Benetech Wins All Children Reading: A Grand Challenge for Development Grant to Improve Literacy for Primary School Students with Disabilities in India

We are delighted to share that USAID, World Vision, and the Australian Government awarded Benetech a 2015 grant to improve literacy for primary school students who are blind in India. The new grant, under the three partners’ All Children Reading: A Grand Challenge for Development literacy innovations competition, funds our proposed winning project to provide Indian students who are blind with mother tongue instruction and reading materials through Bookshare, our digital library of accessible books.

Strengthening Nonprofit Accountability: Notes on the Upcoming Changes to Federal Award Guidelines

Benetech is a nonprofit that receives federal funding in support of its work, and therefore our Finance team has had the opportunity to familiarize ourselves with the upcoming changes to federal award guidelines that will take effect in December. In this post, I’d like to share key issues we’ve learned, with the hope that our nonprofit peers find this account useful. We believe that it’s worth learning more about these changes now rather than being surprised later—and that it’s well worth aiming for a special status that will save you money on your audits.

Improving Education for All Students with 3D Printing

We are delighted to share that the Institute of Museum and Library Services (IMLS) has awarded Benetech a 2014 Laura Bush 21st Century Librarian Program grant to explore new ways in which 3D printing technology in libraries and museums can be used to improve learning and accessibility in a range of educational contexts.

FJC Supports Innovation at Benetech

I’m delighted to share that FJC—a New York-based foundation of donor advised funds—has recently made two philanthropic commitments that build unrestricted support for Benetech. The first is a $50,000 matching challenge-grant, the second a $350,000, five-year term endowment. This level of recognition from FJC is a great honor and we are deeply grateful for their helping us address our most significant philanthropic need.

Benetech Receives Funding from the John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation to Enhance the Martus™ Project for the Social Justice Sector

Benetech®, the leading Silicon Valley technology development nonprofit, announced today that it has received a $250,000 grant from the John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation to support the Martus™ Project, an innovative open source technology tool and support network assisting grassroots NGO workers worldwide to collect, safeguard and disseminate information on social justice violations. […]