event is described as a place where "Those who are playing at the nexus of technology, investment, philanthropy, international development, and business come together to investigate solutions and catalyze inspired partnerships that are disrupting history."

Conference attendees include invited professionals and leaders in the non-profit, corporate and business sectors. The agenda is comprised of a series of panel discussions and debates on leadership, unlocking potential, profit and purpose, catalyzing change, and the connected world. Scheduled speakers include Michael White, Chairman, President and CEO of DIRECTV; Dalila Wilson-Scott, president of the JPMorgan Chase Foundation, Jacquelline Fuller, director of Google Giving; Olympic gold medalist ...


Published on Thursday November 7th, 2013
By Andrea M. Meek

 

This year's #GivingTuesday, a day dedicated to giving and charitable acts, will take place on December 3. Founded last year by the 92nd Street Y and the United Nations Foundation, the day is meant to counter the commercialism of Black Friday and Cyber Monday, the biggest shopping days of the holiday season.

The mission of the movement is to "celebrate and encourage charitable activities that support non-profit organizations."

According to a press release, the inaugural 2012 #GivingTuesday increased online giving nationwide that day by 53 percent. This year #GivingTuesday is set to expand internationally with campaigns in countries around the world, including Singapore, Israel, Latin America, Australia, and more.

While anyone can participate in #GivingTuesday through volunteering or donating to a cause, to be an official partner you must be a registered non-profit with a specific initiative, or a for-profit business, school, religious or community group committed to a ...


Published on Saturday October 19th, 2013
By Andrea M. Meek

 

The Grantwell has compiled a list of several recent and ongoing funding opportunities focusing on children and youth. You may be interested in the following grant opportunities:

The Golden Belt Community Foundation is accepting applications for its Youth Engagement Grant Program. The Golden Belt Community Foundation, a philanthropic organization established by and for the residents of Barton, Pawnee, Rush, and Stafford counties in Kansas, will partner with area youth organizations by offering competitive grants for the health and well-being of the younger community. Establishing these partnerships will empower youth with the ability, authority, and agency to make and implement decisions for their generation.
Deadline: Nov 1

The Prudential Spirit of Community Awards program honors middle and high school students in the United States for outstanding volunteer service. Students in grades 5-12 are eligible to apply for the 2013 awards if they have volunteered in the past year. Awards are granted ...


Published on Tuesday October 8th, 2013
By Andrea M. Meek

 

Is today’s digitally hyped-up world churning out more civically-minded and engaged youth than ever before?

An article published last week in the Guardian seems to think so, arguing that despite worries that children brought up in a technology-driven society will grow up to be shallow and unfeeling adults, online networking has many benefits, including inspiring younger generations to become more socially aware.

"Indeed, social scientists who study young people have found that their digital use can be inventive and even beneficial. This is true not just in terms of their social lives, but their education too. So if you use a ton of social media, do you become unable, or unwilling, to engage in face-to-face contact? The evidence suggests not. Research by Amanda Lenhart of the Pew Research Centre, a US thinktank, found that the most avid texters are also the kids most likely to spend time with friends ...


Published on Saturday September 21st, 2013
By Andrea M. Meek

 

The fourth annual Social Good Summit begins on Sunday, September 22 at the 92nd Street Y in New York City.

This year's event will feature panels on new ideas in technology, the future of news, energy and sustainability, and social- and health-related challenges for the global community. More than 100 speakers will take the stage, including NASA astronaut Ron Garan, Melinda Gates, Ambassador Samantha Power, HRH Crown Princess Mette-Marit of Norway, UN Secretary-General’s Envoy on Youth Ahmad Alhendawi, journalist Sarah Kramer, actors and activists Ian Somerhalder and Charlize Theron, director and producer J.J. Abrams, World Bank president Jim Yong Kim, and Mashable CEO and Founder Pete Cashmore. 

New components for Social Good Summit 2013, according to a press release from the UN Foundation, include "the inaugural class of 'Keynote Listeners;' who will be listening to the summit in person and online and will report their findings and ...


