FBB Enables Q1 Beneficiaries to reach further with larger grants

Akili Dada has been our Human Rights beneficiary this quarter. “…In Swahili, “akili dada” translates to “intelligent sister,” and that is the goal of Akili Dada – to build an intelligent sisterhood of talented young women and future leaders in Kenya….Program participants learn from other women and each other through mentorship and work to build new skills. Women and girls are also encouraged to develop as leaders and ultimately, some participants are able to gain financial support through scholarships or fellowships…. (Ali, 2015)”  Women and students have access to multiyear and generational opportunities including mentoring, schooling, scholarship and leadership positions. This quarter, Akili Dada will receive a $10,520 grant from Foundation Beyond Belief.

Since developing a program that is based on the best practice ideas in education literacy, ConTextos, our Education beneficiary, has systematically moved from pilot program study and expanded quickly to schools across the country. During their expansion, they also collected the important data to show the success of their process. For most Americans, the teacher reading a story was a part of every day in their education. In contrast, in El Salvador, the education system didn’t include picture books. The teachers themselves weren’t always comfortable with how to hold the book, read out loud, and create a discussion around the material. ConTextos is changing the face of elementary education in El Salvador by training teachers to use different literacy materials and at the same time supporting the schools to create a dynamic, school specific library containing reading material for teachers, students, and families. ConTextos will receive an $11,760 grant from Foundation Beyond Belief for being our Education Beneficiary.

Science is the crucial basis of the critical thinking needed to create and run an organization like our Natural World beneficiary, Ocean Conservancy. Their $11,570 grant from Foundation Beyond Belief will further their operations and programs. The ocean, a vitally important part of our ecosystem, is larger than anything on land, needs to be in a constant system of balance Ocean Conservancy's evidence-based and science structured programming allows it to expand its detailed portfolio of programs.

Our Challenge the Gap beneficiaries are often doing dynamic work. This quarter's recipient, Interfaith Youth Core,  was also our first Challenge the Gap beneficiary. Foundation Beyond Belief is proud to give a $11,295 grant to an encore beneficiary working to develop interfaith leaders and progress interfaith understanding on college campuses.

Each beneficiary this quarter represents the wide reaching and different types of organizations that Foundation Beyond Belief can reach with our combined donations. Our Poverty and Health beneficiary, Possible, has successfully started the task of not only providing health care in rural Nepal, but creating a health infrastructure there. If that goal was not ambitious enough, they also evaluate their progress and provide extreme transparency with quarterly reports that evaluate of their needs. Lastly, their statement of goals runs through every step of their organization and is integrated in a way that brings power to their mission and informs how they run their organization at every level. Possible’s grant will be $10,440 this quarter.

Together with these outstanding grants, plus a $4475 donation to Care Australia for Disaster Recovery Work after the cyclone in Vanuatu, a $2000 grant to our our small grant awardee, Hispanic American Freethinkers, to start a scholarship program, and a direct grant to Foundation Beyond Belief of $7095, our Humanist Giving Staff is proud to announce a 2015 Q1 total giving of $69,155. We thank you for your generosity.