Previous Partnerships and Projects

Center for Energy & Environmental Security

The Center for Energy & Environmental Security ("CEES") is a law-school based interdisciplinary research and outreach center at the University of Colorado at Boulder. CEES is a think and do organization which moves beyond research to create practical real-world strategies and solutions. Philanthropiece and CEES have entered an introductory partnership to work in collaboration with Mother's Acting Up in Guatemala. CEES' primary goal for the introductory partnership with Philanthropiece is to collaboratively create a blueprint for action in Guatemala that will reduce energy poverty and promote empowerment of women by increasing the availability of appropriate and sustainable energy technologies (i.e. efficient cook stoves, water pumping devices, agricultural processing devices, improved lighting) . The blueprint will integrate social, technological, and economic approaches to alleviating energy poverty and aim to create a political and legal environment in Guatemala that nurtures community-based and women-focused solutions to energy and environmental challenges. It is the hope that this blueprint will serve as the guiding document for future work in collaboration with Philanthropiece in Guatemala and can also be tailored for work in other communities and countries.

The White House Project

Women Rule! Leadership Training Program

Philanthropiece supported the Women Rule! Leadership Training Program presented by The White House Project. This three-day leadership training program was a contest designed for 80 women winners who demonstrated leadership potential and had a vision for what to do with it. Members of the Philanthropiece Advisory Board participated as judges for the contest. Capitalizing on the success of The White House Project's Vote, Run, Lead training model, Women Rule! will propel women to break through the barriers to their leadership and develop fully their vision for change. Women Rule! will reach women who are ready to step forward and lead in business, in philanthropy, in politics, in the community and in the public square. As boundaries between these spheres of influence become ever more permeable and people shift fields, professions and vocations with greater ease, The White House Project will take its proven formula "Inspire, Equip and Inform" and apply it to every arena where women want to lead. The outcome of the training was the creation of an individual Blueprint for Change for each participant. Every woman who completed Women Rule! was charged with executing her Blueprint after the training.

International Women Leaders Global Security Summit Gala

The International Women Leaders Global Security Summit was held on November 15-17, 2007 in New York, New York. A project of The Annenberg Foundation Trust at Sunnylands in partnership with The White House Project, the Council of Women World Leaders and the Women Leaders Intercultural Forum, this Summit and Gala brought together an international network of women leaders, including current and former heads of state and government, influential ministers and the leaders of intergovernmental and nongovernmental organizations committed to addressing global security issues. Since the end of the Summit, the Summit community has continued to take action to advance women's leadership on global security including the endorsement of a Call to Action. This Call to Action is a commitment to supporting effective policies that increase human and state security and challenge affronts to both. It identifies four issues on which to concentrate collective efforts toward global security, including: addressing the economics of insecurity; catalyze more effective responses to terrorism; mitigating the harmful effects of climate change; and fulfilling the responsibility to protect.

Coalition for Adolescent Girls

Philanthropiece has joined the Coalition for Adolescent Girls to create a Global Call to Action on behalf of adolescent girls to bring awareness and resources to effect worldwide change in the areas of child marriage, HIV/AIDS, Education and Economic Empowerment. The Coalition has recently identified the 8 most acute geographic areas in which to concentrate its efforts in order to document the extent of the problem and to develop successful program models.

Junior Philanthropy Programs

Together with The Community Foundation of Boulder County, Philanthropiece helps instill an ethic of philanthropy by educating students about the important work of nonprofit organizations both in the community and around the world. Through the Junior Philanthropy Art Contest, students are asked to create a piece of art work that depicts their vision of giving by highlighting a local nonprofit in their work. In doing so these artists both learn about their community as well as share with others, through their images, that when we work together we can all make an difference in our world. The 2008 Vision of Giving Art Contest was a huge success, with over 420 student projects submitted, over 200 different nonprofits highlighted, and nearly 1000 viewers at the temporary art gallery. Images of the winning art pieces from the contest can be viewed here, thomashowardimaging.com/jrphil/.

Philanthropiece also supports the 15 Forever Program in which youth aged 15 research and make grants to support nonprofits working on teen initiatives in the areas of mental health, cultural diversity and sexual health.

El Alma de Quetzal Vending Cart

El Alma de Quetzal, was a mobile vending cart on the Pearl Street Mall in Boulder, Colorado sponsored by Philanthropiece. Through our commitment of supporting our local community, Philanthropiece embarked on a two year endeavor that has now ended.  El Alma de Quetzal employed local, disadvantaged youth and brought awareness to and advocated for philanthropy and volunteerism in the community. Many Boulder County nonprofits featured their brochures and volunteer opportunities on the side of our cart. The cart served delicious, organic food and inspired many visitors to be involved in our local community.

Performers Without Borders

Performers Without Borders (PWB) is a student group based at the University of Colorado. Their mission is to utilize the communicative power of performance to inspire individuals to use their voice effectively in speaking out and acting on their local and global concerns. Philanthropiece partnered with PWB to broaden our scope of tools and resources that are available to empower the local community members where we work. PWB has conducted vocal empowerment workshops in Chajul, Guatemala, and with our Youth Global Leadership participants. Members of PWB travelled back to Chajul in the summer of 2010 to work with our on the ground partner, Limitless Horizons Ixil to further educate community members on cookstoves through the use of theatre and explored creating a more permanent theatre program.