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The Courage Project Celebrates and Honors

Everyday Acts of Bravery

Submit a Hero in Your Community

The Courage Project is a bold new initiative honoring everyday acts of bravery – the quiet, often unseen acts of heroism that reflect the best of the American spirit and strengthen democracy at the community level.

Launched in May 2025 with an initial $5 million commitment, The Courage Project is supported by partners including CFLeads, the Freedom Together Foundation, The James Irvine Foundation, the John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation, the Kenneth Rainin Foundation, the Marguerite Casey Foundation, the McKnight Foundation, Pisces Foundation, the Public Welfare Foundation, The Skillman Foundation, and the Surdna Foundation.

The Courage Project distributes awards ranging from $10,000-$50,000 to honor organizations and individuals who are exhibiting acts of courage and compassion in their communities by helping their neighbors and building bridges across communities.

  • Organizational awards recognize local nonprofit organizations taking specific actions to build bridges and strengthen communities, such as supporting disaster recovery, championing equality, or building consensus and collaboration around common areas of need within their communities.
  • Individual recognition awards are designed as a way to “pay it forward” by elevating and honoring the work of American nonprofit organizations, seeding civic engagement in their communities and strengthening our democracy.

The newest slate of awardees, announced October 15, 2025, are:

Pay-It-Forward Awards

  • The Kerrville Independent School District (ISD) Bus Drivers - Kerrville, Texas: During the 2025 Fourth of July flooding along Texas’ Guadalupe River, fourteen Kerrville ISD bus drivers and coaches courageously drove their school buses into rising waters, despite damaged bridges and treacherous conditions, to rescue some 900 children and counselors trapped at Camps La Junta, Mystic, and Waldemar.
  • Carolina Carchi - West Humboldt Park, Illinois: As a high school student, Carolina showed extraordinary courage by stepping in to teach her classmates when algebra and chemistry teachers left mid-year, ensuring her peers were not left behind. She created lessons, provided supplies, and kept her classmates on track, drawing attention to critical staffing shortages that have since improved at her school. Her passion for education later led her to serve on the Chicago Board of Education as the Honorary Student Board Member, representing more than 300,000 Chicago Public School students.
  • DJ Bracken - Salt Lake City, Utah: After discovering that students statewide were burdened with $2.8 million in school lunch debt, DJ personally paid off debts at local schools and founded the Utah Lunch Debt Relief Foundation (UTLDR). Since its creation, the foundation has raised over $200,000, eliminated lunch debt for more than 30 local schools, and supported legislation guaranteeing free lunches for students in need.
  • Elizabeth (Liz) Quinonez - Danbury, Connecticut: Liz demonstrated remarkable courage by transforming her personal challenge of finding safe, affordable child care into a community-wide solution centered on children’s well-being. Through the creation of United Way’s Cora’s Kids Family Child Care Network, she empowered women, many of whom are from immigrant communities, to build professional careers as licensed child care providers while ensuring that more children have access to the safe, high-quality care they deserve.
  • Keith Childress - Clinton, Maryland: Keith Childress, music director at Clinton Grace Christian School, wrote “I Believe in Me” as an anthem to combat bullying and inspire confidence among students. By involving his students in the production of both the song and its music video, he empowered them to take ownership of its message.
  • Jeremy Dennis - Southampton, New York: Jeremy reclaimed his late grandmother’s home on the Shinnecock Reservation and transformed it into Ma’s House & BIPOC Art Studio. Starting with no outside support, he poured in his own time and resources to restore the space and create a hub for Indigenous and BIPOC artists.
  • Chief Dennis Coker - Cheswold, Delaware: Through nearly three decades of leadership, Chief Coker has worked to ensure the Lenape Indian Tribe of Delaware could finally be seen, counted, and recognized. Under his guidance, the tribe achieved Census status and state recognition, opening the door to visibility, services, and a stronger future.
  • Ahmad Hilal Abid - Edmonds, Washington: At just 24, Ahmad Hilal Abid transformed his immigrant experience into a movement that empowers youth and families through education, community, and compassion. What started with $300 in his father's garage has grown into The House of Wisdom, a nonprofit which reaches over 200 students annually across four cities and has provided more than 110 volunteer, internship, and partnership opportunities to college students. Through mentorship, tutoring, and community programs, it supports immigrant, refugee, and underserved families while fostering belonging, mental health, and leadership opportunities for the next generation.
  • Pastor Mike Palmer of the Triadelphia United Methodist Church - Triadelphia, West Virginia: When flash floods devastated Triadelphia, West Virginia, Pastor Mike and Triadelphia United Methodist Church turned a single donation tent into a lifeline for the entire community. Within days, the church grew into a full recovery hub, serving hundreds of meals daily, distributing supplies, offering daycare, and even providing health and mental health support when outside help was slow to arrive.

