This February, we’re proud to share that we are making over $195,000 in Aerie Real Foundation™ Community Grants to organizations across the country who are building confidence, fostering inclusion and protecting our planet.
A Moment of Magic Foundation improves the quality of life and mental health of medically underserved children and inspires them to be brave, strong, and fearless through fun and engaging social wellness activities and mental health education. Aerie Real Foundation funding will support their Mental Health Matters Program, which will engage 500 students in packing Bravery Bags for teens who have been hospitalized. Bravery Bags include supplies for fun crafts and activities.
Bent On Learning nurtures the well-being of young people by partnering with New York City public schools to make yoga and mindfulness a regular subject during the school day. This grant supports the Direct Services Expansion Program for pre-K – 12, enabling them to serve 100 area low-income students with customized yoga programming that includes lessons that help them develop strong physical, social and emotional skills.
BKSteppers is New York’s premier marching arts organization. They help students in underserved, under-resourced communities develop a commitment to personal excellence through innovative and quality music and dance education programming. This funding will support their BKStepper’s Residency program, providing 30 teen students with 30 workshop-style sessions over 15 weeks where they will learn the practical skills and musical and social requirements and responsibilities of performing as part of a large ensemble from industry professionals
Buffalo Prenatal Perinatal Network empowers women, fathers, and families to take charge of bettering their family health and well-being by providing education, support, advocacy, and connection to resources and services. This funding will support their Self-Sufficiency Employment and Training program, offering long-lasting solutions that enable women to break the cycle of socio-economic challenges. The program includes job-coaching, resume preparation, networking, referrals to other services, transportation, daycare, and more.
Film Pittsburgh presents independent films from around the world, deepening audiences’ understanding of various cultures, expanding acceptance, and recognizing our common humanity. This grant will support their Teen Screen program, which brings together middle and high school students from diverse schools to experience films that raise awareness about social justice, historical events, diversity, disability awareness, and cultural tolerance.
Foundation For Girls economically empowers homeless single mothers and supports their children with the resources, relationships, and recommendations for financial resilience with a goal of making multi-generational impact. This grant will invest in educational opportunities for 10 marginalized single young mothers over an 8-month period, helping them establish habits and take micro-steps towards building career confidence, key financial capabilities, and resilience.
Future For Her delivers quality education and empowerment programming to under-resourced girls in the Greater Philadelphia area, showing and teaching them that women belong in business. This grant will support their signature workshops at Philadelphia middle schools, where girls are exposed to the fundamentals of business, banking, real estate, and even cryptocurrency!
Girl Talk envisions a world where all girls live confidently, lead fearlessly, & support one another. They inspire all girls to be confident leaders through peer-to-peer mentoring programs. They offer a unique approach to developing confidence and leadership skills in all girls through a combination of peer-to-peer mentoring, curriculum, and community service. This grant will support their 2023 programming, including Girl Talk regional Clubs, the Ambassador Program, Camp, Scholarships, Podcasts, and Virtual Summits.
Girls Inc. of New York City delivers life-transforming programs that inspire girls to be strong, smart, and bold. This funding will support their Teen Leadership Circle (TLC) program, which helps girls navigate the various gender, economic, and social barriers they experience in their lives through peer-led circles that explore these issues. Peer Leaders, with guidance from NYC staff and faculty advisors, cultivate a safe and pro-girl space where girl-identifying youth can hold conversations around complex issues affecting them today, ranging from advocacy, body image, healthy sexuality, media literacy, self-esteem, financial literacy, as well as other topics in GINYU’s curricula. TLC culminates in a community action project at the end of the school year.
Girls on the Run (GOTR) of Southwest Missouri inspires girls to be joyful, healthy, and confident using a fun, experience-based curriculum that creatively integrates running; they envision a world where every girl knows and activates her limitless potential and is free to boldly pursue her dreams. This grant will support their Access and Financial Assistance Initiative, helping them deliver the GOTR program to 60 girls from low-income families during 2023, ensure their program is accessible to any girl who wants to participate, despite economic background.
