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Lever for Change featured in The Economist's 2024 Philanthropy Report
Newsletter | December 2023
In this edition of our quarterly newsletter, we explore the transformative impact of our donors' funding on communities worldwide.
A Letter from our CEO
This has been a big year for Lever for Change! We started off having reached our initial goal of driving $1 billion in funding to outstanding organizations, ahead of schedule. This was an important milestone for us, as money is now flowing to people and communities with big ideas to tackle the issues they are facing, and because it proves that our reimagined model of large-scale grantmaking works. As we enter the final stretch of 2023, I find myself looking back at our growing impact and forward to a new year with lots of developments in the pipeline.
Announcing the 2023 Swift Grant Recipients
In 2021, Lever for Change introduced the Swift Grants fund, to provide small grants to Bold Solutions Network members for collaborative projects. Since its inception, Bold Solutions Network members have leveraged nearly $300K and their diverse expertise to push bold solutions around the world.
Celebrate Unity in Action: International Day of Persons with Disabilities 2023
Please join us at Lever for Change as we celebrate the 2023 United Nations International Day of Persons with Disabilities (IDPwD)! We join with champions around the world to increase awareness, understanding, acceptance, and accessibility for people with disabilities.
Impact Update: Reflecting On Ahlan Simsim
The Ahlan Simsim initiative has transformed the lives of children and families through early childhood development services in its fifth year.
Revolutionizing Climate Solutions
Steeped in technology solutions to climate change, the Renewable Thermal Collaborative is building a community to transform industry. The Renewable Thermal Collaborative (RTC), which in 2021 received $10 million in the Lever for Change 2030 Climate Challenge, has used the funding to step into a particularly daunting area of the climate change landscape.
Women's Equality Can't Wait
The past year has tested the resilience of women worldwide. Half of our global population continues to grapple with unequal access to opportunities, an injustice that persists even in nations like America, where women secured the right to vote just a century ago. We recognize that the path ahead is steep, but we remain steadfast in our determination to build a more equitable world for all.
Slowing Down In Service of Impact
Unconscious bias is a powerful, subtle force shaping our lives, from daily choices to life-changing decisions. It stems from our brain's need for rapid information processing. It affects everything from restaurant choices, to hiring decisions, to friendships, trust, and so much more. While bias can't be entirely eliminated, awareness and conscious decision-making can help us make higher-quality choices. In this interview between Chicago Beyond and Lever for Change, we explore how to combat unconscious bias in decision-making and a tool developed to help in the philanthropic funding process.
A Letter from our CEO
Today, we are delighted to celebrate the three awardees of the Maternal & Infant Health Award, an initiative we launched last year in partnership with The Patchwork Collective and ICONIQ Impact (ICONIQ Capital’s platform for collaborative philanthropy). The award was designed to aid innovative, community-led organizations in providing women with access to safe, equitable, and quality maternal healthcare, with the goal of reducing maternal and infant mortality worldwide.