Our Nonprofit Innovation Grants program launched in 2013, awards $10,000 USD to employee-championed organizations looking to launch or scale new, unique programs. We are thrilled to announce our fifth round of 24 finalist organizations and their employee champions.

1. NONPROFIT
INNOVATION GRANTS
R O U N D 1 , 2 0 1 5

2. ENABLING LINKEDIN
EMPLOYEES TO CHAMPION
INITIATIVES THAT ARE READY
FOR DEVELOPMENT OR TEST
NEW, INNOVATIVE IDEAS FOR
SOCIAL IMPACT.

3. TODAY, WE’RE EXCITED TO ANNOUNCE
THE 24 NONPROFIT INNOVATION GRANT
SELECTIONS AND THEIR EMPLOYEE
CHAMPIONS FOR ROUND 1, 2015.
INTRODUCING…

4. S A I L F U T U R E
“ I n m y y o u t h , t h o u g h m y f a m i l y ’ s l i m i t e d m e a n s
p r o v i d e d f e w o p p o r t u n i t i e s t o s a i l , t h e i d e a o f s a i l i n g
r e p r e s e n t e d f r e e d o m f r o m t h o s e l i m i t s . ”
- J O N A T H A N K A R P F E N , E M P L O Y E E C H A M P I O N
Empowering youth to make
transformative life changes through
innovative juvenile justice programs that
challenge the status quo.

5. H A M I L T O N
F A M I L Y C E N T E R
“ I a m p a s s i o n a t e a b o u t p u b l i c s c h o o l s a n d I f e l t
i n s p i r e d t o g e t i n v o l v e d t o h e l p r a i s e t h e l e v e l o f
e d u c a t i o n n o t o n l y f o r t h e s e f a m i l i e s , b u t f o r a l l
c h i l d r e n i n p u b l i c s c h o o l s . ”
- J E R E M Y S T O V E R , E M P L O Y E E C H A M P I O N
Ending family homelessness in the San Francisco
Bay Area.

6. WORLDREADER
“I personally believe
that the possibility
of leading a
productive, fulfilling
life is rooted in
education. For me,
being able to see
the impact and have
it create a ripple
effect in other
places is very
important, and I
think Worldreader is
doing exactly that.”
- C H R I S M E U N I E R ,
E M P L O Y E E C H A M P I O N
Providing free digital books for education,
literacy, and technology in developing
countries.

7. S W I P E S F O R T H E
H O M E L E S S D . B . A
S W I P E O U T H U N G E R
“I foresee Swipe Out Hunger
becoming a prominent student
charity at hundreds of schools
worldwide. It would provide
college campuses the
opportunity to become
champions of change.” –
J E R E M Y R E Y N A R D , E M P L O Y E E
C H A M P I O N
Providing University students the opportunity to
donate their unused meal points towards
ending hunger in their community.

8. IREDESCENT
“ I r e d e s c e n t ’ s c u r r i c u l u m s u p p o r t s t e a m s o f y o u n g
w o m e n f r o m a r o u n d t h e w o r l d t o d e v e l o p a m o b i l e
a p p a n d b u s i n e s s p l a n t o a d d r e s s a n e e d w i t h i n
t h e i r c o m m u n i t y . ”
– S A R A H C L A T T E R B U C K , E M P L O Y E E C H A M P I O N
Inspiring and educating girls and women to solve real
world problems using technology.

9. J O B T R A I N
“ A s a g i r l , I f e l t l i k e I w a s l a c k i n g t h e e n c o u r a g e m e n t
a n d g u i d a n c e t o p u r s u e a c a r e e r i n c o m p u t e r s c i e n c e .
I s t r o n g l y s u p p o r t J o b T r a i n ’ s e f f o r t t o r e a c h o u t t o
w o m e n a n d p r o v i d e t h e n e c e s s a r y t o o l s t o m a k e t h i s
p r o g r a m f e a s i b l e f o r a l l . ” - A K A N S H A A G R A W A L ,
E M P L O Y E E C H A M P I O N
Improving the lives of people in our community
through assessment, attitude and job skills
training.

10. “ My belief in the success of fADA lies in the
fact that they believe in ’members first’; they
are transforming the medical industry . ” –
W E S L E Y H E N D R I K S , E M P L O Y E E C H A M P I O N
F O N D A T I O N A I D E
D E N T A I R E A F R I Q U E
Promoting dental care in Africa with an
emphasis in Rwanda.