The mission of New Beginnings Transitional Living Foundation, Inc. (NBTLF) is to provide safe, secure and sober transitional housing, education, training and supportive services to people struggling with substance abuse disorders and mental health illnesses. This grant will support their Young Women’s Housing Program in 2023, which will offer recovery housing, counseling, family services, job training, case management and affiliated services to 50 women.
Ophelia’s Place is a non-profit dedicated to providing support, community, and healing resources for every body impacted by eating disorders, diet culture, and body oppression. This grant will support their core “train the trainer” programming, which educates nurses, social workers, teachers, parents, and community leaders the fundamentals of understanding, unlearning and uprooting the systemic and cultural factors that contribute to eating disorders and body-based oppression.
Prosperity Place equips, encourages, and empowers young women survivors of sexual exploitation, sex trafficking, and domestic violence with tools to heal complex traumas, build confidence, and lead fulfilling lives by providing long-term residential housing, resources, and a safe community. This grant will support their Empower, Equip, and Encourage workshops, where over a 12-week period, young women will engage in activities and lessons aimed at a) learning self defense techniques to empower the body and the mind, b) reducing anxiety in conflict, c) increasing financial literacy to sustain freedom as a survivor, and d) understanding the basics of independent living.
Smile On Me prepares girls for puberty and provides a space where they can be authentic and discover something new. These grant funds will pay for usage of the campsite, bedding materials for each camper, and at least three meals a day at their free 2023 Wellness Summer Camp for BIPOC girls in upstate New York this Fall.
SWSG evisions that all girls and women will realize their inner strengths to dream and do! They champion the aspirations and potential of girls from under-resourced communities through innovative mentorship experiences grounded in the lessons of strong female role models. This grant will support their Skills-Building Mentoring Program – weekly after-school sessions led by college mentors with enrichment activities and lessons that highlight the achievements of diverse women, fostering girls’ awareness that they can achieve great things in life.
The Student Conservation Association (SCA)’s mission is to build the next generation of conservation leaders by creating equitable access to nature, providing green jobs to youth, and teaching communities to be stewards to the environment. This grant will support their Urban Green: Sustainable Green Spaces, Inclusive Communities, & Conservation Leaders program in Charlestown, NH. They’ll engage youth and young adults in paid green jobs and professional development and trainings that will help them connect to and champion the pressing environmental issues of their region, while simultaneously protecting and improving natural space.
Tulsa Girls’ Home (TGH) exists to shelter, empower, restore, and support teen girls who have been placed in foster care. These grant funds will support their intentional counseling, mentorship and community activity programming that work together to help teens build confidence and find pathways to overcome trauma, decrease depression, and provide hope for a better future.
Vikara Village provides mind-body wellness programming to vulnerable youth and adults in the greater DC area. Through yoga, they empower individuals to reach their full potential and become more resilient citizens. This grant will support their Bold Heart Yoga program, which directly serves middle school students from three Title 1 schools throughout throughout the Montgomery County area. This program will prioritize youth with exposure to Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACE’S), girls, and individuals of color.
White Pine Center for Healing mission is to educate, advocate for, prevent the onset of and treat people with eating disorders, unhealthy relationships with food, body image and weight stigma issues and trauma through outpatient individual and group services. This grant will support their Eat, Breathe, Thrive workshop for 150 individuals, where they’ll learn skills and resources for mindful eating, emotional resilience, and positive embodiment to prevent negative body image and eating disorders.
We selected our first five Aerie Real Foundation™ Community Grant recipients who each received a $10K grant and a special Wish List Party in their local Aerie store where 20 members of each organization received a $150 gift card to shop for themselves!
The organizations chosen were:
- Bent On Learning in New York, NY
- Dress For Success in Pittsburgh, PA
- Foundation For Girls in Charlotte, NC
- Future For Her in Philadelphia, PA
- Smile On Me in New York, NY
Are you making change in your community?
Apply for an Aerie Real Foundation™ Community Grant HERE! Applications for this cycle are due by 3.31.23.
Aerie Real Change Community Grants are open for consideration for registered United States 501(c)(3) organizations that are focused on confidence, inclusivity or sustainability.