Points of Light Civic Accelerator Launches Fall 2016 Cohort, Focused on Educational and Workforce Success for Detroit Area Youth

The Points of Light Civic Accelerator – the first national accelerator dedicated to investing in civic ventures – announced today the 15 ventures selected to participate in its Fall 2016 program. These civic start-ups include for-profits and nonprofits focused on increasing educational outcomes and workforce success for youth in the Detroit and Great Lakes region.

“As a Founding Supporter of the Civic Accelerator, we are proud to have helped more than 175 entrepreneurs access the tools and resources they need to scale their ventures,” shared Shannon Schuyler, president of the PwC Charitable Foundation, Inc. “We congratulate the 15 newly selected teams and are excited for the opportunity to watch them grow over the next few months.”

The 15 teams will gather in Detroit on October 11 for the start of an intensive, 10-week entrepreneur boot camp that includes mentoring, education, peer support and networking. Points of Light will offer two of the most promising ventures – as selected by the entrepreneurs themselves – a $50,000 investment following the conclusion of the program. This will be the eighth cohort of the Civic Accelerator since its founding in 2012.

Application and selection committees screened more than 200 social ventures from across the country and reviewed 58 curated applications before selecting the 15 ventures in this cohort. They represent a range of sectors and approaches to education and workforce development for disconnected youth in Detroit, the Great Lakes, and from across the U.S. The solutions are diverse – including alternative learning models, youth education and technical skills training, and tech-enabled workforce development platforms – to help young people achieve educational success, living wage jobs and economic mobility.

“We know that young adults need workforce-ready skills to fully participate in the new economy, and Detroit employers, foundations and community leaders are committed to help connect young people to the emerging opportunities in the region,” said Ayesha Khanna, founder of the Points of Light Civic Accelerator. “We are proud to support, along with our funders and partners, such promising ventures to turn current trends around, by improving educational outcomes and workforce success for the young people in Detroit and the Great Lakes region.”

“The Ford Motor Company Fund is thrilled to have played an integral part in bringing the Points of Light Civic Accelerator to Detroit with its focus on Opportunity Youth,” said Jim Vella, president, Ford Motor Company Fund. “We look forward to supporting the diverse social entrepreneurs to scale innovative solutions to address education and workforce challenges faced by youth in Detroit and the Great Lakes region. Detroit’s robust entrepreneurial community and history of innovation is the perfect environment to host Cohort 8.”

The civic startups participating in the Civic Accelerator Fall 2016 program represent California, Florida, Illinois, Massachusetts, Michigan, New Jersey, and New York. They are:

ALEX (Boston, MA, For-profit), Anyone’s Learning Experience is a marketplace of college courses for career advancement.

Atlantic Impact (Detroit, MI, Nonprofit) uses local and global travel to improve outcomes for students attending high poverty schools.

BLOC (Franklin Lakes, NJ, For-profit) is a professional network that unites black college students so that they can collectively rise.

Detroit Food & Entrepreneurship Academy (Detroit, MI, Nonprofit) develops Detroit high school students as leaders through entrepreneurship rooted in food.

Detroit Training Center (Detroit, MI, For-profit) teaches the skills necessary to match students with high paying jobs through customized, hands-on vocational programs of study.

Fletch (Chicago, IL, For-profit) helps colleges increase utilization of student support services including tutoring, advising, and financial aid.

Flying Classroom (Opa-Locka, FL, For-profit) is a real Magic School Bus offering expeditions around the globe and making it easy for teachers to engage students with STEM+ learning.

GenFKD (New York, NY, Nonprofit) prepares students to thrive in the 21st century through on-campus skill development programs.

Grow Detroit’s Young Talent (Detroit, MI, Nonprofit) provides Detroit youth with paid summer employment and training opportunities.

Henry Ford Learning Institute (Dearborn, MI, Nonprofit) empowers young people to be more innovative and creative in how they think and learn.

The Impact Lab (Chicago, IL, For-profit) provides open source data and analytics to connect action to outcomes for service providers and funders in the social sector.

JOURNi (Detroit, MI, Nonprofit) empowers underrepresented and underserved Detroiters through coding and software development instruction.

Overgrad (Chicago, IL, For-profit) is a web platform for high school students and the people that support them.

Skill Scout (Chicago, IL, For-profit) transforms how companies and candidates experience each other through video job posts and engaging work sample applications.

WeThrive (Santa Monica, CA, Nonprofit) is an entrepreneurial mentoring program that pairs college students to middle school students in under-resourced communities.

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About Points of Light
Points of Light – the world’s largest organization dedicated to volunteer service – mobilizes millions of people to take action that is changing the world. Through affiliates in 250 cities and partnerships with thousands of nonprofits and corporations, Points of Light engages more than 4 million volunteers in 30 million hours of service each year – we put people at the center of change. For more information, go to www.pointsoflight.org.

About the Points of Light Civic Accelerator

The Points of Light Civic Accelerator is the first accelerator program and investment fund in the country focused on “civic ventures” – for-profit and nonprofit startups that solve social problems by including people as part of the solution. The three-month, boot camp-style program convenes 10-15 teams in person and online with the goal of equipping each startup to seek investments and scale their social innovation. The Civic Accelerator was launched in 2012, in partnership with Village Capital, and receives generous support from founding partners PwC Charitable Foundation and The Starbucks Foundation, and from the Ford Motor Company Fund, U.S. Small Business Administration, Dentons US LLP, Singing for Change and official hotel sponsor, Hilton Worldwide. Visit cvcx.org for more information or follow the accelerator on Twitter at @civicacceleratr and across social media at #CIVICX.

About PwC Charitable Foundation, Inc.
The PwC Charitable Foundation, Inc., a section 501(c)(3) organization, makes charitable contributions to the people of PwC in times of financial hardship, and to nonprofit organizations that support and promote education and humanitarianism.

