Since 2017, we have awarded two-minute whiteboard animations, free of charge, to incredible nonprofits who are changing the world with their big ideas.
Our team always looks forward to this time of year: kicking off projects with our Grant Recipients might rival even the sweetness of late summer!
Andrea Kovacevic is one of our expert illustrators at Next Day Animations, and this year, she also sat on the Grant Committee. Our Grant Committee is responsible for helping narrow down the list of fantastic organizations into a handful of finalists whose missions align with our values of authenticity, partnership, inventiveness, and clarity.
Check out this playlist with our past Grant winners’ videos.
Andrea is excited to get started on design after reviewing so many important stories and missions. She says: “Summarizing years of hard work in just a few minutes – in a way that is simultaneously easily understood, and has the emotional impact to move people into action – is something I believe can be only achieved via animation.”
We’re thrilled to introduce you to our grant winners – and to get started bringing their stories to life.
Read on to learn more about them and the process of creating explainer videos to support their vision.
Sankofa Children’s Museum of African Cultures
Our first recipient this year is the Baltimore-based Sankofa Children’s Museum of African Cultures. Founded in 2016, Sankofa is ‘a place where African history, culture and art come to life.’ Through play and interactive activities for kids of all backgrounds, Sankofa makes a space to delight in the discovery of the geography, history and cultures of Africa.
Esther Armstrong is the Founder and President of Sankofa. She says, “Sankofa Children’s Museum of African Cultures is delighted to have won this grant of a free marketing video from Next Day Animations! As an emerging museum with a limited marketing budget, this grant couldn’t have come at a better time! It allows us to reconnect with our community in a new and exciting way! Thank you Next Day Animations!”
Curious what Krystal does when she’s not visiting our grant winners? Check her out in our Process video!
Grant winners go through the same tried-and-true production process as our paying clients. Because we know it works!
This will be Next Day Producer Krystal’s second time working as the lead producer on a video created with our grant recipients. She says, “Sankofa’s mission is something that hits home, and I think everyone benefits from celebrating the fruitful history of humanity’s birthplace of Africa.”
Although our one-stop shop animation studio has teammates across the globe, Krystal happens to be based in our local hub of Baltimore – conveniently located near Sankofa Children’s Museum!
“I’m especially excited about them being in Baltimore and am definitely planning to visit soon! I’m really happy we can provide them with a whiteboard animation that can appeal to children and families, and get them to experience this amazing place.” Krystal says.
Click here to visit the Sankofa Kids website, where you can even take a 3D Virtual Tour or sign up to volunteer!
All of Us or None: Atlanta Chapter
Our second grant recipient is the Atlanta, Georgia chapter of All of Us or None. All of Us or None is a grassroots civil and human rights organization fighting to strengthen the voices of people most affected by mass incarceration and the growth of the prison-industrial complex. We’re creating a video to raise awareness about the unpaid, forced slave labor that many incarcerated people in Georgia endure.
Animations are an excellent way to share information that is important, but can also be understood as complex or emotionally charged. The hardworking Atlanta chapter of AoNoU contributes to nation-wide campaigns helping people better understand topics like criminal justice reform, abolition, felony disenfranchisement, and mass incarceration.
We feel confident an explainer video will be supportive in their fight against the injustices embedded in our punitive system. You can click here to learn more about AoUoN Atlanta, and click here to follow the Atlanta chapter of All of Us or None.
If you know of a deserving nonprofit organization, keep following us to catch all of the updates about our Animations to Change the World Grant 2023, which will open early next summer.
Photos taken at the National Conference & Alcatraz Convening (3/4-3/6 2022); Photos from the AOUON Facebook
