Courage Project Awards $5 Million to Honor Civic Bravery

United Way Worldwide, in collaboration with several foundations, has launched the Courage Project, a new award program designed to honor individuals and nonprofits for their exceptional civic bravery. The initiative will distribute grants totaling $5 million over at least a year, with individual awards ranging up to $50,000. Recipients of these grants will have the opportunity to direct the funds to a nonprofit organization of their choice, emphasizing the altruistic nature of the awardees.

The first recipients of the Courage Project awards include the United Way of South Sarasota County in Florida, which provides legal services to older adults and the working poor, and Women of Welcome, a Colorado nonprofit that advocates for asylum seekers and immigrants. Bri Stensrud, the director of Women of Welcome, expressed gratitude for the recognition and the financial support, which is particularly valuable given the challenges of fundraising in the current political climate. The award will enable her organization to continue its long-term education and advocacy efforts.

Educators from an upstate New York town were also honored for their efforts to secure the release of three students and their mother who were arrested by Immigration and Customs Enforcement. Jennifer Gaffney, the superintendent of Sackets Harbor Central School District, and her colleagues, including principal Jaime Cook and teacher Jonna St. Croix, played a crucial role in advocating for the students' release. Their actions garnered national attention and highlighted the importance of community solidarity in the face of adversity. The educators chose to donate their $50,000 award to the Northern New York Community Foundation, hoping to benefit students and young people in their area.

Jana Gallus, a professor at UCLA Anderson School of Management, praised the Courage Project's decision to allow recipients to choose the nonprofit beneficiaries. This approach not only recognizes the awardees but also extends the impact of the award to the broader community. Gallus noted that such recognition can be a powerful tool for shaping public perception and encouraging civic engagement. The Courage Project is open to public nominations, further democratizing the process of celebrating American heroes.

The Courage Project is funded by a consortium of foundations, including CFLeads, The James Irvine Foundation, the John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation, the Marguerite Casey Foundation, the McKnight Foundation, the Public Welfare Foundation, The Skillman Foundation, and the Surdna Foundation. These funders aim to highlight the often-unseen but essential work that individuals and nonprofits do to sustain community health and freedoms. Deepak Bhargava, president of the Freedom Together Foundation, emphasized the importance of recognizing those who do not typically receive attention for their civic contributions. The Courage Project is part of a broader effort to celebrate the 250th anniversary of the United States' independence by honoring the courage and civic action of everyday people.