Announcing our Quarter 4 beneficiaries!

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Where are they now? Some of our first beneficiaries are coming back for the fourth quarter of 2019, bigger and better than ever.

 

To celebrate our 10-year anniversary, we are going back to where it all began: this quarter we have selected four beneficiaries who we funded (with your donations) in our very first grant cycle!  The beneficiary organizations have grown since those first grants in FBB’s early days, but their commitment to evidence-based, sustainable interventions has not changed. We are thrilled to see the progress and accomplishments they’ve made and are proud to be able to support them again now.

 

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Nearly one third of LGBTQ students drop out of high school due to violence, harassment, and isolation, which is seven times the national average. Our Human Rights beneficiary, Point Foundation, works to counteract this trend. Their mission is to empower promising lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and queer students to achieve their full academic and leadership potential—despite the obstacles often put before them—to make a significant impact on society. Point provides grants for higher education as well as leadership training and internship opportunities. They also match each scholar in their program to a mentor with whom they work to design and implement an annual community service project that supports the LGBTQ community.

 

Since its founding in 2001, Point has awarded approximately 400 scholarships including 85 for the current academic year. Point alumni include elected officials, doctors, scientists, filmmakers, authors, lawyers, academics, business professionals, and entrepreneurs. FBB is honored to support Point Foundation and the work they do to empower marginalized LGBTQ youth. This grant will specifically support a trans student of color.

 

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Water For People, our Poverty & Health beneficiary, envisions a world where all people have access to safe and reliable water and sanitation services. Water For People does more than build wells and install toilets in the nine countries in which they are active. Water For People works from foundations of community conversations for sustainable, long-term change. They work to transform entire systems so that there will be safe and clean systems for generations—without relying on ongoing aid.

 

Everyone Forever, Water For People’s impact model, is designed to reach everyone in the district in which they are working no matter how remote and no matter how marginalized. And they design systems that will be aid-independent. A key aspects of this model is its foundation on co-investing, capacity building, monitoring/reporting, and replication. Water For People does not fully fund infrastructure, in order to ensure the communities are invested in the outcome. In the end, the communities own the systems they build and can maintain them without Water For People. While building the systems, Water For People trains local people to collect and analyze data to keep the systems operating at a high level. With every successful system, it is easier to get buy-in from new communities.

 

FBB is proud to support Water For People and their commitment to sustainable, community-centered, and data-driven systems for safe and reliable water and sanitation around the world for Everyone Forever.

 

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The work that the Center for Biological Diversity, our Natural Word beneficiary, does is based on the belief that the welfare of human beings is deeply linked to the existence of a vast diversity of wild animals and plants on this planet. The effects of human activity on Earth result in species going extinct at up to 1,000 times the natural rate. With the tools of science, law, and creative media, the Center works to save any species—large or small—on the brink of extinction.

 

The Center’s work spans the entire planet, from the oceans to Antarctica, to fighting air pollution, to supporting 100% renewable energy. The Center’s environmental health work curbs toxic contaminants that harm humans and animals alike. Their solutions for a sustainable future include the empowerment of women and girls, universal access to reproductive healthcare and education, a healthy and secure food system, and clean energy.

 

FBB shares The Center’s commitment to a sustainably healthy planet for all living things and is happy to support their data-driven, grassroots programs that seek solutions for the survival of humans and our environment.

 

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Our Education beneficiary, National Center for Science Education, promotes and defends accurate and effective science education, because everyone deserves to engage with the evidence. Well-established areas of science that are culturally controversial, such as climate change and evolution, can be challenging to teach. In addition to numerous resources on their site, NCSE trains teachers and others in approaches for these subjects that have been proven to reduce conflict and help learners overcome misconceptions. NCSE also works to help local communities block legislation that would result in miseducation for students.

I wanted to expand my knowledge of teaching a tough topic. It’s harder when you’re out there “on your own” without a system or support network. Living outside of DC, it’s become an incredibly political topic. I wanted to strengthen my ability to cut through the talking points and teach the science. ~Melinda Landry, NCSE Teacher Ambassador

 

Please take some time to explore the beneficiaries that we are featuring this quarter.