About Starbucks

Since 1971, Starbucks Coffee Company has been committed to ethically sourcing and roasting high-quality arabica coffee. Today, with more than 24,000 stores around the globe, Starbucks is the premier roaster and retailer of specialty coffee in the world. Through our unwavering commitment to excellence and our guiding principles, we bring the unique Starbucks Experience to life for every customer through every cup. To share in the experience, please visit our stores or online at news.starbucks.com and Starbucks.com.

About Ford Motor Company Fund

Ford Motor Company Fund and Community Services (Ford Fund) is the philanthropic arm of Ford Motor Company. Established in 1949, Ford Fund is a charitable, nonprofit corporation financed by contributions from Ford Motor Company. Ford Fund has invested $1.5 billion in nonprofits and civic organizations worldwide, expanding on the company’s 113-year legacy of corporate citizenship by helping build stronger communities with a focus on Community Life, Education, Safe Driving and Volunteerism.

Points of Light to Commemorate 15th Anniversary of 9/11 Through Community-based Projects on National Day of Service and Remembrance

Commemorating the 15^th anniversary of 9/11 and as part of the 9/11 National Day of Service and Remembrance, Points of Light – the world’s largest organization dedicated to volunteer service – will launch a series of community-based service projects and a storytelling project curating profiles and stories of 9/11 responders and service members. Projects include a mobilization of 15,000 volunteers nationwide to participate in service events involving and honoring members of the military and veterans, a service project at the Washington Monument in the nation’s capital, and packing a half million meals for those in need in New York City.

In 30 communities across the country, volunteers – members of the military, veterans, first responders and their families serving alongside community members and corporate employees – will engage in projects with Points of Light’s Military Initiatives team, coming together to participate in service events designed to honor first responders, veterans and service members

Those who are not part of these events can still participate in the Day of Service:

Find 9/11 service opportunities in your communities at www.pointsoflight.org/911day.
Post stories and photos of 9/11 responders and service members, or show how you’re serving using #911Day and #HonoringService. These stories will post to a gallery on the Points of Light 911 Day web page.

In Washington, D.C., on Sept. 10, volunteers of all ages will gather on the National Mall for a Volunteer Service Fair, where they will participate in eight mini-service projects, each sponsored by a nonprofit and benefiting members of the military and veterans. During the event, Points of Light will honor Jose Martinez with a Daily Point of Light award for his work with The Mission Continues. Martinez leads a team of service-minded veterans who have dedicated more than 900 hours to volunteering in their community. The Service Fair is hosted in partnership with Points of Light affiliate Volunteer Fairfax and is sponsored by Booz Allen Hamilton and the Corporation for National and Community Service.

In New York, more than 80 new AmeriCorps VISTAs with ServiceWorks – a joint youth development program from AmeriCorps, the Citi Foundation and Points of Light – will participate in three events tied to 9/11 Day.

On Sept. 9, Points of Light CEO Tracy Hoover and third-year ServiceWorks Los Angeles VISTA Alonzo Warren, will join Corporation for National and Community Service CEO Wendy Spencer and other champions of service to ring the Opening Bell at the New York Stock Exchange.
On Sept. 10, the VISTAs will participate in the Opportunity Nation Summit, where they will officially be sworn in by Gen. (Ret.) Stanley McChrystal.
Culminating the weekend on Sunday, Sept. 11, the AmeriCorps VISTA members’ first official act of duty will be at New York’s Pier 36 with 9/11 Day organizers and MyGoodDeed. Representing the 14 ServiceWorks host cities around the country, they’ll lead thousands of New York volunteers as part of an effort across the city to pack more than 500,000 meals for those in need.

In Philadelphia, Points of Light affiliate Jersey Cares is partnering with the Starbuck’s “Let’s Serve Together” initiative to engage community volunteers in a variety of revitalization projects at the West Philadelphia Community Center, which has for 75 years provided programs and services to all members of the community and empowered Philadelphia’s youth to become positive citizens and community leaders.

With a quarter of the U.S. population under the age of 18, many of today’s youth weren’t alive when the events around 9/11 occurred. generationOn and Points of Light are teaming up to help youth learn, act, and reflect on 9/11 National Day of Service and Remembrance, with tools and resources from GenerationOn to help talk about the events of 9/11 and plan a project.

The Global Unity Games – a virtual campaign run by the Compassion Games designed to bring about unity in communities worldwide through compassion and service – kicks off on Sept. 10 in Washington, D.C., as Points of Light passes a virtual torch to MyGoodDeed and 9/11 Day organizers in New York City, and continues through Sept. 21, the International Day of Peace. Join in by using #CompassionUnites.

About Points of Light

Points of Light – the world’s largest organization dedicated to volunteer service – inspires, equips and mobilizes millions of people to take action that is changing the world. Through affiliates in 250 cities across more than 30 countries and partnerships with thousands of nonprofits and corporations, Points of Light engages 4 million volunteers in 30 million hours of service each year. For more information, go to www.pointsoflight.org.

About Booz Allen Hamilton

Booz Allen Hamilton has been at the forefront of strategy, technology, and engineering for more than 100 years. Booz Allen partners with public and private sector clients across the globe to solve their most difficult challenges. To learn more, visit www.boozallen.com. (NYSE: BAH)

About the Corporation for National and Community Service

The Corporation for National and Community Service is a federal agency that engages more than five million Americans in service each year through Senior Corps, AmeriCorps, and other programs; improves communities through the Social Innovation Fund; and leads President Obama’s national call to service initiative, United We Serve. For more information, visit www.nationalservice.gov.