Published on Thursday September 5th, 2013
By Andrea M. Meek

 

Perhaps you’ve been too busy taking a shot of that perfectly seared filet to notice, but since the advent of smartphones and social media, diners just can’t seem to resist the itch to take photographs of their food. The custom has become so prevalent that some restaurants have even banned the practice. But while many may find the habit annoying, or even a symptom of mental illness, one non-profit has decided to take advantage of the growing trend and turn it into a fundraising opportunity.

The Lunchbox Fund, an organization dedicated to providing daily meals to at-risk schoolchildren in South Africa, has joined forces with Chef Mario Batali to create a new app called Feedie that enables shutterbugs to raise money for hungry children by sharing food photos.

It's simple­­­­­­—check in at a participating restaurant, snap a photo of your meal to share on social networks ...


Published on Wednesday August 14th, 2013
By Andrea M. Meek

 

Sevenly, a for-profit, philanthropic company, was founded on the belief that "people matter." Both a product line and an activation platform, Sevenly partners with a new non-profit each week to sell exclusive, limited-edition items such as t-shirts and jewelry on its website for seven days. For every product that is purchased, $7 is given to the cause of the week, more than 25% of the company's total revenue for all products combined, according to their website.

Begun in 2011 by entrepreneurs Dale Partridge and Aaron Chavez, the crowd-funding platform inspires people to generosity and increases the awareness of a variety of causes.

In an interview with Forbes earlier this year, Dale Partridge explained the meaning behind all those sevens. “The name Sevenly was chosen as a distinct play off the word 'heavenly'; which we interpret as 'a world without need,'" he said. "This concept combined with the numeral 7 ...


Published on Monday July 22nd, 2013
By Andrea M. Meek

 

The Grantwell has compiled a list of several recent and ongoing funding opportunities focusing on community development and improvement.

If you are an individual or organization working to improve your local community, you may be interested in the following grant opportunities:

The Stanislaus Community Foundation is accepting applications to its Catalyst Fund Grant Program. Catalyst grants ranging from $5,000 to $10,000 will be awarded to non-profit organizations serving Stanislaus County in California. The grants will provide seed funding for projects in alignment with the foundation's five program areas of arts and culture, youth, health and human services, the environment and neighborhoods and communities.
Deadline: August 2

The Indian Land Tenure Foundation (ILTF) is accepting letters of inquiry for its Native Land Recovery Efforts grants. The foundation "provides funding to Indian nations to support various aspects of land recovery with a focus on reacquiring alienated federal lands." Grants ...


Published on Sunday July 14th, 2013
By Andrea M. Meek

 

This year's Social Good Summit will be held in New York at the 92nd Street Y from September 22-24.

The 2013 event will address how our actions as a global community today will impact the future. With this look ahead, the hashtag to follow for Social Good Summit 2013 is #2030NOW.

During a Google+ hangout hosted on July 1 to discuss the upcoming conference, Jennifer Diamond, Mashable’s events marketing manager, encouraged participants to use the #2030NOW hashtag across multiple platforms "to talk about how we're using digital solutions now to think about the future and the long-term leading up to 2030."

Asha Curran, 92Y’s director of innovation, said that, as always, everyone could expect "really thoughtful, high impact, sometimes irreverent, sometimes funny programming on our stage." She added that this year's conversation will include a look at the Supreme Court's landmark decision on marriage ...


Published on Sunday July 7th, 2013
By Andrea M. Meek

 

This week we've gathered information on several funding opportunities for projects focusing on social change, science and arts education, and the educational needs of underserved youth.

If you are an individual or organization working in the field of education, you may be interested in the following grant opportunities: 

Wal-Mart Foundation's State Giving Program
The Wal-Mart Foundation State Giving Program awards grants to nonprofit 501(c)(3) organizations that serve a particular state or region within four areas of focus, including education for underserved youth.
DeadlineAugust 9

Pollination Project’s School Social Change Projects Grants
The Pollination Project, along with the Institute for Humane Education, will award twenty $1,000 seed grants to support social change projects from educators that promote environmental stewardship, social justice, human rights, or animal protection.
Deadline: September 22

Lower Manhattan Cultural Council's Creative Curricula K-12 Arts Education Program
The Lower Manhattan Cultural ...