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Benj and Jessica launched a nonprofit. Follow our journey as we built a 501(c)(3) and a web site, and now usher in an endless stream of worthy charity nominees and monthly grant winners!

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End of the Road for Charitocracy USA

Final 3 winners of Charitocracy USA

Here we are at the end of the road for Charitocracy USA! What a wild ride the past 8 years have been. Thanks so much for being a part of it. While I'm looking forward to whatever's next for me (any ideas?!), I will miss Charitocracy as a big part of my identity and routine existence. No matter what else was happening in my life, good or bad, I could always reflect on the good Charitocracy was doing and be proud of it. I hope you felt the same.

Without further ado, here are the 3 worthy winners of our final 3 grants:

  1. $5000 to 1st place winner Maui Strong Fund @ Hawaii Community Foundation, nominated by donor carolinatim. They provide financial resources with a focus on rapid response and recovery for the devastating wildfires on Maui.
  2. $3000 to 2nd place winner Parents Against Tip-Overs, nominated by donor mom2angel. They increase the awareness and prevention of TV and furniture tip-over injuries and deaths.
  3. $2000 to 3rd place winner ProPublica, nominated by donor zardoz. They make independent news exposing abuses of power by government, business, and other institutions, using the moral force of investigative journalism.

I'll probably wait a little longer than usual to send these final grant funds out, because we're aiming to zero out our bank balances and might have a bit more we can add to these grants. No complaints on that I hope. 😉 The point of finishing up Halloween vs. New Year's Eve was to get all these loose ends tied up without spilling into another new fiscal year. So wish me luck! And again THANKS for everything. ❤️

September 2023 winner World Central Kitchen

Charitocracy's 85th check to September winner World Central Kitchen for $1800

We have good news about September winner World Central Kitchen, right after this important update...

Charitocracy is going out with a bang this month!

Here's everything you need to know for this last month of Charitocracy USA: there will be three grants instead of one! Vote as you normally would, including splitting your vote percentage-wise across multiple causes if you like. The main difference this month is that we won't write a check only to the top ranked cause. We'll also write checks to the 2nd and 3rd place finishers! Oh, yeah, and the grants will be bigger than usual. Final amounts TBD, but it's looking like they'll be at least this much:

In this final month we'll be awarding 3 grants totalling $10,000. $5000 to 1st ranked cause, $3000 to the 2nd ranked cause, and $2000 to the 3rd ranked cause.

Nominating new causes is already disabled. Voting will be disabled starting November 1st, and then I'll be archiving the site for posterity in a read-only mode. So at some point soon thereafter you won't be able to log in anymore. If you have any unfinished business on Charitocracy (though I can't imagine what that would be, other than casting your final votes) October is the time to do it!

September 2023 winner World Central Kitchen

Yesterday we named Charitocracy's 85th monthly winner. Congratulations to World Central Kitchen nominated by donor Stephanie, their third win over the years. They build resilient food systems with locally led solutions, providing meals in response to humanitarian crises. You can find their website here.

Now watch this 3 minute video about the farmers of Maui stepping up alongside WCK to feed their neighbors after the Lahaina fire, then feel good about your part in our collective $1800 grant to support their ongoing work!

Have a great October, and be sure to log into Charitocracy to update your votes. Remember, all three of the Top 3 will receive grants for this final month of Charitocracy!

Spotlight on nominee Maui Strong Fund

Nominee Maui Strong Fund

Next in our series of posts about new Charitocracy nominees, we have nominee Maui Strong Fund, nominated by donor carolinatim. They provide financial resources with a focus on rapid response and recovery for the devastating wildfires on Maui. You can find their web site here.

A few words on Charitocracy

If you're late to the party, here's how it works. Donors pool their monthly contributions, as little as $1. The cause with the most votes each month wins the pot. No matter how much or how little you contribute, each donor at Charitocracy gets one vote. This is where charity meets democracy.

But as you may have heard, Charitocracy rides off into the sunset at the end of 2023. Regardless, keep voting each month through October. Our grants will get bigger and bigger throughout the year as we empty out our coffers. It'll be business as usual in September, but then in October we'll award our final 3 grants!

About nominee Maui Strong Fund

The Maui Strong Fund is providing financial resources to support the immediate and long-term recovery needs for the people and places affected by the devastating Maui wildfires.

HCF is working in close collaboration with state and county leaders, nonprofit organizations, and community members to get an understanding of the quickly evolving priorities. HCF has a four phase approach to disaster response: click here.

HCF will not be collecting a fee for donations to the Maui Strong Fund; 100 percent of the funds will be distributed for community needs.

So please visit the page of Maui Strong Fund to vote for, like, or discuss this cause! And watch this news clip covering the devastation and the $33 million raised so far as of August 15.