Across our nearly 30 year history, Project People Foundation has launched several key initiatives that have positively impacted the lives of children and families:

THE BLACK DOLL PROJECT
1995 - Project People Foundation (PPF) distributed 16,000 new black dolls to black and brown children living in the townships of South Africa with the help of Helen Lieberman and Ikamva Labantu, a local community based organization in Cape Town, South Africa.
CRAFTING SOCIAL CHANGE
1996 - PPF expands its vision to empower black South African women in partnership with Ikamva Labantu. With support from the World Bank, this program trained and employed over 800 township women to produce high-quality household toys and decorative items.
U.S. / SOUTH AFRICA STUDENT EXCHANGE 
1996 - PPF launches its first student exchange, working closely with New York City high schools and other organizations, including the Frederick Douglass Academy in Harlem and Face to Face-Faith to Faith to offer youth in South Africa and New York an opportunity for travel and meaningful interaction with their international peers.
​AID-TO-AIDS CAMPAIGN
2000 - PPF launches Aid-To-AIDS in partnership with DDB Worldwide advertising agency, a campaign to raise public awareness about the AIDS crisis in S.A. and among minorities in the U.S. A series of beaded AIDS "red ribbon" pins were created by women in the township of South Africa. ​​
UNIFORMS 101
2004 - PPF's Crafting Social Change program, in collaboration with Basadi Pele Foundation (BPF), a community training and manufacturing site, produced over 3,000 new school uniforms and provided backpacks and school supplies for local students.
BUNDLES OF BRIGHTNESS
2015 - PPF kicked off Bundles of Brightness in collaboration with the founder of Innovation Africa, Sivan Yari, in South Africa and other townships and rural areas throughout Southern Africa. The program supported the installation of solar panels and provided lamps for local schools and homes in rural areas. Bundles also provided school uniforms and supplies to over 300 students.
UBUNTU PATHWAYS
2015 - PPF began allocating grants to Ubuntu Pathways, a dynamic community institution using a cradle-to-career approach to break the cycle for South Africa's most vulnerable children and families. Initiatives supported by PPF for the next nine years include: 

  • Ubuntu's Early Childhood Development Program (ECD) 
  • Ubuntu's Job Skills Training (JST) program and its small business simulator
  • Ubuntu Cafe
  • Ubuntu's Grandparent Outings Programs ​
THE GIVING CIRCLE
2016 - The PPF board created the Giving Circle to allocate funds to small not-for-profit organizations in New York City. Our goal in the U.S. was to provide grants to organizations that had an immediate need for initial and emergency funding. The Giving Circle gave a more streamlined allocation process to meet the needs of PPF grantees. 
  • Grandparents Around the World Writing Workshop (Bronx, NY)
  • Custom Collaborative (Harlem, NY)  
  • Neighborhood Women's Collective (Bronx, NY)
HARLEM HEBREW LANGUAGE ACADEMY - SPLASH FIT SWIM PARTNERSHIP
2018 - PPF launched a program with Splash Fit Swim Club and Harlem Hebrew Language Academy – Charter School. The goal was to provide swim lessons to Harlem and South Bronx students. Basic swimming instruction occurred in three pools throughout the boroughs of NYC.
GLIMMERS OF HOPE
2020 - As the world grappled with the Coronavirus pandemic, PPF developed an emergency grant initiative in response to the pandemic and the resulting economic fallout. Grants were awarded to the following:

  • Meals for Good (Harlem, NY). 
  • Harlem Hebrew Language Academy- Charter School (Harlem, NY)
  • Neighborhood Women's Collective (Harlem, NY)
  • Custom Collaborative (Harlem, NY)
  • RDG Refugee Shelter (Harlem, NY)
  • Ubuntu Pathways (Port Elizabeth, South Africa)
CONNECTING COMMUNITIES' INITIATIVE 
2022  - Project People Foundation, in collaboration with the United Jewish Federation NY (UJA), launched the Connecting Communities program. This circle of support expanded to include the Jewish Community Center of Harlem (JCC), Meals for Good, local churches, and community sponsors to provide food, clothing, and donations in-kind to support these local organizations.
HEBREW PUBLIC FESTIVAL OF HOLIDAYS EVENT
2022 - PPF provided a grant to support Hebrew Public and their year end festival celebrating holiday traditions across multiple cultures and faiths. 
THE SWIM PLUS SCHOLARSHIP PROGRAM
2023 - The PPF Swim Plus Scholarship Program expanded instruction to nearly 100 students in Harlem and the South Bronx. Community partners include the Splash Fit Swim program, Sisulu-Walker Charter School of Harlem, and Jewish Community Center - Harlem, with generous support from Bob and Sheila Friedland, other private donors, and the United Jewish Federation of New York (UJA). ​​
© 2020 by Project People Foundation.