How GoFundMe Became a $250 Million Lifeline After the L.A. Fires

For years, policymakers have debated different approaches to helping the poor , but new data offers resounding evidence for a strategy that works: an approach known as a “Graduation” program. This method offers participants a “productive asset” to generate income with training on how to use it, as well as the resources (such as healthcare, food, loans, and coaching) to maintain the asset while building a pathway out of poverty.

Infrastructure Development Company Limited (Idcol), a government-backed Bangladeshi energy and infrastructure group, is helping bring solar power to homes in rural Bangladesh that once relied on dangerous kerosene or expensive diesel for electricity. The keys to Idcol’s expansion are financing plans that cater to lower-income people, as well as partnerships with 56 grass-roots organizations like the microfinance institution Grameen. Solar energy is reliable, clean, and more cost effective in the long run, and has become a lifeline for low-income Bangladeshis living beyond access of the main grid.

A Rocha Kenya is an environmental organization that connects Christian conservationists around the world to protect endangered habitats and species with the both the power of prayer and practical conservation efforts. Today, the group is also working to train local farmers in new methods to protect the forest, focusing on topics like promoting soil health, increasing crop yields and reducing water usage.

An Oakland nonprofit incubator, The Runway Project, addresses racial and economic injustices in entrepreneurship by offering flexible loans for people of color and low-income individuals looking to start a business. Borrowers benefit from flexible loan terms and qualifications, both of which are usually barriers to entry for people of color in the business world.

Grants for women living in refugee camps have helped recipients start businesses and learn new skills, allowing them to improve their quality of life. Additionally, the women created an informal cooperative and take turns investing a percentage of proceeds from each successful business into another member’s business.

New Jersey schools are working to make climate education widespread by implementing general education standards that include climate change education in every grade and subject. These new education standards have been inspiring students to brainstorm solutions to climate-related issues like reducing food waste and increasing coastal resiliency. The state has also earmarked $5 million to help local teachers attend professional development sessions to teach them how to create new climate change-focused lesson plans.

Heat officers appointed by local city council and the Transform Freetown initiative work to make the city greener and more livable by helping residents cope with extreme heat, particularly women working as outdoor vendors. Local heat officers have introduced measures like installing cool pavements, mirrored roofing and planting trees to keep residents cool. In 2022, local city council installed shade covers to protect 2,300 street vendors from the heat and heavy rain in open-air markets.

Commitment to Kashmir (CtoK) incubates small cohorts of young craftspeople, providing financial resources, technology support, and mentorship to support the growth of their craft enterprises. Since its founding in 2010, CtoK has helped 37 people establish businesses within and despite the myriad challenges that exist in a conflict zone.

The Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Scheme (MGNREGA) is a job program that employs locals to work on climate resilience projects like building water security infrastructure to support local farms and communities. In the past year, with the help of the work from MGNREGA, local farms have come back to life, wells have been replenished and migratory birds have begun returning to the area.

Students at Catholic University of America in a net-zero design course are analyzing church structures and making suggestions for green improvements to address the climate crisis, reduce carbon emissions and support the Vatican’s Laudato Si’ mission to conserve energy and protect the planet. Though in its early days, the course has proven beneficial for U.S. dioceses, and students say it’s impacted the way they see architecture and design, and how it can have implications tied to the environment.