11. W A R C H I L D U K
“ When I read the real stories of kids they helped and when I
talked with the organization, I saw how passionate they are, so I
believe in War Child.” – N A Z L I O G U Z , E M P L O Y E E
C H A M P I O N
Supporting children affected by war through programs that
mitigate psychological impact of conflict to provide a sense of
stability, structure and hope for the future.

12. F O U N D A T I O N F O R
L E A R N I N G E Q U A L I T Y ( F L E )
“Learning equality builds an open -source
software platform, KA lite, that’s low cost and
easy to install where no- or low-bandwidth
connections are educational barriers.” –
A L E X S A N D R A M C M A H A N , E M P L O Y E E C H A M P I O N
Enabling every person in the world to
achieve a quality basic education
through open educational resources.

13. D N T N D A Y N G H E N G H E
N G H E N H A N V I E T – V I E T
A R T I S A N S
“ W e h a v e b e e n o p e r a t i v e f o r 3 y e a r s a n d
f a c e d s o m a n y c h a l l e n g e s . Y e t , w e s t a y
c o m m i t t e d a n d o v e r c a m e t h e s e
d i f f i c u l t i e s . ” – L I L Y P H A N , E M P L O Y E E
C H A M P I O N
Promoting the talent pool of Vietnamese
designers and sharing the richness of
Vietnamese culture and heritage.

14. UNITY CARE
GROUP
“The arts have the power to help heal kids
who have been hurt by painful experiences in
their young lives . ” - T I M M U I N D I , E M P L O Y E E
C H A M P I O N
Creating quality youth and family programs for the
purpose of creating healthier communities through
lifelong partnerships.

15. P E A C E P L A Y E R S
I N T E R N A T I O N A L
“ P e a c e P l a y e r s i n t e r n a t i o n a l u s e s a y e a r r o u n d l i f e - s k i l l s a n d
b a s k e t b a l l c u r r i c u l u m t o u n i t e , e d u c a t e a n d i n s p i r e y o u n g p e o p l e i n
d i v i d e d c o m m u n i t i e s b a s e d o n t h e s i m p l e p r e m i s e t h a t ‘ c h i l d r e n w h o
p l a y t o g e t h e r c a n l e a r n t o l i v e t o g e t h e r . ’ ”
– J E F F L A N T Z , E M P L O Y E E C H A M P I O N
Uniting, educating and inspiring young
people in divided communities through
basketball.

16. R O B O T I C S L E A R N I N G
( M ) S D N B H D
“ T h e v i s i o n o f r o b o t i c s l e a r n e r i s t o
e n a b l e a l l y o u n g p e o p l e , f r o m a l l p a r t s o f
t h e c o u n t r y , t o h a v e a c c e s s t o t h e
w o r l d ’ s l e a d i n g a n d m o s t r e l e v a n t
e d u c a t i o n e x p e r i e n c e s . ” - J E A N O ’ B R I E N ,
E M P L O Y E E C H A M P I O N
Providing and supporting students and
teachers in Malaysia with the world’s
leading educational robots and
educational solutions.

17. I N T E R A C T I O N D E S I G N
A S S O C I A T I O N
“The devotion and passion emanates
throughout the IxDA community, with
the core strength coming from the
most dedicated volunteers, our
board, and leaders .” – K I M L E N O X ,
E M P L O Y E E C H A M P I O N
Improving the human condition by
advancing the discipline of Interaction
design – individual initiative, contribution,
sharing and self-organization.

18. S U P P L I E S F O R
D R E A M S
“Through my involvement with the
young professional’s board, I know
that with proper funding these young
professionals can lift this idea off
the ground and make it into reality.”
– M I C H E L L E Z H A N G , E M P L O Y E E
C H A M P I O N
Providing Chicago Public Schools students with
critical resources and extra-curricular
opportunities.

19. B O Y S & G I R L S C L U B
O F T H E P E N I N S U L A
“We’re thrilled to introduce BGCP
students to the concept of designing
for social purpose, through the use
of 3D printing technology. ”
– B R I A N R U M A O , E M P L O Y E E C H A M P I O N
Providing low-income youth of our
community the opportunities that enable
them to graduate ready to succeed in college
and career.

