Rockefeller Philanthropy Students Donate $15,500
ALBANY, N.Y. — With its largest pool of funds to date, Associate Professor Susan Appe’s Spring 2022 Private Philanthropy, Public Problems and Power undergraduate students and Philanthropy and Civil Society graduate students awarded a total of $15,500 to five outstanding nonprofit organizations.
Throughout the semester, students divided into teams to research the missions, projects, and impacts of a group of local nonprofit organizations. They then presented their findings, discussed as a class, and ultimately selected the following organizations to receive the money:
- In Our Own Voices in Albany, N.Y. ($10,000)
- Soul Fire Farm in Petersburg, N.Y. ($4,000)
- The MoonCatcher Project in Schenectady, N.Y. (1,000)
- Refugee & Immigrant Support Services of Emmaus (RISSE) in Albany, N.Y. ($250)
- Shatterproof in Norwalk, Conn. ($250)
In Our Own Voices
In Our Own Voices Inc. is a nonprofit organization that serves LGBTQ+ POC in the Capital Region with the mission to work for and ensure the physical, mental, spiritual, political, cultural, and economic survival and growth of lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender people of color communities. Its programs and services include emergency assistance, legal assistance, counseling/emotional support, and medical testing. Dr. Appe’s undergraduate class selected In Our Own Voices as its mission is personal to many students in the UAlbany community and it resonates the need for a wide range of services for the local LGBTQ+ POC community, while also working to achieve long-term structural change through regional and national advocacy. This gift was funded by UAlbany's partnership with the Learning by Giving Foundation.
Soul Fire Farm
Soul Fire Farm, a nonprofit organization based in Petersburg, N.Y., is an Afro-Indigenous centered community farm created by a Black-Jewish family in need. In 2016, it enrolled as a 501(c)(3) with the mission of “uprooting racism and seeding sovereignty in the food system.” Its food sovereignty programs reach over 160,000 people each year, including farmer training for Black and Brown growers, reparations and land return initiatives for northeast farmers, food justice workshops for urban youth, home gardens for city-dwellers living under food apartheid, doorstep harvest delivery for food insecure households, and systems and policy education for public decision-makers. Professor Appe’s graduate class unanimously selected Soul Fire Farm because of its commitment to sustainability, social justice, and grassroots service in and around Albany.
The MoonCatcher Project
The MoonCatcher Project, based in Schenectady, N.Y., works to “optimize girls' lives worldwide by removing barriers related to menstruation.” Established in 2011, The MoonCatcher Project has donated over 100,000 MoonCatcher kits to low-income communities around the world, spanning 27 countries in South Asia, Africa, and the Caribbean. For millions of women and girls in the global South, limited access to menstrual hygiene products hinders them from living a life of dignity. As a result, many are forced to drop out of school or are forced into early marriages. Through its international partners, The MoonCatcher Project provides reusable menstrual kits for girls so that they do not have to miss school and do not risk using unsafe and unhygienic options during their menstruation cycles. The graduate students unanimously chose The MoonCatcher Project as its international philanthropy recipient due to the organization’s impact on empowering girls, keeping them in school, and raising awareness about the importance of menstrual hygiene.
About the Student Philanthropy Fund
The Student Philanthropy Fund is housed at the Institute of Nonprofit Leadership and Community Development (INLCD) at Rockefeller College and is part of the INLCD’s goals to advance student learning. It allows students to distribute funds to nonprofit organizations as part of coursework in which they learn about philanthropy and the essential role nonprofit organizations play in building vibrant communities. The mission of the Student Philanthropy Fund is: (1) to contribute to students' preparation for engaged citizenship and preparation as public service professionals, (2) to develop philanthropists with integrity who will work in communities and continue to benefit our world, and (3) to build relationships with and fund nonprofits across our communities. The Student Philanthropy Fund, through the Rockefeller College courses RPAD R527: Philanthropy and Civil Society and RPAD 399: Private Philanthropy, Public Problems and Power have distributed $38,195 dollars to nonprofit organizations in the Capital Region and beyond.
Spring 2022
- $10,000 to In Our Own Voices in Albany, N.Y.
- $4,000 to Soul Fire Farm in Petersburg, N.Y.
- $1,000 to The MoonCatcher Project in Schenectady, N.Y.
- $250 to Refugee & Immigrant Support Services of Emmaus (RISSE) in Albany, N.Y.
- $250 to Shatterproof in Norwalk, Conn.
- $1,665 to The MoonCatcher Project in Schenectady, N.Y.
- $1,665 to The Connect Center in Cohoes, N.Y.
- $1,665 to Homeless and Travelers Aid Society in Albany, N.Y.
- $10,000 to Big Brothers Big Sisters of the Capital Region in Albany, N.Y.
- $100 to The Regional Food Bank of Northeastern New York in Latham, N.Y.
- $100 to BronxWorks in New York, N.Y.
- $2,000 to Capital Region Community COVID-19 Response Fund in Albany, N.Y.
- $500 to Albany Damien Center in Albany, N.Y.
- $500 to Jajja's Kids in Latham, N.Y.
- $3,000 to Commission on Economic Opportunities in Troy, N.Y.
- $1,000 to Youth FX in Albany, N.Y.
- $500 to The MoonCatcher Project in Schenectady, N.Y.
The Fund is supported by Rockefeller alumni, private individuals, and the Learning by Giving Foundation. Nonprofits interested in being considered for future funds should contact Susan Appe, PhD ([email protected]) for more information.