Search Nonprofits

Wood Lake's mission is to provide the public with high-quality experiences in recreation and environmental education programs, act as a teacher/naturalist training facility and provide a high quality, diverse freshwater marsh-oriented nature facility for those programs and for use by individuals and groups seeking unprogrammed natural experiences.

The Healthy Schools Campaign, an independent not-for-profit organization, is a leading authority on healthy school environments and a voice for people who care about our environment, our children, and education. Our mission is to advocate for policies and practices that allow all students, teachers and staff to learn and work in a healthy school environment.

The Institution's purpose, as conceived by Andrew Carnegie, is to "encourage, in the broadest and most liberal manner, investigation, research, and discovery, and the application of knowledge to the improvement of mankind." The Carnegie Institution is devoted to addressing fundamental questions on the frontiers of biology, earth sciences, and astronomy that its trustees and scientists consider to be among the most significant in science. Its funds are used to support projects at its own research departments and to conduct a program of advanced education at the predoctoral and postdoctoral levels. It also offers programs for elementary school teachers and children in Washington, DC., Baltimore, MD and Pasadena, CA.

Since 1997, the Kasiisi Project has aided education in and around Kibale National Park in rural western Uganda, East Africa. Founded initially as a link between the research-based Kibale Chimpanzee Project and the local community, the Kasiisi Project now works with several research groups in and around the park to target critical issues for the survival of the forest and support of the local population. We support early childhood education, promote conservation and health education, provide daily school lunches, train teachers, encourage literacy through libraries and computer usage, fund secondary school and college scholarships, and address the special needs of girls.

North Cascades Institute's mission is to conserve and restore Northwest environments through education. In our 21 year history, we have served more than 65,000 children, adults and families in field-based programs emphasizing hands-on discovery and stewardship of the North Cascades--one of the wildest, most biologically diverse landscapes in North America. Our Mountain School, watershed education programs and summer camps teach youth about the natural world. Adult seminars, teacher workshops and our graduate curriculum serve to prepare community, educational and environmental leaders. North Cascades Institute connects people, nature and community through the lasting power of education.

Project1808 promotes sustainable community development in Kabala, Koinadugu District, Sierra Leone by aiding young students in their efforts to identify and address the root causes of poverty, public and environmental health challenges, and other community-identified concerns. Among our project's specific aims are the following: Fostering academic excellence and nurturing a resilient knowledge base through student mentoring, tutoring, internships, and teacher training programs. Stimulating curiosity, creativity, and innovation through student generated projects that enhance knowledge and encourage students to implement their ideas in ways that benefit their communities. Facilitating local and global partnerships for knowledge exchange, training for students, teachers and community members, student mentoring, and resources to sustain the community knowledge base Our Model Project1808 Model for sustainable development At the core of our sustainable community model is an investment in disadvantaged youth, schools, and their communities to form the building blocks as LEGOs of healthy communities in Sierra Leone and Africa. Through specific GLocal (Global and Local) partnerships, we practice the concept of thinking globally and acting locally, enhancing the exchange of knowledge, increasing the cultural competency, and expanding the worldview of all of our participants. Project1808 is committed to optimizing partnerships between educational institutions locally, within Africa and overseas, particularly with the involvement of other African countries. We want to bring back hope to youths (and whole communities) whose lives, homes, families, schools, infrastructure, institutions were destroyed by 11 years of war in Sierra Leone.

For over 30 years, NYC Outward Bound Schools has been transforming schools and changing lives by bringing out the best in students, teachers and school leaders throughout the City. We transform schools and change lives by bringing our educational approach to NYC’s young people and their public schools, with a focus on students from educationally underserved communities. Our uniquely powerful approach joins together demanding and engaging learning with an emphasis on community and character. We prepare students for success in college, careers, and citizenship, while simultaneously working to redefine what educational excellence looks like in New York City’s public schools. Every day, we are proving that all students, regardless of background or circumstance, are capable of achieving at high levels and that transformation and innovation can happen within the public school system.  