2,500 GM Employees Volunteer in Detroit’s Cody Rouge Community

Thousands of GM employees are donating their time and talent to board up vacant homes, clean empty lots, spruce up streets and tackle other neighborhood and school improvements throughout Detroit’s Cody Rouge community. Starting yesterday, the week-long transformation will culminate at an Employee and Community Family Fun Day, where employee volunteers will distribute backpacks filled with school supplies to neighborhood children. Employee volunteers assembled these backpacks earlier in June, during the GM-sponsored service project at the Points of Light Conference on Volunteering and Service at Detroit’s Cobo Center.

“GM’s employees made great progress two years ago and now we are returning to work with residents and community leaders to create a safer, sustainable neighborhood where families and businesses can thrive,” said Heidi Magyar, director of GM Community Outreach.

The driving force behind these service projects is teamGM Cares, a company-wide volunteerism initiative involving GM employees at all levels that is partnering with the Cody Rouge Community Action Alliance (CRCAA), Cody High School and other corporations.

The CRCAA and residents have been working with GM and The Skillman Foundation on a months-long project to determine the community’s needs and develop plans. “Our organization has been working for 10 years to create a strong, sustainable community for residents and businesses,” says Kenyetta Campbell, CRCAA executive director. “We are excited to partner with GM to help amplify our work.”

GM’s improvements to Cody High will include a concession stand, fitness park, dugout, soccer field, pavilion and a complete field cleaning.

Other partners working with GM in Cody Rouge include Quicken Loans, DTE Energy, The Skillman Foundation, PwC, Roncelli, Inc., and Oak Pointe Church. Their projects will include:

Quicken Loans: Employee volunteers will clean and paint boarded-up vacant structures and renovate the walking path at Rouge Park
DTE Energy: Deploying DTE Care Force employee volunteers to support board-up efforts by clearing trees, assessing utilities and service reliability and by planting new trees in the neighborhood
The Skillman Foundation: Providing logistical support to all employee volunteers
PwC: Cleaning and painting at Cody High School
Roncelli, Inc.: Project management oversight
Oak Pointe Church: Strong partner of Cody High School providing onsite support

General Motors Co. (NYSE:GM, TSX: GMM) and its partners produce vehicles in 30 countries, and the company has leadership positions in the world’s largest and fastest-growing automotive markets. GM, its subsidiaries and joint venture entities sell vehicles under the Chevrolet, Cadillac, Baojun, Buick, GMC, Holden, Jiefang, Opel, Vauxhall and Wuling brands. More information on the company and its subsidiaries, including OnStar, a global leader in vehicle safety, security and information services, can be found at www.gm.com.

About Points of Light

Points of Light and The Walt Disney Company Call for Daily Point of Light Award Nominations for Families

Points of Light and The Walt Disney Company will celebrate the impact of family volunteering across the nation by honoring exemplary family volunteers with a Daily Point of Light Award. The award recognizes their commitment to volunteering as a family. The call for nominations opens today and nominations will be reviewed on an ongoing basis through October 7. Awards will be presented during the months and days leading up to Family Volunteer Day on November 19. Disney, a proud supporter of the Daily Point of Light Award and Family Volunteer Day, has worked with Points of Light for more than 20 years to help mobilize the nation into action through volunteerism and service.

“We believe the more Daily Point of Light Award stories we are able to share about the different ways people can be a Point of Light, the closer we get to everyone seeing themselves in these stories so they, too, can become inspired and equipped to take action that changes the world,” said Delores Morton, President of Programs, Points of Light. “Together, we will realize the Points of Light vision – one day, every person will discover their power to make a difference, creating healthy communities in vibrant, participatory societies.”

The Daily Point of Light award celebrates the power of people to spark change and improve the world. Honored families will be featured on pointsoflight.org, receive media support and a certificate signed by President George H. W. Bush, who started the award 25 years ago. These honorees will join previous Daily Point of Light Award honorees, like a family of eight that was honored for their collective efforts to revitalize a community center and a husband and wife who received their Daily Point of Light Award at the White House in honor of their work fighting hunger.

Family Volunteer Day is powered by generationOn, the youth service division of Points of Light. The Day encourages families to volunteer together to help strengthen their neighborhoods, communities and the world. Each year, thousands of families use the day to teach children valuable real-life lessons about compassion and caring. The families that we will select to receive the Daily Point of Light Award will offer inspiration and concrete ideas for other families who want to make a difference in their communities.

“Service is a great way to help bring families together while taking action to make the world a better place,” said Kathy Saulitis, SVP, generationOn. “Research shows that volunteering benefits kids, families and communities and is a powerful way to teach youth valuable real-life lessons about empathy and caring. We are excited to recognize the power of families who volunteer together with these special Daily Point of Light Awards.”

Award nominations for family volunteers can be submitted online through Friday, October 7, 2016, at pointsoflight.org/programs/recognition/dpol/nomination. To be eligible, family members must be U.S. citizens or residents and engage in nonpaid volunteer service for at least six consecutive months, except in the case of disaster or crisis services. Nominees will be evaluated based upon their impact on a community need and their potential to serve as a model for other families interested in volunteering together. For complete details about award criteria and to learn about previous honorees, visit pointsoflight.org/dailypointoflight.

About Points of Light:

Points of Light – the largest organization in the world dedicated to volunteer service – mobilizes millions of people to take action that is changing the world. Through affiliates in 250 cities and partnerships with thousands of nonprofits and corporations, Points of Light engages more than 4 million volunteers in 30 million hours of service each year. We bring the power of people to bear where it matters most. For more information, go to pointsoflight.org.

About generationOn:

generationOn, the youth division of Points of Light, is dedicated to providing programs and resources that support the development of caring, compassionate and capable kids and teens, through service, empowering them to become change makers in their communities and the world. For more information, visit generationon.org.

Points Of Light Honors Changemakers in Detroit at Annual Conference on Volunteering and Service

Points of Light awarded three inspirational changemakers from around the country with the Daily Point of Light Award at the 2016 Points of Light Conference on Volunteering and Service. Among the awards was a posthumous recognition of the late Muhammad Ali, Olympic professional boxer and world champion humanitarian, activist and philanthropist. Lonnie Ali, his wife, accepted the Daily Point of Light award in his honor.

