Introducing the fourth-quarter beneficiaries

We made great strides in the third quarter with an amazing set of organizations, supporting Ugandan education, animal rights, the rights of prisoners, nutrition, and selfless service. Soon we'll be announcing the final grant totals for our third-quarter beneficiaries. Today, we announce our featured charities for the fourth quarter of 2012.

The Natural World | DC Greenworks

DC Greenworks is a multifaceted, Washington D.C.-based project aimed at using gardening techniques and technologies to protect and improve the city environment. The green roofs and rain tanks installed by DC Greenworks have an incredible impact on the city's water system, which struggles with excess runoff picking up debris and other waste material and depositing them in the local waterways. Green roofs and rain barrels catch, use, and conserve water, using it to grow local, organic food and provide city-based havens for local wildlife.

The program now installs about 1,000 green roofs per year, with more than 100,000 square feet of garden installed since 2009. DC Greenworks is an organization with an incredible track record and an innovative, exciting vision.

Education | Prison University Project

Prison University Project provides free, on-site education to the inmates of San Quentin State Prison, California. After the 1994 Violent Crime Control and Law Enforcement Act resulted in the withdrawal of funding from more than 300 prison education programs nationwide, representatives of UC Davis and Patten College initiated a small-scale program of only two classes at San Quentin, which has since grown into a full-scale program with more than 100 volunteers and more than 300 currently enrolled students.

Prison University Project hopes to prepare prisoners for post-release employment and help them lead meaningful, productive lives, both in prison and in their communities. To date, more than 100 men have completed associate of arts degrees within the program, with even more students having continued their studies on the "outside" after parole.

Human Rights | MADRE

MADRE is an international women's human rights organization that works toward a world in which all people enjoy the fullest range of individual and collective human rights; in which resources are shared equitably and sustainably; in which women participate effectively in all aspects of society; and in which people have a meaningful say in decisions that affect their lives. Since 1983 MADRE has used human rights to advance social justice and partners with women in communities worldwide to meet urgent, local needs and create long-term solutions to the problems that women face.

Poverty & Health | GlobeMed

GlobeMed is a network of university students who, through grassroots organizing and partnerships with local and international organizations, are fighting to improve the health of those living in poverty.

GlobeMed operates on a belief that health is a right, and that students provide a source of energy, fresh ideas, and creativity. A student-funded organization, GlobeMed trains new activists in social justice and health equity. Leaders come together each year in Evanston, Illinois, for the annual summit and to share stories and work to improve the reach of their activism. GlobeMed also supports Global Health education curriculum through an annual summit and directly impacts international partners by sending students on GROW internships to complete a needed project in their community.

Challenge the Gap | Friends for a Non-Violent World

Friends for a Non-Violent World (FNVW) is a nonprofit organization founded by Quakers and devoted to inspiring and fostering peace through social action globally, in local communities, and in individuals. Their mission is fourfold: Through education, FNVW seeks to raise awareness about issues and campaigns that threaten, or support, nonviolence. Further, through movement building, FNVW amplifies the voice of any particular nonviolent actor and fosters a community based in nonviolence. Training individuals to live nonviolently seeds local communities with motivated activists to inspire change on a grander scale. Finally, through grassroots mobilization, they organize direct action in support of peace.

Challenge the Gap beneficiaries are selected with the same rigor as their peer beneficiaries—they can be religiously affiliated, but must remain non-proselytizing. This marks the first time a group with a Quaker-inspired history has been featured in CTG.

All of this quarter's organizations are exemplars of necessary, focused giving in the interest of building a better world. We're looking forward to sharing their journeys with you over the next few months and bringing the entire Foundation Beyond Belief community along as we explore each charity.