FELLOWS
FELLOWS
FELLOWS
On the journey to award the Elevate Prize, we were introduced to many outstanding people making a difference in the world. As Fellows they receive:
$50,000.
Access to our expert networks and resources.
Support every step of the way to help them amplify their impact – and inspire others to take action too.
Meet our 5 inaugural Fellows and see how you can help them make an even more powerful difference.
Faisal Saeed al mutar
Extremism often takes hold because there are no other ideas challenging it. Faisal and the IBB team translate, share, promote ideas that are otherwise unavailable to Arab youth, empowering them with knowledge in authoritarian regimes and dictatorships. Their goal is to create a more modern, pluralistic Middle East.
“We are sharing fresh ideas with millions… I believe these ideas, this knowledge, will defeat ignorance and extremism more effectively than tanks and guns ever could.”
– Faisal Saeed Al Mutar
Salva Dut’s experience of civil war in Sudan, and growing up as a “lost boy” in refugee camps, gave him first-hand insight into the challenges people face. Challenges that he’s tackling from the ground up – literally – by helping communities drill water wells. To date, the organization has brought clean safe water to over 1,500,000 people – and it’s ready to do even more.
“They don’t have anything. And they need someone, a person – just a little thing – to open a door … to where they can change their whole lives by themselves.” Salva Dut
Salva dut
Brenda palms barber
Sweet Beginnings was created by Brenda Palms Barber (The “Bee Lady” of the West Side of Chicago), to help solve the problem of unemployment among Black men and women with criminal backgrounds. It offers jobs and training opportunities through its urban honey business – over 2,000 to date – restoring self-worth and dignity.
“As honeybees seek nectar without distinguishing between a weed or flower, Sweet Beginnings seeks to elevate the sweet and good within all to support productive employees, good parents, and civically engaged residents.” Brenda Palms Barber
Learn more about Sweet Beginnings, and support the mission by donating and treating yo’rself to some Beelove products.
Erica Ford and her organization, LIFE Camp, is on the front lines of intervening in the violence that plagues Black and Brown communities, helping people heal and giving them the tools to live, build, and thrive. LIFE Camp has developed a scalable model – the Crisis Management System – which combats the traumatic living conditions in target communities. The vision: to abolish the racist systems that perpetuate poverty, high unemployment, crime and marginalization. The proof: radically effective – 67% decline in homicides in 2017 alone. The approach: radically human – 100% community found and led.
“Right now, we can’t breathe. This work that I do, this project, is our oxygen mask. I will do this work until my last breath.”
Erica ford
Valter Cumbi
The majority of citizens of Mozambique live in remote areas where accessing healthcare can be a challenge. Source Code created health platform that can be accessed on any basic cell phone, free of charge, through all national operators. It delivers Ministry of Health (MOH) approved information, surveys and self-screenings, and creates reports for the MOH and partners. The outcome? Better health.
“[I am] trying to use my knowledge and experience to positively impact others’ lives”
WANT TO APPLY FOR 2021?
In preparation for next year, we invite you to learn more about the prize here and follow along on our social media channels.