Imagine Learning Foundation Awards $400,000 in Imagine Signature Grants to Five Organizations Dedicated to Learner Well-Being Outside the Classroom

Scottsdale, Arizona, August 16, 2023 – Imagine Learning Foundation (ILF), the philanthropic initiative funded by Imagine Learning, a leading provider of digital curriculum solutions in the United States, today announced that it has awarded approximately $400,000 in 2023 Imagine Signature Grants to five organizations actively working to improve the well-being of learners beyond the classroom. ILF and these five nonprofits are dedicated to meeting the critical needs of young people and their families throughout the country.

With an initial contribution of $5 million, Imagine Learning created and funded ILF with one principal goal: to foster the well-being of learners and the people who support them at home and in their communities. The 2023 Imagine Signature Grants represent a 100% increase over the 2022 Signature Grants and underscores ILF’s commitment to investing in initiatives that address holistic student well-being, with an emphasis on mental health and personal development.

“At Imagine Learning, we understand that effective learning thrives in a safe and supportive environment – where learners are supported physically, mentally and emotionally,” said Jonathan Grayer, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of Imagine Learning. “Our vision for the Imagine Learning Foundation is to invest in and elevate organizations dedicated to delivering solutions to today’s issues for students and families beyond the classroom walls. It has been incredibly rewarding to witness the positive impact of our efforts to date. We will continue to play our part to support the enrichment and well-being of every learner on their journey to a brighter, successful future.”

The 2023 Imagine Signature Grant award winners are:

• WPSU (Penn State University Philanthropic Fund), founded in 1965, is a Pennsylvania-based public media station dedicated to sparking discovery, enriching learning and strengthening communities through vibrant public media. To expand on WPSU’s forerunner multimedia project, Speaking Grief, ILF awarded WPSU a $100,000 grant to support the creation of Learning Grief, a free website, supplemented with community workshops and at-home learning materials, that will teach understanding and skills to support grieving children. Bereavement is the most common, and often overlooked, trauma suffered by children, and closely tied to poor academic performance. Learning Grief will provide age-appropriate lessons to help children navigate emotions dealing with grief and teach families and communities how to recognize grief and support children to deal with this trauma.

• Our Minds Matter (OMM), founded in 2012, is a Virginia-based national nonprofit dedicated to fostering a world where no teen dies by suicide, and where all teens can seek help to become their healthiest and best selves. OMM implements student-led clubs where teens participate in activities designed to promote help-seeking behavior, positive coping skills, and other proactive suicide prevention efforts. OMM currently serves approximately 3,000 students in over 150 schools nationwide. ILF awarded OMM a $100,000 grant to support expansion into 20 new schools across the country. 

• Genesys Works, founded in Houston, Texas in 2002, is a national nonprofit dedicated to providing young adults in underserved communities with access to skills training, meaningful paid work opportunities, and impactful mentorship to help support each learner’s career path and individual upward mobility. ILF awarded Genesys Works with an $83,000 grant to implement new evaluation tools designed to measure changes in students’ adaptive mindset and career readiness for their 2024 and 2025 graduating classes.

• Big Sky Youth Empowerment Program (BYEP), founded in 2001, is a Montana-based nonprofit dedicated to providing teenagers in Montana with group mentorship, experiential adventures, and life skills curriculum designed to foster success and help them become contributing members of society. ILF awarded BYEP a $58,000 grant to develop an age-appropriate suicide prevention and awareness curriculum as well as fund professional development for the BYEP team to assist teens who are experiencing a heightened state of crisis.

• Erika’s Lighthouse, founded in 2004, is an Illinois-based national nonprofit dedicated to raising awareness and providing school professionals with free resources to educate youth, their families, and the community about adolescent depression while breaking down the stigma surrounding mental health. Erika’s Lighthouse was an inaugural Imagine Signature Grant recipient in 2022, and ILF is renewing their commitment in 2023 with an additional $50,000 grant to further expand upon the family engagement program that ILF previously supported. The new funding will allow Erika’s Lighthouse to increase their marketing efforts and staff capacity to fully engage more school communities and ensure all of Erika’s Lighthouse’s resources, including the family engagement program, are available to students across the country.

ILF received 450% more grant applications for the 2023 Imagine Signature Grant funding cycle. This significant increase in year two of the program underscores both the pressing needs of many organizations throughout the country for mission-critical resources and ILF’s willingness to invest in these programs. After a thorough review of compelling proposals by many worthy applicants, these five organizations were selected and awarded the resources requested to meet their project’s funding needs.  

“All of us at the Imagine Learning Foundation were thrilled with the extraordinary surge in applications from qualified nonprofits devoted to supporting the well-being of learners outside of the classroom,” said Chris Graham, Chairman and President of the Imagine Learning Foundation. “The remarkable response reaffirms our commitment to impacting the lives of thousands of learners through targeted funding to amplify the tremendous efforts of organizations such as WPSU, Our Minds Matter, Genesys Works, BYEP, and Erika’s Lighthouse. We are proud to partner with these deserving organizations and we look forward to supporting them in their commendable endeavors.”

In addition to the Imagine Signature Grants, ILF has reserved funds to award a number of Grassroots Grants to employee-recommended regional organizations that focus on learner well-being and digital education equity in out-of-classroom learning spaces in Imagine Learning employees’ local communities. The Grassroot Grants will be announced later this year.

To learn more about the Imagine Learning Foundation and the Imagine Signature Grant winners, visit imaginelearningfoundation.org.

About Imagine Learning Foundation

Imagine Learning Foundation is a non-profit organization focused on fostering the well-being of learners and the people who support them at home and in their communities. Established in 2021, the Imagine Learning Foundation funds a variety of grants to mission-aligned national non-profit organizations that support initiatives to foster well-being of youth, families, and educators with an emphasis on accelerating student achievement. Imagine Learning Foundation is the philanthropic initiative of Imagine Learning, the largest provider of digital curriculum solutions in the U.S. Additional information is available at imaginelearningfoundation.org.