Forward Project Awardees Announced
Purpose Possible joins Mailchimp in announcing the 3 Forward Project Awardees for 2022
In partnership with Mailchimp, we're investing in the unrestricted growth of 15 Atlanta‑based for‑profit and not‑for‑profit organizations over the next three years.
Purpose Possible and Mailchimp first began our partnership in 2019. After multiple conversations regarding the importance of unrestricted funding paired with the staff to support sustainable ongoing funding, we piloted Power to Grow, the initial manifestation of what is now Forward Project. The program supported Atlanta Bicycle Coalition and re:imagine/ATL and we saw the level of impact a program like this was able to have.
One thing that was missing was an opportunity for the greater community (the communities being impacted by these social entrepreneurs) to guide the process and select organizations they felt would have the greatest impact. Tiffany Curtis and her team at Indwell Collective shepherded a group of community leaders - from nonprofit organizations to community organizers to small business owners - to design and select this year's awardees.
Last week, Mailchimp announced the winners of the 2021 Forward Project––a $750,000 grant program that helps a cohort of traditionally overlooked social enterprises accelerate their community impact work in metro-Atlanta over the next three years.
The three awardee organizations, College AIM, The Counter Narrative Project, and the Hand Heart and Soul Project / Little Ones Learning Center, will each receive $200,000 in unrestricted grants to be paid out over the next three years as well as $25,000 in customized consulting services from Purpose Possible. Twelve additional finalist organizations will also receive grants ranging from $5,000-$11,000.
Purpose Possible will work with each awardee to build capacity in fundraising, business development, hiring, communications, and more. In addition to crafting bespoke service offerings alongside each of the awardees, the firm is also contributing $25,000 in pro bono services to one of the 12 finalists - Southern Fried Queer Pride. This contribution continues the firm's commitment to providing pro bono services for Black-led arts organizations in Atlanta. In 2020, Purpose Possible provided gratis grant writing services to Soul Food Cypher, T. Lang Dance, and Atlanta Black Theatre Festival -- each of whom was awarded their very first Metro Atlanta Arts Fund Grant.
Often philanthropic grants come with constraints on how the money can be used, but Forward Project funds are unrestricted. “Social enterprises cannot exist without operating capital, plain and simple,” says Susannah Darrow Co-Founder of Purpose Possible. “That's why it was so important that the awardees are empowered to spend as they choose to best support the current needs and growth of their organizations.” We can’t wait to get started in 2022!
MORE ABOUT THE AWARDEES
Awardee organizations to receive $200,000 each (to be distributed over 3 years)
College AIM
College AIM envisions a day when every student in Greater Atlanta can equally access and achieve postsecondary success. Founded in 2013 by Sam Aleinikoff, College AIM’s programming has helped more than 700 DeKalb County students explore post-secondary options through workshops, college visits, and 1-to-1 counseling. 83% of those students have continued on to four-year, two-year, and technical colleges.
College AIM will use the new investment to place more high-quality college access professionals in their partner schools and advocate for a more equitable postsecondary landscape.
Counter Narrative Project
Founded by Charles Stephens in 2014, the Counter Narrative Project works to realize an Atlanta where Black gay men and the broader Black LGBTQ community, have greater acceptance in their communities. They advocate for policy change to reduce the prevalence and stigma of HIV. CNP also works to shift the cultural narrative by pushing for more visible and responsible media coverage of Black LGBTQ people. In 2021, they were nominated for a GLAAD Media Award for their digital magazine, The Reckoning, which focuses on Atlanta’s Black LGBTQ+ community.
CNP will invest the Forward Project grant in their digital mobilization strategy and develop content that fights stigma while strengthening their capacity for fundraising.
Hand, Heart and Soul Project & Little Ones Learning Center
Hand, Heart and Soul Project & Little Ones Learning Center have forged an innovative partnership between a for-profit and non-profit to help strengthen food security by bringing fresh, nutrient-dense to families also seeking childcare. Together, they’ll build a community-based corner market, with fresh produce and e-commerce equipped for SNAP benefits. They’re also creating a mobile farm stand to bring fresh food directly to families.
The partnership, led by HHSP co-creator Wande Okunoren-Meadows, will leverage the Forward Project grant to open a new learning center in Clayton County that provides holistic programs focused on health, education, wellness, and nutrition.
FINALISTS
Finalist organizations to receive grants ranging from $5,000-$11,000 (awarded immediately)
Ballethnic Dance Company
Clarkston Community Health Center
COR, Inc.
Friendship Center
Helping Empower Youth
Just Bakery of Atlanta
Our Village United
PushPush Arts
Southern Fried Queer Pride
The Come Up Project
Village Micro Fund
We Love BuHi
ABOUT THE SUBMISSION AND SELECTION PROCESS
The Forward Project welcomed applications from early- and growth-stage ventures as well as more established organizations making a significant pivot in their work. An investment committee comprised of 14 metro-Atlanta artists, small business owners, and non-profit leaders collaborated over the last year to develop the scope of the program and select awardees. Mailchimp partnered with Indwell Collaborative to design and facilitate a democratic selection process.
We are deeply honored and grateful to have the opportunity to work alongside Josh Penny at Mailchimp and Indwell Collective to bring this program to life.
