Select nonprofits and community advocates could qualify for grants of up to $50,000 through a newly launched award program. On May 20, United Way, in collaboration with funders such as the Freedom Together Foundation, launched The Courage Project, a $5 million initiative that will distribute awards over the course of at least a year, Fortune reports.
The project is designed to recognize nonprofits and individuals who advocate for their communities.
While individuals won’t receive personal funds, they can allocate the award money to a nonprofit of their choice.
“They don’t do it because they want recognition. They aren’t elected officials. It’s not something where they are required to do this work. They do it out of a love of humanity,” said Angela Williams, president and CEO of United Way Worldwide, of the awardees.
The first award recipients include the United Way of South Sarasota County in Florida, recognized for offering legal services to seniors and low-income workers; and Women of Welcome, a Colorado-based nonprofit that empowers evangelical women to support asylum seekers and immigrants through their faith.
“I feel very honored to be recognized, to be known, and to be invested in,” said Bri Stensrud, the director of Women of Welcome. “That’s another privilege to hold really humbly and I’m super thankful for it.”
Stensrud was awarded $25,000 and noted that securing funding for immigration-related efforts, particularly the long-term education and advocacy her organization focuses on, is especially challenging right now. Educators from a town in upstate New York were also honored for their efforts to help secure the release of three students and their mother, who were detained by Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) in March.
“At the time, I didn’t feel like we were exhibiting courage,” said Jennifer Gaffney, the superintendent of Sackets Harbor Central School District. “We were just doing what we needed to do because it was the right thing to do.”
The three educators received $50,000 to allocate to a nonprofit of their choice and selected the Northern New York Community Foundation. The teachers hope the funds will support local students and youth in their community.
“People sometimes say recognition awards are this fluffy thing; they are soft. Recognition is not soft in that sense. It’s actually very strategic,” said Jana Gallus, a professor at the UCLA Anderson School of Management. “It shapes who feels seen, who is seen, what actions then stand a chance of gaining traction.”
The Courage Project is now welcoming nominations for future recipients from both the general public and the United Way.
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