Silke Knebel

Pay-It-Forward Awardee

Silke Knebel is a single mother who knows all too well the fragility of care for families in crisis. Seeing this trend, she launched the National Emergency Child Care Network (NECCN), which has delivered over 8,000 hours of free emergency childcare, supporting 60 families and 106 children across the United States with trauma-informed care since October 2024. By centering trauma-informed care and flexibility, NECCN fills a critical gap in emergency response systems, with Knebel leading an innovative, hands-on approach that provides free, immediate child care to families navigating recovery from unforeseen crises with safety and dignity.

Durham, North Carolina

May 12, 2026

Pay-It-Forward

Award

Awarded to:

National Emergency Child Care Network

Individual award recipients are not eligible for a grant, but can “pay it forward” by recommending a values-aligned organization to receive a grant. When an individual receives a “Pay It Forward” award, they are invited to recommend a grant to a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization in their community that is aligned with the values of the project. “Pay It Forward” recipients are typically awarded to one or several individuals for personal acts of courage

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Copyright © 2022-2026 The Courage Project.
All Rights Reserved.


The Courage Project is fiscally sponsored by Assets Under Movement.

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