20. C A R E E R V I L L A G E
“ G r o w i n g u p i n S F w a s h a r d , s o I u n d e r s t a n d t h e s t r u g g l e s
i n n e r - c i t y y o u t h a n d l o w - i n c o m e s t u d e n t s h a v e . C a r e e r
V i l l a g e h a s b e e n a n a m a z i n g a v e n u e f o r m e t o s h a r e m y
c o l l e g e s t r u g g l e s a n d m y c a r e e r s u c c e s s e s . S p e n d i n g a
f e w m i n u t e s a n s w e r i n g a q u e s t i o n , c a n c h a n g e t h e c o u r s e
o f o n e s t u d e n t ’ s l i f e a n d t h a t i s t h e m o s t r e w a r d i n g f e e l i n g
i n t h e w o r l d . ” – V I V I A N U R A T A , E M P L O Y E E C H A M P I O N
Democratizing access to the career advice
and guidance underserved youth need to
create professional and personal goals.

21. S U A S E D U C A T I O N A L
D E V E L O P M E N T
“ I a m p a s s i o n a t e a b o u t S u a s
b e c a u s e t h e y f o c u s o n
s u p p o r t i n g e d u c a t i o n f o c u s o n
s u p p o r t i n g e d u c a t i o n f o r t h e
m o s t d i s a d v a n t a g e d g r o u p s a n d
c h a m p i o n i n g h i g h q u a l i t y
e d u c a t i o n . ”
– L I N U S W E L L E N , E M P L O Y E E
C H A M P I O N
Supporting children and young people in
disadvantaged settings to realize their rights and
achieve their full potential through education.

22. A U S T R A L I A N I N D I G E N O U S
M E N T O R I N G E X P E R I E N C E
C O R P O R A T I O N
“They truly care about the education and wellbeing
of each student involved. I am confident that this
team’s proven, consistent, and passionate
leadership will make this new initiative a resounding
success.” – K A S E Y M C D O N A L D , E M P L O Y E E C H A M P I O N
Seeing every Indigenous high school
student finish school and transition to
further education and employment.

23. S E L F H E L P
A F R I C A
“Self Help Africa is disrupting
trading cycles for farming produce
in Africa, by ensuring that more of
the value of a crop goes to the
smallholder farmer who produced
it.” - C O N O R D O Y L E ,
E M P L O Y E E C H A M P I O N
Ending hunger and poverty in rural sub-Saharan
Africa using economic empowerment.

24. T R A N S L A T O R S W I T H O U T
B O R D E R S ( T W B )
“ T W B t r a i n s t r a n s l a t o r s w h e r e t h e n e e d i s
g r e a t e s t – t h e y t r a n s l a t e c r i t i c a l
i n f o r m a t i o n t h a t c a n l i t e r a l l y s a v e l i v e s . ”
– E L I Z A B E T H L I E B E R , E M P L O Y E E
C H A M P I O N
Increasing access to knowledge
using language.

25. L A B O R A T O R I A
“I cannot think of two individuals more capable to drive a
big dream like this into reality. They are capable,
hardworking, and have a strong passion to help young
people achieve their dreams through education and
technology.” – R O B E R T O A N D R A D E , E M P L O Y E E C H A M P I O N
Training underserved women to code and
connecting them with companies in need of
their talent.

26. F O U N D A T I O N F O R
P R A D E R - W I L L I
R E S E A R C H
“As my daughter grows, her
needs and development
issues grow more complex
and the foundation provides
tools and resources for
families like mine that want
to help their children live a
normal childhood .”
– W E N D Y K O S M A K ,
E M P L O Y E E C H A M P I O N
Eliminating the challenges of
Prader-Willi syndrome through the
advancement of research.

27. T H E P O S S E
F O U N D A T I O N
“ P o s s e e n s u r e s s t u d e n t s a r e
s u p p o r t e d a n d p r e p a r e d t o b e l e a d e r s
o n c a m p u s a n d b e y o n d . ”
– J A S M I N E T A Y L O R , E M P L O Y E E
C H A M P I O N
Posse identifies, recruits and trains incredible young leaders
and sends them in supportive, multicultural teams – Posses
– to top colleges and universities across the country.