“In unique and powerful ways, each of these individuals has changed hearts and minds, and lives building more vibrant and compassionate communities around the world,” said Tracy Hoover, CEO, Points of Light. “Their passion and dedication will always be recognized as bright points of light.”

Daily Point of Light awards were also given to recognize Yara Shahidi, who is the co-star of the hit TV show “Black-ish,” and a scholar and philanthropist. Veronika Scott, CEO of The Empowerment Plan, also received the award for her innovative design of a coat that transforms into a sleeping bag to provide shelter to the homeless and, through its production, provide jobs to homeless parents in Detroit. They join nearly 6,000 honorees since the award’s creation.

Point of Light Awards are given five days a week to honor individuals and groups creating meaningful change in communities, often providing long-term solutions to social problems. President George H. W. Bush was the first president in American history to institute a daily presidential recognition program from the White House. In 2013, the 5,000^thaward was presented at a special ceremony at the White House with President Barack Obama and President George H. W. Bush co-presenting. Today, Points of Light awardees still receive a signed certificate and letter from President Bush. In 2014, this nonpartisan award was adopted by the Prime Minister of the United Kingdom where over 500 British citizens have now been recognized for their extraordinary volunteer efforts.

About Points of Light

About the Conference on Volunteering and Service

Points of Light’s Conference on Volunteering and Service is the world’s largest service-related convening of nonprofit, government, business and civic leaders. With The UPS Foundation and JPMorgan Chase as the title sponsors, the 2016 Points of Light Conference on Volunteering and Service was held June 27 – June 29 at the Cobo Center in Detroit, Michigan. For more information, go to www.volunteeringandservice.org and follow us at #ServiceUnites or on Facebook.

Most Civic-Minded Companies Show Community Engagement Linked To Corporate Success

America’s largest corporations are increasingly turning good intentions into sound business practices. That’s the promising bottom-line from an analysis of the 2016 Civic 50, the annual Points of Light initiative that recognizes and honors the 50 most community-minded companies in America. In the continuing shift to go beyond checkbook philanthropy, this year’s Civic 50 honorees affirm the trend that companies are supporting community engagement through policies, core business functions, and incentives that indicate sustainable long-term commitment to addressing community challenges.

“We are at the beginning of a boom in corporate social responsibility,” said Neil Bush, chairman of the board of Points of Light, the largest organization in the world dedicated to volunteer service. “Corporations are putting policies in place that prioritize connection with communities. They’re seeing a positive effect through meaningful engagement with community members, increases in employee satisfaction and morale, and positive feedback from consumers.”

“This year’s Civic 50 honorees demonstrate how much they value the relationships they have with the communities in which they do business, and truly understand how important purpose is to both their employees and consumers,” said Tracy Hoover, CEO of Points of Light. “They are as results oriented in their corporate citizenship as they are in their bottom line: 78% are measuring the social impact of their community involvement and 90% solicit community feedback through focus groups or community meetings.”

Key highlights from the 2016 Civic 50 include:

A combined 10,300,000 volunteer hours and $1,800,000,000 contributed to communities around the country from the 2016 Civic 50 companies
One out of every four volunteer hours in 2016 were skills-based
90% of all Civic 50 companies actively solicited feedback through focus groups or community meetings
56% included community engagement in employees’ performance reviews
74% used community engagement to support their diversity and inclusion goals

The 2016 honorees will be recognized at an awards luncheon in Detroit, Michigan, during the Points of Light Conference on Volunteering and Service. The Civic 50 honorees for 2016, in alphabetical order, are:

AbbVie
Adobe Systems Incorporated
Aetna Inc.
Alcoa
Altria *Consumer Staples Sector Leader
Apollo Education Group
AT&T *Communications Sector Leader
Baxter International Inc.
Caesars Entertainment
Capital One
Citi
Comcast NBCUniversal
Comerica Incorporated
CSAA Insurance Group, a AAA Insurer
Deloitte
Dr Pepper Snapple Group
Eli Lilly and Company
Entergy
FedEx Corporation
Ford Motor Company
Freeport-McMoRan *Materials Sector Leader
General Mills
Hasbro, Inc. *Consumer Discretionary Sector Leader
Health Care Service Corporation
Hewlett Packard *Technology Sector Leader
IHS
Intel Corporation
KeyBank
KPMG LLP *Industrials Sector Leader
MGM Resorts International
Motorola Solutions, Inc.
Pacific Gas and Electric Company *Utilities Sector Leader
PIMCO
Prudential Financial Inc.
PwC
Raytheon Company
S&P Global
SAP
State Street Corporation
Steelcase
Symantec Corporation
The Hershey Company
Time Warner Inc.
Toyota Financial Services *Financials Sector Leader
TSYS
UnitedHealth Group *Health Care Sector Leader
UPS
Valero Energy Corporation *Energy Sector Leader
Verizon
Wells Fargo

Now in its fourth year, The Civic 50 survey evaluates participating companies based on four dimensions: investment, integration, institutionalization, and impact.

