Boston, MA, Dec. 05, 2024 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — The Rumphius Foundation, a non-profit organization dedicated to strengthening community, promoting education and protecting the environment, is pleased to announce its 2024 grant recipients: Start Empowerment Inc., Technology for Families in Need (TechFIN), Caring Gamers, Inc. and Geaux 4 Kids. These exceptional organizations are advancing youth empowerment through impactful and diverse initiatives.
“Our 2024 grants equip young people with the tools needed for a more comfortable present and a brighter future,” said Rumphius Foundation Director Candace Schuller. “Whether through education, technology or basic essentials, this year’s recipients uplift and empower the next generation in distinctive ways.”
Supporting Climate Action with Indigenous Knowledge
The foundation’s largest grant was awarded to Start Empowerment Inc., an organization inspiring youth-led climate action through lessons that blend environmental science with Indigenous and social justice perspectives. At six Texas schools, students will work with educators from Lipan-Apache, Karankawa and Coahuiltecan cultures to tackle environmental issues. Projects include water quality testing on the Colorado River and assessing pollution’s impact on marginalized communities. These efforts reflect the ethos of Miss Rumphius’s message: caring for the world we live in.
Harnessing Technology for Good
Two grants champion innovative uses of technology to support vulnerable youth:
- Technology for Families in Need (TechFIN), founded by Nigel Frankson in Brooklyn, refurbishes laptops for children in low-income households, preventing e-waste while bridging the digital divide. The Rumphius grant will provide 23 laptops to help students succeed in school and keep approximately 150 pounds of electronic waste out of landfills. To date, TechFIN has distributed over 3,700 computers across New York City’s boroughs.
- Caring Gamers, Inc., founded by Dan Gollman and his two sons, delivers gaming consoles to children battling cancer. By offering moments of entertainment and joy, the program seeks to provide much-needed distraction and relief during their challenging journey. The grant from the Rumphius Foundation will help deliver these consoles to young cancer patients, brightening their days.
Providing Comfort in Times of Crisis
The final grant went to Geaux 4 Kids, a Louisiana-based non-profit providing “Geaux Bags” to children entering foster care or crisis relocation. Founded in 2015, these high-quality fabric bags include essentials like pajamas, a blanket, toiletries and a note of encouragement. For children facing upheaval, having belongings they can call their own provides much-needed reassurance and comfort.
Looking Ahead
The Rumphius Foundation awards grants annually to organizations driving meaningful change. Applications for 2025 grants will open on June 1, 2025. To learn more, please visit the grant page.
To make donations please visit www.rumphiusfoundation.org.
About The Rumphius Foundation
Established in 2013 by the late Michael C. Schuller, The Rumphius Foundation is a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization providing support to communities and educators to strengthen the future of our youth and the environment. Named after the children’s book Miss Rumphius by Barbara Cooney, in which the central character seeks to make the world a little more beautiful, the women-led foundation provides grants to non-profit projects that promote community, education and sustainability. Through these projects, the foundation strives to remind the next generation to leave the world more beautiful than they found it. For more information on The Rumphius Foundation, please visit www.rumphiusfoundation.org.