Organizational awards

  • La Maraña - San Juan, Puerto Rico: After Hurricane Fiona devastated Puerto Rico in 2022, La Maraña partnered with farmers and fishers to create the Food Sovereignty Fund, providing direct aid, volunteer brigades, and storytelling efforts that uplifted their work and experiences. The initiative was grounded in mutual respect and the understanding that those who work the land and sea hold essential knowledge about both the damage and the paths to recovery.
  • Texas Diaper Bank - San Antonio, Texas: When catastrophic floods struck Texas Hill Country in July 2025, the Texas Diaper Bank mobilized its Resilient Texans Program to deliver diapers, hygiene products, and essential supplies to families across more than 20 counties. The Texas Diaper Bank’s relief efforts have already reached over 100,000 people and continues to offer dignity, stability, and care as communities rebuild.
  • Metropolitan Congregations United - St. Louis, Missouri: After a tornado tore through St. Louis in May 2025, Metropolitan Congregations United opened shelters, delivered meals and supplies, and helped residents replace critical documents—even as several of their own churches were damaged and a beloved leader was lost. Their ongoing relief fund and partnerships have helped families and congregations, bringing hope, equity, and resilience to communities often left behind in disaster recovery.
  • Mayfield Enrichment Center - Mayfield, Kentucky: The Mayfield Enrichment Center became a lifeline after an EF5 tornado struck in 2021, providing disaster relief to low-income, elderly, BIPOC, and immigrant families already impacted by the pandemic. The organization now provides food assistance, educational enrichment opportunities, hosts community events, provides resource connections for mental health, housing, transportation, and food.
  • CLEAN Carwash Worker Center - Los Angeles, California: The CLEAN Carwash Worker Center provides vital support for marginalized communities and low-wage workers in Los Angeles, offering food, legal aid, and humanitarian assistance while ensuring families stay connected during times of crisis. Through advocacy, education, and volunteer mobilization, CLEAN empowers workers to know their rights and builds resilience in communities that are too often taken advantage of and overlooked.
  • Interfaith Assistance Ministry - Hendersonville, North Carolina: After Hurricane Helene struck Henderson County in September 2024, Interfaith Assistance Ministry’s staff quickly mobilized to provide food, clothing, financial aid, hygiene supplies, and even pet care to at-risk residents. Building on decades of service since 1984, the organization continues to be a trusted anchor where volunteers and partners come together to ensure every neighbor in need has the support they need to recover and thrive.
  • The Parish of the Annunciation - Minneapolis-St. Paul, Minnesota: In the wake of the tragic shooting at the first school Mass at the Church of the Annunciation in Minneapolis, the parish and the wider community have united in compassion and resilience. Amid profound grief, the Parish of the Annunciation has become a steadfast source of comfort, faith, and support to help the community heal, rebuild, and find hope together.
  • Operation Respond at Living Classrooms - Baltimore, Maryland: Since 2023, Operation Respond has helped Baltimore residents heal from trauma and break cycles of gun violence through personalized support, mentoring, and career development. By pairing mobile crisis centers with peacekeeper training, community engagement, and cross-sector partnerships, the program has reduced shootings while building trust, resilience, and long-term pathways to opportunity.
  • Bright Star Community Outreach - Chicago, Illinois: Bright Star Community Outreach, based in Chicago’s Greater Bronzeville neighborhood, tackles gun violence, trauma, and systemic inequity through holistic, community-driven programs. Operating from its TURN Center, the organization offers trauma-informed mental health care, job training, youth leadership development, and support that fosters healing, stability, and long-term opportunity.
  • Ayuda - Washington, DC: For more than 50 years, Ayuda has ensured access to justice for immigrants in Washington, D.C., Virginia, and Maryland through a comprehensive model that combines legal representation, case management, therapy, and language services. By breaking down barriers and addressing immigration fraud, trauma, and language isolation, Ayuda empowers thousands of immigrants each year to heal, thrive, and fully participate in their communities.
  • LaRae Wiley of the Salish School of Spokane - Spokane, Washington: Over the course of fifteen years, Salish School of Spokane has grown from a basement classroom into a vibrant center where children and adults learn Salish language (spoken by Indigenous peoples in the Pacific Northwest) through daily immersion instruction in academic subjects, art, music, and culture. With an emphasis on intergenerational learning and connections, the school fosters healing, strengthens community, and ensures the survival and celebration of Salish heritage for generations to come.

Nominations for The Courage Project can be submitted via the public form below.

In celebration of America’s upcoming 250th anniversary, The Courage Project invites all of us to reflect on the foundational ideals that define this nation and to celebrate those who courageously stand up for them. By spotlighting real stories, and offering an open public nomination process, the initiative empowers individuals nationwide to honor unsung heroes and inspire courageous action in their own communities. In a time of deep division, The Courage Project is a unifying force, reminding us that small acts of courage and compassion can ripple outward to create powerful, lasting change.

For more information email info@thecourageproject.org.

We review applications on a rolling basis.

The Courage Project: Celebrating Everyday Courage in America

Nomination Form

The Courage Project seeks to recognize individuals and organizations that embody the foundational values of our nation through acts of courage that strengthen our communities, our democracy, and our shared future.

For questions about this form or The Courage Project, please contact info@thecourageproject.org.

Due to a high volume of nominations, we are not able to respond to every submission. If your nomination is selected, the recipient will be notified directly.

Disclosure: Nominated individuals and organizations cannot be considered for actions or deeds that were directly involved in or related to political activity, candidates, or the goals of political candidates or groups; encouraged unlawful activity, including, but not limited to, trespassing or the destruction of private property; benefited a for-profit entity.