Trends from the 2016 Civic 50 include:

The 2016 Civic 50 companies are translating good intentions into sound business practices. They achieve this by shaping strategies and policies to prioritize meaningful engagement with communities. In fact, the most growth in this year’s Civic 50 cohort was in the dimensions that emphasize connecting community engagement with core business functions (Integration), creating a culture of community engagement (Institutionalization), and measuring impact (Impact), while the Investment dimension remains strong.
Civic 50 companies are increasingly connecting purpose with profit. The top five business functions that Civic 50 community engagement programs support are: diversity and inclusion, marketing/PR, skills development, stakeholder relations and employee engagement. 74% of Civic 50 companies have a formal strategy that uses community engagement to support diversity and inclusion goals, an increase from 62% in 2014. 50% use community engagement to support skill development for employees, an increase from 46% in 2014.
Companies are building a culture of community engagement. Civic 50 companies are doing the hard work of building more community-minded companies by adopting policies, systems and incentives to support community engagement. For example, 56% of Civic 50 companies included community engagement as a formal written component of employees’ performance reviews to emphasize community engagement as a key value. This is an increase from 50% in 2014. Additionally, 90% of Civic 50 companies have a formal, structured effort to actively solicit community feedback such as a survey, focus group or community meeting.
Companies are using time and talent to accelerate social impact through skills-based volunteering. Recognizing the value of contributing time and talent to community organizations, Civic 50 companies are increasingly maximizing the impact of community engagement through skills-based volunteering. Nearly 25% of employee volunteer hours at Civic 50 companies is skills-based, an increase from 20% in 2014.
Measuring impact is the key to ensuring impactful and sustainable community engagement programs. Companies continue to evaluate community engagement programs by measuring what matters: business and social impact. 78% of Civic 50 companies formally measure the social impact of at least one aspect of their community engagement. 40% measured the outcome of their volunteer programs, an increase from 36% in 2014. 50% measure the business impact of their community engagement work on diversity and inclusion goals, and 42% measure the impact on employee engagement.

Points of Light has published a report with full analysis of the 2016 Civic 50 data, best practices and thought-leader essays. The report, titled The 2016 Civic 50: Turning Good Intentions into Sound Business Practices, and a corresponding infographic, are available at www.Civic50.org

Any company with annual revenue of $1 billion or more is invited to participate in The Civic 50. A panel of academic advisors partnered to strengthen Civic 50 survey content, questions and evaluation. The survey was administered by True Impact and analyzed by VeraWorks.

The Civic 50 is an alphabetical listing but this year’s survey also ranked the top scoring companies across 10 sectors: communications, consumer discretionary, consumer staples, energy, financials, health care, industrials, materials, technology and utilities. Sector leaders are marked above.

About Points of Light

Points of Light, the world’s largest organization dedicated to volunteer service, mobilizes millions of people to take action that is changing the world. Through affiliates in 250 cities and partnerships with thousands of nonprofits and corporations, Points of Light engages four million volunteers in 30 million hours of service each year. We bring the power of people where it’s needed most. For more information, visit www.pointsoflight.org.

About True Impact

True Impact provides web-based tools and consulting support to help organizations measure the social, financial, and environmental return on investment (ROI) of their programs and operations. For more information, visit www.trueimpact.com.

About VeraWorks

VeraWorks is a global consulting firm that helps managers and companies offer employees the opportunity to do societal good through their everyday jobs. For more information, visit www.veraworks.com.

Two Startups Addressing Digital and Financial Inclusion Each Receive $50,000 Investments from the Points of Light Civic Accelerator

The Points of Light Civic Accelerator announced today that it will invest $50,000 each in New York On Tech and PYT Funds – one nonprofit and one for-profit startup. Both are creating greater opportunities for all to succeed in the digital economy by launching new models to increase financial and digital inclusion.

“With the support of our corporate partners, faculty and mentors, we helped accelerate 13 leading impact entrepreneurs from across the country who are increasing opportunities for underserved, underbanked, and underemployed individuals and families. We are excited to see the results from our 87 graduated teams who have so far generated $31.5 million dollars in revenue and reached 4.2 million individuals to solve social problems. Together, we are disrupting what it means to be an engaged citizen and are pleased to welcome these innovators to the Points of Light network.” – Ayesha Khanna

The Civic Accelerator is the first accelerator and investment fund in the country focused on “civic ventures” – for-profit and nonprofit startups that include people as part of the solution to critical social problems. The goal of the accelerator is to equip each startup to seek investments and scale their social innovations.

The investment came at the end of the program’s seventh boot-camp-style startup program and investment fund. Initially launched in 2012, The Civic Accelerator receives generous support from the PwC Charitable Foundation, a founding partner, and Capital One. These two sponsors are joined by Vodaphone, Dentons US LLP, Singing for Change and official hotel sponsor, Hilton Worldwide.

For the Spring 2016 program, the Civic Accelerator convened 13 startups over 10 weeks for three in-person, boot camp sessions in Atlanta, San Francisco and Washington DC, in addition to an in-depth virtual curriculum. The participants themselves selected the two ventures that will receive $50,000 investments.

We have evolved our approach to focus on design challenges which allows us to refine the accelerator’s model to convene like-minded founders, mentors and partners concentrated on one issue area. The ventures are diverse and include models driven by financial technology, mobile applications, and innovative software. Others seek to empower communities through workforce development, job skills training and financial literacy.

New York On Tech, a nonprofit based in New York City, is committed to creating pathways into the technology industry for underrepresented students.

“New York On Tech is honored that the Spring 2016 cohort selected us for the $50K non-profit investment. We are elated to be a part of the CivicX family with ventures that are leaving a lasting impact in the communities they serve,” shared New York on Tech co-founders Jessica Santana and Evin Robinson.

PYT Funds Inc. (Pay Your Tuition), a Silver Spring, Maryland, based for-profit, is a debt reductions model for student loans that funds the gap for education at lower interest rates by using predictive data to assess risk.

“PYT Funds is happy that Points of Light and our fellow peers selected our team for the investment,” shared Stacie Whisonant, PYT Funds CEO and Founder. “As we ramp up to help as many students as possible this summer, this investment will support our growth to build additional technology infrastructure to capture our target market.”

Ayesha Khanna, founder of the Points of Light Civic Accelerator, added: “With the support of our corporate partners, faculty and mentors, we helped accelerate 13 leading impact entrepreneurs from across the country who are increasing opportunities for underserved, underbanked, and underemployed individuals and families. We are excited to see the results from our 87 graduated teams who have so far generated $31.5 million dollars in revenue and reached 4.2 million individuals to solve social problems. Together, we are disrupting what it means to be an engaged citizen and are pleased to welcome these innovators to the Points of Light network.”

