DISASTER APPEAL: Hurricane Recovery 2018
This year marks Foundation Beyond Belief’s 10th Anniversary. We celebrate the extraordinary work being done by Humanist Grants beneficiary organizations; the remarkable opportunity for both teaching and learning in Ghana with the Humanist Service Corps; assisting communities around the world in Disaster Recovery through grants and direct service; and fostering a unique, growing community of secular service organizations through the Beyond Belief Network.
Your gift today supports FBB in 2020, and as we plan for our next decade of groundbreaking humanist service.
If you give now, your gift could be matched twice. This astounding decennial gesture comes courtesy of a longtime FBB supporter who has resolved to match all gifts (under $1,000) given by first-time Annual Appeal donors. Not only that, he’ll request a match from his employer to double your gift again. The match continues until we reach our first $5,000.
Foundation Beyond Belief (FBB) is now collecting funds to support recovery efforts for the Rohingya refugees affected by the monsoon flooding in Bangladesh. Since April, landslides have killed at least 10 people in the camps and destroyed thousands of makeshift homes. The monsoon season has only just begun and more deaths and destruction is expected.
ActionAid: USA, our Kerala Monsoon Flooding Appeal beneficiary last year, has already been working to support Rohingya refugees. Since the monsoon emergency started, ActionAid has been coordinating with the Disaster Management Unit, a volunteer group of Rohingya volunteers managed by ActionAid, to assess the situation as it unfolds and provide assistance including rapid emergency support, messages about safety and security, medical support, and providing necessary items such as sandbags, bamboo, rope and wires. 50% of the ActionAid response team is local women including volunteers, officers, and staff.
As always, FBB’s goal is to maximize donated dollars to be as effective as possible, and potential grantees undergo a thorough vetting process to ensure they are secular, efficient, and fiscally sound. Grants typically support long-term recovery efforts rather than immediate relief in the hours and days following the disaster.
As this disaster continues and more information is received, FBB may choose additional avenues for supporting those affected.
The Humanist Disaster Recovery program is sustained through a partnership between Foundation Beyond Belief and the American Humanist Association (AHA). We thank AHA for their generous support of our efforts.
The crisis facing immigrants in the United States has reached a fever pitch, and Foundation Beyond Belief (FBB) is urging humanists to help. For the foreseeable future, we are collecting funds to support The Florence Immigrant and Refugee Rights Project (“the Florence Project”), which provides free legal and social services to adults and children in immigration custody in Arizona facing deportation.
As this crisis continues and events develop, FBB may choose additional avenues for supporting those affected.
Foundation Beyond Belief relies on the generosity of our donors. Your gift to The General Fund supports the Foundation's operations and programs, and we deeply appreciate your generosity.
Considering a monthly contribution? Your monthly gift of $50 or more grants you membership in Foundation 50, a group of donors representing some of FBB’s strongest supporters.
Monthly support from Foundation 50 members makes it possible for FBB to focus on sustainable growth as an organization. No source of revenue is more vital to our continued success.
Foundation 50 members and other major donors also receive special quarterly updates from Executive Director Noelle George, and are eligible for sneak peeks and other benefits as they arise. For more information, please contact Development Director Emma Renfrew.
FBB's Humanist Grants program collectively demonstrates humanist generosity and compassion in the nonprofit and philanthropic world. Monthly and one-time gifts to the program are combined and distributed to thoroughly researched grant beneficiaries, as described below.
Each quarter FBB selects four secular charitable organizations as grant beneficiaries, one in each of the following categories:
We carefully select beneficiary organizations for impact and efficiency, and they must pass our rigorous vetting process.
The default allocation is set so that a portion of each monthly contribution (20%) is allocated to Foundation Beyond Belief as an unrestricted gift. This supports the expenses of all FBB’s programs, including the expenses related to Humanist Grants. Should you wish to change this or any other allocation of your monthly gift, you will be able to do so in the coming months as additional functionality is added to our donation system.
Learn more about Humanist Grants.
The Humanist Service Corps program (HSC) is paving the way for international service based on humanist values. Volunteers and FBB staff form a team that works with grassroots organizations to solve problems in an effective and culturally responsible way. After successfully working for several years to reintegrate exiled women accused of witchcraft in the Northern Region of Ghana, we are now entering the next phase of the program.
In the current program year HSC volunteers are working in the Cape Coast area of Ghana with refugees from Ivory Coast and students with disabilities. HSC is also continuing to support a livelihood project with women in the camp for alleged women in Kukuo in the Northern Region.
Humanist Disaster Recovery (HDR) serves as a focal point for the humanist response to major disasters and humanitarian crises all over the world. HDR's mission is to bring resources to those in need and to raise awareness of that need in the humanist community and beyond.
We provide both financial support to secular organizations working locally, and groups of trained volunteers to work in recovering communities. To best use donated dollars in a cost-efficient manner, volunteer deployments are typically held in disaster-struck communities in the contiguous United States.
The Humanist Experience podcast follows the cross-country voyage of Evan and Seráh—activists, journalists, and Humanists—as they are placed in a variety of situations where they report on cultural ugliness, strange beauty, and their own personal fears. Evan and Seráh dive compassionately, curiously, and bravely into communities and lifestyles across America—and into themselves.
Their commitment to social change motivates them to look for ways to effectively connect people to contemporary issues and persuade them to become changemakers. The podcast uses experiential learning and storytelling to provide insight and inspiration for engaging positively in the world around us.
Listen to The Humanist Experience Podcast.
If you would like to donate by mail, please make checks payable to Foundation Beyond Belief and send to us at:
Foundation Beyond Belief P.O. Box 531 Barker, TX 77413
Donations to Foundation Beyond Belief help to support both program and non-program expenses at FBB, including our small but dedicated staff, technology expenses, and other important costs that help us fulfill our mission. We also welcome gifts for a particular program or beneficiary; simply enclose a note telling us the designation of your donation, and please include your email address or phone number in case we need to contact you regarding your gift.
Unlabeled checks will go to the Foundation itself, with our special thanks, so we can continue our work.
Thank you!
You can leave a gift to Foundation Beyond Belief in your will or revocable trust, or name the Foundation as the beneficiary of life insurance or a retirement account. Your gift will be used to continue building a strong, compassionate humanist presence in the world of philanthropy.
You still have the use of your assets as long as you need them, and you can change your mind at any time. You can even make your gift contingent, meaning you can provide for other loved ones if they are still living, but if they are not, you will create a lasting humanist legacy.
It's easy to do. You or your financial advisor can simply name Foundation Beyond Belief in the relevant documents as follows:
For a will or trust:
I hereby give and devise (the sum of $__or__% of my residuary estate) to Foundation Beyond Belief, a Georgia nonprofit corporation, for its general charitable purposes. (EIN 26-4822541)
For life insurance or retirement assets:
Contingent gift:
Contact name (if required):
Noelle George, Executive Director
Mailing address (if required):
Foundation Beyond Belief 211 Baker Rd #531 Barker TX 77413
Other questions? Please let us know. Your thoughtful generosity is deeply appreciated.
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