The Walden Woods Project was founded in 1990 to protect land of ecological and historic significance surrounding Walden Pond. At that time nearly half of the Walden Woods' 2,680 acres remained unprotected from development. Two large tracts of land (a total of 43 acres) were under immediate threat as developers sought to construct an office park and a large condominium complex in close proximity to Walden Pond. In January 1991, the Walden Woods Project raised enough money to buy the 25-acre Bear Garden Hill site. A few years later, the Project acquired a second parcel, known as Brister?s Hill. In 1998, the Walden Woods Project opened The Thoreau Institute at Walden Woods containing over 8,000 volumes and 60,000 items of Thoreau-related materials and launched its two trademark teacher education programs, Approaching Walden and Finding Walden.

Africa Schoolhouse (ASH) is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization dedicated to bringing quality education, medical care, job training and clean water to rural villages in Northern Tanzania. In order to achieve these goals, ASH works in partnership with communities and the local government to build desperately needed schools, deep wells and medical clinics, creating an environment that enables residents to live full, productive and healthy lives. ASH was founded in 2006 after village elders from Ntyula, Tanzania approached founder Dr. Aimee Bessire with the idea of building a school for their children and a medical clinic for the entire community. Dr. Bessire, who has a decades long relationship with the people of Ntulya, was determined to take action. Within six months, the Africa Schoolhouse board was assembled. ASH broke ground on its first project, the Ntulya Primary School and campus, in July 2008 and completed construction in 2010. President of Tanzania, Jakaya Kikwete, personally inaugurated the new school and declared it a model for all rural schools in the country. The villagers talked about how proud they were that the President came to visit the school they had helped to build. Following the request of the Ntulya elders, the organization completed a modern medical clinic the following year, which now serves approximately 4,500 people. ASH continued working with local communities in the region to identify need and completed the renovation of Mwaniko Secondary School and Shilanona Primary School in 2012 and 2014. Improvements at these locations included building a bio-chemistry lab and the installation of the first solar-powered computer lab in Misungwi District. ASH also trained a local work-force to help with the construction and continued maintenance of these projects. ASH's newest project is to construct an all-girls boarding school-the first in Misungwi District. This exemplary school will provide space for 360 girls in Forms 1-4, with the possibility to expand the campus and add another 80 girls in Forms 5-6 as needed in later years. Currently only 1% of Tanzanian girls complete secondary school education. They face a wide range of obstacles to their education, including everything from families who privilege the education of sons over daughters, to girls being married off at young ages, and unsafe journeys to school. One of the largest issues faced by girls is finding a safe place to live while pursuing their education. In this rural area, many girls travel long distances to reach school. Safe passage to and from school is a critical issue. We want to provide a safe living situation for young women to delight in their education. ASH is partnering with Misungwi District to build a much-needed safe haven for girls, empowering them through education to grow into strong, healthy women. In addition to a standard academic curriculum, the school will also promote leadership, entrepreneurship, social justice and care for the environment. The school will create an essential safe space where young women can successfully complete their studies and grow into empowered, independent adults. As with our other projects ASH is collaborating with the local communities, school committee, and Tanzanian government. We are building this school at the request of the local community, who identified this as their greatest need. The school will be staffed and run by the District once completed. The District has selected Florencia Ndabashe to be the school's head teacher. Ndabashe currently leads a co-ed secondary school in Misungwi and brings great energy to her work. She will be a strong leader for the girls school, inspiring her fellow teachers and serving as an excellent role model for young women.

BCF fosters cooperation and goodwill between Bhutan and Canada in several ways: Our main program is a teacher program, in which we work with the Ministry of Education in Bhutan to send qualified teachers to teach in public schools in some of the most rural parts of the country. Since January 2010, BCF has sent a total of 69 teachers to 39 different communities across Bhutan. These teachers have directly impacted the lives of over 10,800 Bhutanese students. We also offer scholarships for Bhutanese youth to complete secondary education in Canada. Finally, as one of the only North American organizations with a permanent presence in Bhutan, we serve as a cultural liaison for many visitors to the country.