In its fourth year, the Civic Accelerator has invested $700,000 in U.S.-based social entrepreneurs and has paired 87 teams with more than 150 mentors, partners and strategic advisors.

The graduated ventures in the Spring 2016 Class are:

Autism Expressed (Philadelphia, PA, For-profit) is a learning platform teaching marketable skills to empower individuals with disabilities like autism.

Benefit Kitchen (Brooklyn, NY, For-profit) is a benefit screening and financial literacy tool that provides to-the-dollar eligibility information to low-income families who need help making ends meet.

Credit Do (New York, NY, Nonprofit) is on a mission to deliver the first debt-free generation and aims to break the cycle of financial exclusion specific to youth’s patterns with credit cards, work opportunity and affordability of college.

eCredable (Alpharetta, GA, For-profit) connects consumers without credit to affordable financial services from mainstream providers.

EveryoneOn (Washington, D.C., Nonprofit) aims to eliminate the digital divide by making high-speed, low-cost Internet, computers, and free digital literacy training accessible to all unconnected Americans.

HT Mobile Apps (Detroit, MI, For-profit) is a FinTech company that creates software to help financial institutions stay relevant and fun.

LaborX (Oakland, CA, For-profit) is the LinkedIn for the LinkedOut, connecting high need populations with living wage jobs.

LearnLux (Boston, MA, For-Profit) helps Millennials learn personal finance skills through online learning tools and connects them to the resources they need to take action.

Live It To Learn It (Chicago, IL, Nonprofit) combines financial literacy classes with access to relevant financial services through the first ever teen credit union, Money Locker.

New York On Tech (New York, NY, Nonprofit) is committed to creating pathways into the technology industry for underrepresented students.

Operation Spark (New Orleans, LA, Nonprofit) rapidly prepares low opportunity individuals for careers in software development through immersive training.

PYT Funds (Silver Spring, MD, For-profit) is a debt reduction model for student loans. By using predictive data to assess risk, PYT is able to fund the gap for education at a lower interest rate.

TechCongress (San Francisco, CA, Nonprofit) is building a 21^st century Congress with technology talent, training and ideas.

About the Points of Light Civic Accelerator

The Points of Light Civic Accelerator is the first accelerator program and investment fund in the country focused on “civic ventures” – for-profit and nonprofit startups that include people as part of the solution to critical social problems. The three month, boot camp-style program convenes 10-15 teams in person and online with the goal of equipping each startup to seek investments and scale their social innovation. The Civic Accelerator was launched in 2012, in partnership with Village Capital, and receives generous support from PwC Charitable Foundation, a founding partner, and Capital One. These two sponsors are joined by Vodaphone, Dentons US LLP, Singing for Change and official hotel sponsor, Hilton Worldwide. Visit cvcx.org for more information or follow the accelerator on Twitter at @civicacceleratr and across social media at #CIVICX.

About Capital One
Capital One Investing for Good is committed to enhancing the well-being of individuals and families in local communities. They focus on financial wellbeing, affordable housing, skills for the 21^st century and small business development. All four areas of focus strengthen communities and prepare them for robust economic futures. To learn more visit www.capitaloneinvestingforgood.com or follow them on Twitter at @yourfutureedge.

Points of Light Conference Convenes in the Motor City Bringing Together Thousands of Global Changemakers

The 2016 Points of Light Conference on Volunteering and Service kicks off on Monday, June 27, at Detroit’s Cobo Center. The conference, the largest of its kind in the world, brings together nonprofit, government, business and civic leaders from across the globe to learn, connect and be inspired. Thousands of service-minded attendees from across the United States and 36 countries will gain the knowledge, resources and connections needed to galvanize the power of people in their own communities to create change. The conference will run through June 29.

“Detroit is the perfect place for the changemaking sector to come together – it is a shining example of how social innovation, cross-sector collaboration and citizen engagement can drive change,” said Tracy Hoover, president and CEO, Points of Light. “The city sets an inspiring backdrop for learning from those leading transformation in Detroit and all over the world, sharing what works to impact critical issues, and connecting to solve shared problems.”

Headline speakers include singer-songwriter and humanitarian Maya Azucena; UPS chairman and CEO David Abney; Tonya Allen, The Skillman Foundation’s president & CEO; Dave Bing, former mayor of Detroit and Hall of Fame basketball player; Neil Bush, chairman of Points of Light; Phillip Cooley, co-owner of Slows Bar BQ & Ponyride; Mike Duggan, mayor of Detroit; Rabbi Dorit Edut, president of the Detroit Interfaith Outreach Network; Mike Ellison, actor, recording and performance artist; Tracy Hoover, CEO of Points of Light; Hill Harper, award-winning actor on “CSI:NY” and “Limitless”, philanthropist, and best-selling author; Dhani Makalani Jones, former NFL linebacker; William F. Jones, Jr., CEO of Focus: HOPE; Asia Newson, Detroit’s youngest entrepreneur and CEO and co-founder of Super Business Girl; Jean Oelwang, president of Virgin Unite; Alessandra Orofino, executive director and co-founder of Our Cities; Brittany Packnett, executive director of Teach for America andmember of President’s Task Force on 21^st Century Policing and the Ferguson Commission; Jackie Parker, president of the GM Foundation; Pat Pontius, executive director of White House Council Strong Cities Strong Communities; Veronika Scott, founder of The Empowerment Plan; Yara Shahidi, scholar, philanthropist and actress on ABC’s award-winning series “Black-ish”; Michael Smith, special assistant to the President and senior director of Cabinet Affairs for My Brother’s Keeper at the White House; Wendy Spencer, CEO of the Corporation for National and Community Service; Tosha Tabron, vice president, relationship manager of JPMorgan Chase & Co.; Christian Vanizette, founder of Make Sense; and Lonnie Ali, the wife of the late Muhammad Ali, who will join us for a special tribute to her husband’s life work as a humanitarian and global changemaker.

