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In honor of National Nonprofit Day, we’re spotlighting eight Anthem Award-winning organizations that are driving change and inspiring action.

Running a nonprofit has never been simple, and this year has thrown its own share of curveballs at the sector—shifting funding, shrinking grants, an uncertain policy environment. And yet, again and again, the teams doing this work find a way through.

To mark National Nonprofit Day on August 17th, we’re highlighting eight organizations whose Anthem-winning work shows exactly what that looks like in practice. Each of these teams built something specific to solve a problem for their community, their cause, or their corner of the country. Below, take a look at what they’re doing and why it matters.

GirlTREK

GirlTrek is one of the largest health movements for Black women and girls in the United States, with more than 1.3 million members walking toward healing and liberation across 2,500 cities and 49 countries. Founded in 2010 by T. Morgan Dixon and Vanessa Garrison, GirlTrek was built on a simple but radical premise: that walking could be a powerful tool for addressing the health inequities facing Black women, including chronic disease, underemployment, and the effects of systemic racism. Members take the GirlTrek Pledge to walk 30 minutes a day, five days a week, as an act of self-care, community, and reclamation. The organization has trained thousands of frontline health activists, certified group fitness instructors, and walkability advocates, building a movement that now reaches roughly 7% of the total population of African American women.

Their Anthem win: For 15 years, GirlTrek has mobilized Black women to walk as an act of healing and resistance. Their Self-Care School, a free 10-week walking podcast inspired by the legacy of Civil Rights-era Freedom Schools, drew more than 100,000 listeners who collectively walked more than 1 million miles.

How to support: Join the movement at girltrek.org, take the pledge to walk, or make a gift to help GirlTrek train the next generation of community health leaders.

The Parasol Cooperative

Technology can be a tool for abuse, but The Parasol Cooperative is working to make it a tool for protection. Founded by survivors, advocates, and technologists, the organization develops trauma-informed technology for people navigating domestic violence, human trafficking, and digital abuse. Its flagship tool, Ruth, is a trauma-informed AI chat guardian offering private, 24/7 support to people facing deepfakes, sextortion, online harassment, and abuse, particularly when traditional hotlines are overwhelmed or inaccessible. Since launching in 2024, Ruth has supported thousands of people across dozens of countries. Parasol also developed SafeConnect, a case management system that helps frontline organizations coordinate care while protecting survivor privacy. At the heart of its work is a belief that technology exploited by traffickers and abusers can be redesigned to help people heal and stay safe.

Their Anthem win: From Anti-Trafficking Pioneer to Ethical AI Leader recognized COO Sandy Skelaney, a 20-year anti-trafficking pioneer who helped bring Parasol’s trauma-informed AI chatbot to hotlines nationwide.

How to support: Visit parasolcooperative.org to donate, explore opportunities to partner an organization with Ruth+, or help spread the word about tools changing crisis response.

CROP

CROP (Creating Restorative Opportunities and Programs) was founded by formerly incarcerated leaders who met as prisoners in their twenties and began building the organization’s earliest programs from inside California’s correctional system. Today, CROP brings that lived experience to a reentry model centered on stability, opportunity, and leadership. Its Ready 4 Life program combines case management, financial coaching, and leadership development with pathways into technology careers. At its residential campus in West Oakland, CROP provides up to a year of supportive housing alongside training and job placement, helping participants build the foundations for sustainable careers and lives after incarceration. The organization’s philosophy is straightforward: people closest to a problem are often best positioned to design the solutions.

Their Anthem win: Breaking Barriers, Building Futures: CROP’s Model for Second Chances highlights CROP’s justice-impacted-led approach to reentry, which has served more than 200 participants with a reported 0% recidivism rate.

How to support: Learn more at croporganization.org, where you can donate, volunteer as a mentor, or connect CROP with potential employer partners.

The Fuller Project

The Fuller Project is a nonprofit global newsroom dedicated to investigative journalism about women, built on the belief that journalism cannot fully serve the public when women’s lived experiences are left out of the story. Since 2015, its reporters have investigated reproductive rights, gender-based violence, labor and supply chains, and the intersection of climate and gender, publishing in partnership with outlets including The New York Times, The Guardian, and the Associated Press. Its reporting has helped expose harmful practices, prompt policy changes, and hold institutions accountable. As one of the few nonprofit newsrooms with a singular focus on women and gender, The Fuller Project brings investigative reporting to stories that too often receive limited attention.