Join the Dance is the Ontario representative for Pierre Dulaine's internationally acclaimed Dancing Classrooms of Mad Hot Ballroom and Take the Lead Fame. A 10 weeks Inter-curricular, Character Education program for children and youth that utilizes ballroom dancing as a vehicle to change the lives of not only the participants, but also the lives of the teachers and families who support them. Academic components of History, Geography, Literacy, Public Speaking and Social Studies are woven intricately into the joy of the dance that provides 50-minutes of good physical fitness and mental health stimulation. Culminating events allow diverse school communities to Join the Dance and Dancing Classrooms are fully endorsed by the Toronto Public and Catholic Boards. $100 will provide 1 student in a classroom with twenty 50-minute sessions for ten weeks. $2,000 sponsorship/donation provides the program to one entire classroom.

Community Food Initiatives (CFI) is a 25 year-old organization serving families and individuals in Appalachia Ohio. The mission of CFI is to ensure everyone has equal access to healthy, local food. CFI's vision is a resilient region in which everyone in our community has access to an equitable, inclusive, and thriving local food system. As a membership-based social benefit organization founded in 1992, Community Food Initiatives is deeply connected to the region. CFI is a long-serving team player within the local food system, as we believe that we benefit when others succeed, because that is how community works. CFI is the only organization in the area routinely donating thousands of pounds of local produce to food pantries, connecting regional seed savers to promote seed diversity and sustainability, managing low-cost community garden plots, supporting school gardens and teaching youth to grow food, and offering gardening and cooking workshops to adults. Community members, regional farmers and food producers, partnering non-profits, local government, and foundations support our work. All of these programs come together to build a stronger community where citizens are empowered to grow and cook their own healthy, whole foods, despite the barriers of poverty. CFI is building capacity to reach more communities across the region by increasing collaborative efforts to fight food insecurity. We value naming our assets-soil, seeds, and an Appalachian heritage of food production and preservation-so that everyone can see their place in strengthening our assets and our community. We believe that by sharing the knowledge to grow and prepare wholesome foods, people become empowered to feed their families, improve their health, and strengthen their community. We are rooted in the belief that equitable access to fresh and nutritious local food leads to a safe and clean environment, meaningful work with livable wages, and fulfills the needs and rights of all people. Finally, we believe in the strength of collaboration and in doing better together. Our work is driven by those we serve: the community members themselves. We currently work in seven program areas: The Donation Station Program collects fresh local food at the Athens Farmers Market, Chesterhill Produce Auction, and farms and distributes it to regional food pantries and social service agencies. Additionally, the Discovery Kitchen project teaches healthy cooking classes to food pantry patrons using seasonal produce. These programs are now serving five Southeastern Ohio Counties - Athens, Meigs, Morgan, Vinton, and Washington. The Community Garden Program manages five community gardens, coordinates gardening and food preservation workshops throughout the year. Currently, we manage 20,000 square feet of garden space at five locations throughout Athens County. The School Garden Program offers support for school and youth gardens, working with day care centers, and youth social service agencies such as Athens County Children Services and all five Athens County school districts. CFI provides resources, consultation, volunteer coordination and curriculum integration resources for teachers. YEAH! Kids (Youth Entrepreneurs at Hope) program is funded by the Athens Metropolitan Housing Authority, and engages low-income youth between the ages of 11 and 18 in production gardening, culinary skills, money management, and professionalism. The YEAH! Kids grow their own produce in a community garden located at Hope Drive apartments, subsidized housing in Athens. They have weekly kitchen workshops where they make products such as jam and kimchi using the produce they grow. The participants sell those products at the Athens Farmers Market, and they log their hours and get paid according to how much work they put into the garden and kitchen. Ridge & Hollow Seed Alliance is CFI's regional seed company, named for the hills and valleys of Appalachia. Ridge & Hollow supports the preservation of regionally adapted, open-pollinated seeds through partnerships with skilled seed savers in the Central Appalachian region. Additionally, Ridge & Hollow Seed Alliance hosts seed saving workshops and annual seed exchanges. SEO FOODLINK is an action research project that maps emergency food networks and compiles data from 10 Southeast Ohio counties into an online resource hub. This is a new initiative launched by CFI in 2017, in partnership with West Virginia University. FOODLINK is designed to alleviate food insecurity through the sharing of resources and facilitation of grassroots collaborations.