The UPS Foundation and JPMorgan Chase are co-title sponsors of this year’s event. The conference offers 11 learning tracks featuring more than 100 workshops led by highly-respected experts offering innovative solutions and lessons. Participants will gain knowledge about concrete strategies to impact critical issues including community resiliency, education, economic opportunity, and disaster response and recovery. The conference business track will reveal and explore winning strategies to accelerate and grow corporate citizenship and volunteer programs.

Conference participants will fill 5,000 backpacks with school supplies and a healthy snack as part of a hands-on service opportunity sponsored by General Motors, an impact-level sponsor. The backpacks will be distributed throughout greater Detroit to children, grades K-12, during United Way for Southeastern Michigan’s Meet Up and Eat Up events. These events are designed to provide children with access to free, nutritious meals throughout the summer. For more on this event, visit www.volunteeringandservice.org.

About Points of Light

About the Conference on Volunteering and Service

Points of Light’s Conference on Volunteering and Service is the world’s largest service-related convening of nonprofit, government, business and civic leaders. With The UPS Foundation and JPMorgan Chase as the title sponsors, the 2016 Points of Light Conference on Volunteering and Service will be held June 27-29 at the Cobo Center in Detroit, Michigan. For more information, go to www.volunteeringandservice.org and follow us on Facebook.

Top Volunteer Initiatives from Across the Country Honored at the Make a Difference Day 2016 National Awards

Grassroot volunteer efforts from across the country were recognized today during the Make A Difference Day 2016 National Awards in Washington, DC. The annual luncheon was hosted by TEGNA Inc. (NYSE: TGNA) and Gannett Co., Inc. (NYSE: GCI) in partnership with Newman’s Own, Inc. and Points of Light. Make A Difference Day is the largest day of community service, bringing together millions of Americans to volunteer in their local communities.

“Volunteerism was always important to Paul Newman and Newman’s Own is proud to support Make A Difference Day. By providing these awards, we not only recognize those who help make a difference in others’ lives, but we also hope to underscore the need for volunteerism in this country and inspire others to join in,” said David Best, president and COO of Newman’s Own, Inc.

The Make A Difference Day Awards celebrated top volunteer efforts from across the country for service projects completed on Make A Difference Day on October 24, 2015. The event recognized ten national award winners, three city award winners and one All-Star award winner. Newman’s Own donated a total of $130,000 to national and city award winners to give to an organization of their choice. The TEGNA Foundation and Gannett Foundation contributed $10,000 to the All-Star Winner. These donations will ensure that honorees are able to continue their community projects in the years to come.

“At TEGNA, our goal is to make a meaningful impact in the communities we serve. The volunteers recognized today have done just that. Their efforts in their local communities are truly remarkable and they inspire all of us to continue to make a difference every day,” said Gracia Martore, president and CEO, TEGNA.

“We are honored to recognize those who have taken the time and effort to make a positive impact in their community,” said Bob Dickey, president and CEO, GANNETT. “At GANNETT, our purpose is to empower our communities to connect, act and thrive, and we are humbled by these volunteers, who remind us how much one person can make a difference on an entire community.”

In addition to recognizing the national award winners, Bravo’s Andy Cohen was recognized for serving as an advocate for amfAR, The American Foundation for AIDS Research. The Emmy Award-winning host, producer and acclaimed author has been a tireless amfAR advocate for more than 10 years, helping raise money and bring awareness to finding a cure for HIV.

Lester Holt, award-winning journalist and anchor of “NBC Nightly News with Lester Holt” and “Dateline” served as the master of ceremonies.

“In celebrating these Make A Difference Day honorees, we can find inspiration to take action in our own lives,” said Tracy Hoover, CEO, Points of Light. “They remind us that we can use our special skills, our talents, our dollars or our tweets to create positive change every day. In return, the best part of service is that it awakens our passions and connects us to one another.”

This year’s Make A Difference Day award winners were selected from thousands of nationwide volunteer initiatives after millions of volunteers came together on October 24, 2015, with a common mission: to improve the lives of others. Award winners made an impact in their communities by rebuilding neighborhood parks, raising money for local food banks, planting trees and several other projects that made a positive impact in local communities.

The ten 2015 national Make A Difference Day Award honorees include:

Return of the Natives, Salinas, CA
Grace Evangelical Lutheran Church, Muncie, IN
Scrap Hunger, Lincroft, NJ
Animal Friends, Pittsburgh and Wexford, PA
The Pediatric Connection, Richmond, VA
Susquehanna University, Selinsgrove, PA
GFWC Beverly hills Junior Women’s Club, Chicago, IL
Volunteer Center of Story County, Ames, IA
Stanwood High School, Stanwood, WA
Taking Root, Cincinnati, OH

The three 2015 City Award honorees are:

Richmond, CA
Moonachie, NJ
Aberdeen, SD

The All-Star Award is:

Operation Access, Sonoma County, CA

Make A Difference Day started after a call for a national day of service one Leap Year (February 29, 1992). It has evolved into the largest single day of volunteering in the country. It is a initiative of TEGNA and Gannett, in collaboration with Points of Light and Newman’s Own. Make A Difference Day 2016 will be held on Saturday, October 22. For more information and to read more about this year’s honorees, please go to www.makeadifferenceday.com.

About TEGNA

TEGNA Inc. (NYSE: TGNA) is comprised of a dynamic portfolio of media and digital businesses that provide content that matters and brands that deliver. TEGNA reaches more than 90 million Americans and delivers highly relevant, useful and smart content, when and how people need it, to make the best decisions possible. TEGNA Media includes 46 television stations and is the largest independent station group of major network affiliates in the top 25 markets, reaching approximately one-third of all television households nationwide. TEGNA Digital is comprised of Cars.com, the leading online destination for automotive consumers, CareerBuilder, a global leader in human capital solutions, and other powerful brands such as G/O Digital and Cofactor. For more information, visit www.TEGNA.com.