Their Anthem win: Their investigation into how sex educators and creators of color are disproportionately silenced by Instagram’s AI moderation exposed how that suppression can deprive young people and marginalized communities of access to reliable health information.

How to support: Visit fullerproject.org to make a donation, subscribe to their reporting, or pitch a story that needs to be told.

United by Music North America

United By Music North America is rethinking what inclusion can look like on stage. The organization pairs professional musicians with exceptionally talented artists with developmental disabilities—including autism, Down syndrome, and cerebral palsy—to form a genuine performing band. Co-founders Amanda Gresham and Barbara Hammerman brought the concept from the Netherlands to the Pacific Northwest, building a model where mentorship, rehearsal, and professional performance are equally important. The resulting ensemble has performed at festivals and venues across the United States and internationally, creating opportunities for artists with disabilities to develop their talents, perform alongside professional musicians, and challenge assumptions about what they can achieve.

Their Anthem win: Music on a Mission recognizes the organization’s blended band of neurodiverse and neurotypical musicians, pairing professional musicians with exceptionally talented artists with developmental disabilities for performances around the world.

How to support: Donate at ubmna.org or invite the band to perform at your next event or festival.

New Disabled South

New Disabled South is the first regional disability rights and disability justice organization in the country, organizing across 14 Southern states where disabled people—particularly disabled people of color—face some of the nation’s steepest barriers to healthcare, housing, economic security, and political participation. Through the Southern Disability Justice Coalition, plain-language legislative tracking, and voter engagement work, New Disabled South is building regional power and creating new infrastructure for disability advocacy across the South. Its work focuses on three interconnected priorities: poverty and care, criminalization, and democracy.

Their Anthem win: Their Fight Beside Us: Getting Out the Disability Vote campaign reached millions of voters and encouraged campaign staffers nationwide to recognize disabled people as a critical constituency.

How to support: Visit newdisabledsouth.org to donate, use their plain-language bill tracker, or join the coalition in your state.

Center for Rural Outreach and Public Services

Founded in 2004, the Center for Rural Outreach and Public Services (CROPS) works alongside Indigenous and underserved rural communities to advance economic, health, and social equity. Rather than simply providing services, CROPS focuses on building the capacity of the communities it serves through grant writing, strategic planning, and technical assistance for tribal governments and rural nonprofits. That work has helped generate more than $150 million in new funding for communities including the Ute Mountain Ute Tribe. CROPS also produces publications and cultural storytelling projects, creating space for communities to document their histories, priorities, and visions for the future.

Their Anthem win: Their work with the Blackfeet Tribe produced the Blackfeet Tribe Comprehensive Economic Development Strategies Plan, which was recognized by federal officials as a “gold standard” for economic development planning.

How to support: Visit centerforruraloutreach.org to donate or explore partnership opportunities with tribal and rural communities.

Books That Heal

Books That Heal helps pediatric patients living with chronic illness become published authors and illustrators. Founded by Michael Flatley, who was inspired by his sister’s work as a Child Life Specialist, the organization works closely with each child and family to create a book that reflects the child’s own voice, characters, and artwork. Books That Heal covers the entire process, from editing and printing to a celebratory book-signing event with friends, family, and care teams. The result is more than a book: it’s a tangible piece of the child’s story that they can carry beyond their time in the hospital. Royalties from every book sold go to a charity selected by the young author, extending the impact of their story to others.

Their Anthem win: Books That Heal was recognized for its model of helping children battling chronic illness become published authors and illustrators, covering the costs of bringing their stories to life and directing book royalties to charities chosen by the young authors.

How to support: Visit booksthatheal.org to sponsor a child’s book, donate, or purchase a published title.

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Enter the 6th Annual Anthem Awards

You still have time to honor your advocacy at the 6th Annual Anthem Awards! Enter your work at entries.anthemawards.com by the Extended Entry Deadline on Friday, September 18th. This is your last chance to enter this season.