Posted by Zoica on Tuesday, October 21, 2008 to Spread the Word

The American Express “Members Project” motivated people around the country to submit inspiring ideas for projects that could make a positive impact in the world. After almost three months of running, and having hundreds of thousands of people involved, the project came to an end. Here are the top three project winners that will get founded by American Express:

The first prize went to Alzheimer’s Association, the leading voluntary health organization in Alzheimer care, support and research.

The second place was given to DonorsChoose.org, and their project of helping 100,000 children across USA thrive in their classrooms. This organization was pioneered in 2000 by teachers at Bronx NY public schools, and today their organization “ is dedicated to addressing the scarcity and inequitable distribution of learning materials and experiences in our public schools”.

The third place award went to our familiar Kiva.org, a 3 year old micro-lending platform that has empowered 350K people from 157 countries. Their”Loans that Change Lives” project was awarded the $300,000 that would directly impact Kenya. “With $25, a credit card, and an internet connection, anybody in the world can invest in the life of a deserving entrepreneur. The site allows for lenders to sort pre-screened businesses by region, culture, or business category, and see a photo / profile of the person they are supporting (...) With over a billion people living on under $2 a day, this project aims to fight global poverty.” You can read about their awarded project here, or you can learn more going to Kiva Microfunds.

Spread the word about all these companies’ great missions!

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