About Gannett

Gannett Co., Inc. (NYSE: GCI) is a next-generation media company committed to strengthening communities across our network. Through trusted, compelling content and unmatched local-to-national reach, Gannett touches the lives of more than 100 million people monthly. With more than 120 markets internationally, it is known for Pulitzer Prize-winning newsrooms, powerhouse brands such as USA TODAY and specialized media properties. To connect with us, visit www.gannett.com.

About Newman’s Own, Inc.

Newman’s Own, Inc., founded by Paul Newman in 1982, offers more than 200 varieties of great tasting food and beverage products including salad dressings, pasta sauces, coffee, salsa, cookies, candy, snacks, frozen pizza, frozen skillet meals, and refrigerated lemonades, as well as a line of premium pet food products. Newman’s Own Foundation continues Paul Newman’s commitment to donate all of its royalties and after tax profits from the sale of Newman’s Own products for charitable purposes. More than $460 million has been given to thousands of charities since 1982. Learn more at newmansown.com and newmansownfoundation.org.

About Points of Light

For more information:

Steve Kidera, TEGNA Inc.

(703) 854-6077 or [email protected]

Chrissy Terrell, Gannett Co., Inc.

(703) 854-5292, [email protected]

Sinead Conlon, Coyne PR (for Newman’s Own, Inc.)
(212) 938-0166 or [email protected]

Jennifer Geckler, Points of Light
(404) 979-2941 or [email protected]

Points of Light Civic Accelerator Launches Spring 2016 Class – Invests in 13 Civic Ventures That Are Addressing Digital and Financial Inclusion

The Points of Light Civic Accelerator – the first national accelerator dedicated to investing in civic ventures – announced today the 13 ventures selected to participate in its Spring 2016 program. This will be the seventh cohort of the Civic Accelerator since its founding in 2012. The ventures come from across the U.S. and include for-profits and nonprofits that focus on digital and financial inclusion to help more people succeed in the digital economy.

The 13 teams will gather in Atlanta on April 11 for the start of an intensive, 10-week entrepreneur boot camp that includes mentoring, education, peer support and networking. Points of Light will offer two of the most promising ventures – as selected by the entrepreneurs themselves – a $50,000 investment following the conclusion of the program and the June 16 Demo Night event in Washington, D.C.

Application and selection committees screened more than 200 social ventures and reviewed 76 curated applications before selecting the top 30 finalists.

At the core of their missions, the chosen ventures are creating more opportunities for all to succeed in the digital economy. The solutions are diverse and include models driven by financial technology, mobile applications, and innovative software. Others seek to empower communities through workforce development, job skills training and financial literacy.

“We are excited to bring together such promising ventures focused on accelerating tech adoption and financial inclusion for low-income families, young adults and ethnic and racial minorities who are not benefitting from the economic recovery in the U.S.”, shared Ayesha Khanna, founder of the Points of Light Civic Accelerator. “This class includes innovative solutions — including workforce development, asset building, internet access, and developing personal finance and digital skills — to help individuals and families reach financial stability, obtain living wage employment and achieve economic mobility. We kick off in a few weeks and look forward to helping these teams and ventures succeed and grow in the months ahead”.

The civic startups participating in the Civic Accelerator Spring 2016 program represent California, Georgia, Illinois, Louisiana, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan, New York, Pennsylvania, and Washington, D.C. They are:

Autism Expressed (Philadelphia, PA, For-profit) is a learning platform teaching marketable skills to empower individuals with disabilities like autism.

eCredable (Alpharetta, GA, For-profit) connects consumers without credit to affordable financial services from mainstream providers.

EveryoneOn (Washington D.C., Nonprofit) aims to eliminate the digital divide by making high-speed, low-cost Internet, computers, and free digital literacy training accessible to all unconnected Americans.

HT Mobile Apps (Detroit, MI, For-profit) is a FinTech company that creates software to help financial institutions stay relevant and fun.

LaborX (Oakland, CA, For-profit) is the LinkedIn for the LinkedOut, connecting high need populations with living wage jobs.

LearnLux (Boston, MA, For-Profit) helps Millennials learn personal finance skills through online learning tools and connects them to the resources they need to take action.

Live It To Learn It (Chicago, IL, Nonprofit) combines financial literacy classes with access to relevant financial services through the first ever teen credit union, Money Locker.

New York On Tech (New York, NY, Nonprofit) is committed to creating pathways into the technology industry for underrepresented students.

Operation Spark (New Orleans, LA, Nonprofit) rapidly prepares low opportunity individuals for careers in software development through immersive training.

PYT Funds (Silver Springs, MD, For-profit) is a debt reduction model for student loans. By using predictive data to assess risk, PYT is able to fund the gap for education at a lower interest rate.

TechCongress (San Francisco, CA, Nonprofit) is building a 21^st century Congress with technology talent, training and ideas.

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About the Points of Light Civic Accelerator

The Points of Light Civic Accelerator is the first accelerator program and investment fund in the country focused on “civic ventures” – for-profit and nonprofit startups that include people as part of the solution to critical social problems. The three month, boot camp-style program convenes 10-15 teams in person and online with the goal of equipping each startup to seek investments and scale their social innovation. The Civic Accelerator was launched in 2012, in partnership with Village Capital, and receives generous support from PwC Charitable Foundation, a founding partner, and from Capital One, Vodaphone, Dentons US LLP, Singing for Change and official hotel sponsor, Hilton Worldwide. Visit cvcx.org for more information or follow the accelerator on Twitter at @civicacceleratr and across social media at #CIVICX.