We feel really lucky at Kars4Kids. Because we get to help kids every single day. And the thing is, we’re not just helping the children enrolled in our own programs, but those enrolled in programs sponsored by a large number of other great organizations. We do this by way of our small grant program.

Our inbox is literally flooded with small grant applications. These organizations are asking for our help and of course, we can only honor so many of these requests so we vet them carefully. Our small grant team enjoys learning about the unusual and creative ways these organizations are getting kids up to scratch in their literacy and STEM skills or tackling problems like bullying, child abuse, and the dropout rate.

We try to not just give these organizations a handout, but to give them some PR as well. We do this by interviewing our small grantee CEOs and program directors on the good work that they do. Then we publish these pieces on our small grant website and share them on social media.

In the past couple of months, we gave grants to an org that helps Asian students get ahead; a branch of the Girl Scouts; a group that teaches kids about difficult topics by way of life-size Bunraku puppets; a Holocaust museum; a branch of an organization that teaches sportsmanship through positive reinforcement, but also teaches kids to be winners; and last but not least, an organization providing teachers and children from low-income homes with school supplies.

It’s quite an eclectic and interesting roundup of organizations doing truly original work! We’re proud to be able to extend the limits of what we can do for children by offering our assistance to others in this modest way. We feel blessed by the work and by the opportunity to do good: the opportunity to shape the future of America.