This month, Talent Citizen’s learning has focused on National Giving Month, as December is unofficially known in many philanthropy and nonprofit spaces. Our team found resources that helped us learn about innovative initiatives and organizations tackling pressing issues like homelessness, food insecurity, and access to services. Throughout this holiday season, we hope these articles are as interesting and informative as they have been to our team and inspire you to find ways to give back to your local community.
Resources we are finding especially relevant and informative December are:
This article highlights four organizations finding innovative ways to help low-income families and individuals affected by homelessness and poverty. PadSplit transforms single-family homes into affordable co-living spaces, giving tenants a chance to build credit and live in the communities they serve. The Samaritan app connects those experiencing homelessness with teams of volunteers who provide financial, social, and emotional support. Acts Housing empowers families to achieve homeownership through counseling and financial assistance, while Positive Tomorrows offers a supportive school environment for Oklahoma City children experiencing homelessness. These organizations are helping to break the cycle of poverty by focusing on a dignity-centered approach and long-term empowerment with creative, bottom-up strategies.
As grocery prices soar and pandemic-era relief funds vanish, nonprofits in Kansas City, Missouri are facing a rising demand for food assistance. To meet this demand, organizations like Harvesters focus on increasing inventory through food rescue, including monthly food drives and rescuing millions of pounds of surplus food from local grocery stores and farms. The food is then distributed to agencies in western Missouri and eastern Kansas, such as Bishop Sullivan Center’s One City Cafe that experienced a 24 percent increase in demand for free meals this year compared to 2023. Kansas City Community Gardens is supporting these efforts by teaching residents to grow their own food, while donating produce to food pantries and feeding centers. Nonprofit leaders emphasize the need for continued funding to sustain their work as more people—both unhoused and housed—turn to these resources to make ends meet.
In addition to food insecurity, access to power is another pressing issue affecting hundreds of thousands of people in the U.S. The Navajo Nation’s Light Up Navajo program is transforming daily life in this remote desert region of the Southwest by connecting families to the electric grid for the first time. The program is helping families replace costly and unreliable generators and enabling basic conveniences like refrigeration and air conditioning. Despite powering nearly 850 homes since the program launched in 2019, more than 13,000 households still await electricity due to high costs, complex land rights, and lengthy environmental assessments. With pandemic relief funding dwindling, the Navajo Tribal Utility Authority is pursuing federal grants and considering launching a nationwide fundraising campaign, while expanding its network of volunteer utilities crews.
The Tufts Community Grants (TCG) program empowers local nonprofit organizations to address pressing needs in the community. TCG receives wide support from Tufts University employees through the Tufts Community Appeal, the university’s annual employee giving campaign. A 2023 grant helped the Elizabeth Peabody House expand its food pantry operations, while Project Citizenship used funding to provide free legal services for immigrants seeking U.S. citizenship. Through a matching gift initiative from the Cummings Foundation, TCG’s impact is amplified by tripling every dollar donated by employees. Programs like TCG pool resources and align donor priorities with community needs, enabling sustainable change and strengthening connections between anchor institutions and local communities.
