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Our mission at the Social Impact Media Awards (SIMA) is to advance global awareness, social justice, human rights, and humanitarian development by catalyzing creative works of visual storytelling that inspire activism, compassion and social transformation. We celebrate social-documentary storytelling of excellence and connect international audiences, educators and organizations with the best global impact cinema.

The Center for Renewable Energy and Appropriate Technology for the Environment (CREATE!) was established in 2008 to help rural populations in the developing world prepare for water, food, and fuel shortages resulting from the impact of climate change on their communities. CREATE! operates on the principle that all people have a right to water, food, shelter, energy, and the means to earn a living. We work with village populations to meet these needs through a culturally respectful, participatory process grounded in our belief that people must have a stake in their development and contribute towards solving their own problems. The cooperative groups in our beneficiary villages have already demonstrated the validity of this approach. CREATE! currently operates in Senegal. Senegal is representative of many Sub-Saharan African countries that are hardest hit by the increasingly disastrous effects of global climate change. CREATE! responds to the inter-connected crises generated by climate change with strategies that decrease dependence on fossil fuels, conserve natural resources, and increase the use of appropriate technologies. Our programs produce sustainable, human needs-based development at the village level while forging resilient and vibrant communities across rural Senegal. CREATE! seeks to face these challenges and assist rural Senegalese residents with small-scale, accessible, and "appropriate" technologies - technologies that are adapted to, and fit, their local conditions - and with human needs-based strategies that can both better their lives and build their capacity to meet these inter-connected challenges. CREATE! works in six villages in two regions of Senegal. One region is in the rural north of Senegal, centered around Linguere in the Louga Region, where CREATE! implements programs in the village of Ouarkhokh. The other region is in the central-west of Senegal, centered around Gossas in the Fatick Region. CREATE! implements program activities in five villages in this region. The total beneficiary population of the six villages is approximately 12,000 people, comprised of both agricultural and pastoral peoples. The average per capita annual income of the population in these villages is approximately $350 a year. In each of these villages, CREATE! staff work closely with local and traditional authorities, including village chiefs and imams, in addition to other community leaders, families, and public schools. CREATE! values the expertise and input of community members and strives to incorporate their knowledge and participation into each stage of our programs. As a registered NGO in Senegal, CREATE! works with government officials from the regional office of the Department of Water and Forestry. CREATE! also respects the Senegalese government's strategic development goals for rural communities. Although CREATE!'s administrative office is located in the United States, CREATE! relies on local Senegalese staff and volunteers to plan and implement successful development interventions. Barry Wheeler, CREATE! Founder and Executive Director, has spent the past 27 years working to alleviate suffering and to provide basic human needs for rural villagers, displaced persons, and refugees in several countries in Sub-Saharan Africa. After serving in the Peace Corps for six years as an Improved Cook Stove and Appropriate Technology volunteer, trainer, and technical advisor in Togo, Barry earned a Master's degree in International Agriculture and Rural Development from Cornell University. Barry has served as Country Director for the American Refugee Committee's programs in Uganda, Sudan, and Rwanda; as a consultant for UNICEF and UNHCR; and as a team leader and training coordinator in local capacity building, renewable and appropriate technology, and sustainable rural development. CREATE! Chief Operations Officer Louise Ruhr has more than 30 years of private sector and nonprofit management experience and has spent the past eight years working with international NGOs, including the American Refugee Committee, to support women's cooperative groups in Rwanda and Senegal. CREATE! Country Director Omar Ndiaye Seck oversees program activities and conducts site visits in CREATE! communities. He also manages CREATE!'s finances and staff in Senegal. Omar closely collaborates with local and traditional authorities, community volunteers, and CREATE! staff to achieve both organizational and village goals.

This Fund will be administered by the Palmetto Project (a South Carolina non-profit dedicated to improving the lives of South Carolians). 100% of the funds donated will be used in this community to support local initiatives serving his home church, vulnerable populations and youth projects that Reverend Pinckney was so passionate about. Decisions on the use of these funds will be made a task force of stakeholders made up of a member or members of Reverend Pinckney’s family, colleagues, representatives from Emanuel AME Church and other members of our community selected for their specific expertise. 

The ACLU of San Diego & Imperial Counties is a prominent force for the protection and expansion of fundamental rights in California’s second-most populous county (San Diego), its county with the highest percentage of Latino residents (85%) (Imperial), and the state’s southern borderlands. From the courtroom to the state legislature to city hall to the court of public opinion, ACLU-SDIC fights for equity on multiple fronts. Our mission is “To protect and expand fairness, equity, and freedom through community engagement, building power, policy advocacy, and impact litigation.”

CASA of the South Plains inspires, educates, and empowers solution-minded community members who are committed to supporting the best interest of children in the foster care system.Volunteer advocates create connections and promote nurturing relationships for the child and family, encouraging hope and healing.Through court appointment and collaborative efforts, volunteer advocates share informed recommendations for the well-being of the child.

Our mission is to empower communities to strengthen languages, culture and the environment by using the internet more effectively. Our primary vehicle of engagement is a multilingual cultural wiki designed, populated, and used by the community to help the community satifsfy their evolving community needs. The BASAbali wiki has engaged by nearly 2.5 million to date. The wiki empowerment process is now being replicated in Makassar, Indonesia. BASAbali is a registered nonprofit in the US. BASAbali Wiki is a registered charity in Indonesia. Matur Suksma (thank you very much) for your care of local languages, culture and the environment.

Due to the historical reality of structural injustice in Mexico, particularly in Chiapas, the excluded population - primarily indigenous, poor and organized - propose a project of life and justice based on their identity and culture, in which the dimension of the defense and promotion of human rights is an integral feature. In this sense, the Mission of Frayba is to walk alongside and at the service of the excluded and organized people, who transform the socio-economic and political situation in which they live, taking direction and strength from them, in order to contribute to their project of building a society in which people and communities exercise and enjoy all their rights to the full.

We support the emergence of a global movement that brings the Charter for Compassion to life. To do so, we are a network of networks, connecting organizers and leaders from around the world, providing educational resources, organizing tools, and avenues for communication; sharing lessons, stories, and inspiration; providing the umbrella of the Charter for Compassion for conferences, events, collaborations, conversations and initiatives to create compassionate communities and institutions.

Georgia Asylum & Immigration Network (GAIN) provides free immigration legal representation and coordinated wrap‑around support to immigrant survivors of crime and persecution (including asylum seekers, trafficking survivors, and victims of domestic/sexual violence). They train and coordinate volunteer/pro bono attorneys and connect clients with social services to promote safety, stability, and self‑sufficiency across Georgia.

Child Advocates – Denver CASA advocates for the best interests of children who have experienced abuse or neglect by training diverse volunteers who create opportunities for children, youth and families to thrive. We envision a city where all children are thriving emotionally, mentally, and physically with lifelong connections to caring and responsible adults, a permanent home, and a safe and nurturing environment where they have a sense of belonging.

The Global Knowledge Initiative's mission is to forge, optimize, and sustain problem-solving networks that use science, technology, and innovation to deliver transformative solutions. Three core functions underpin GKI's efforts to unleash Collaborative Innovation: locating resources, enabling sustainable partnerships by training on the tools, skills, and processes needed for Collaborative Innovation, and connecting people and resources together into durable, solution-driven networks.

Project Esperanza is a non-profit organization that began as and remains a Virginia Tech student organization. Project Esperanza serves to connect the Blacksburg, Virginia community and the Puerto Plata, Dominican Republic community through service. Our programs are designed to work toward breaking the cycle of poverty present among the lower social classes in these two communities, as well toward breaking the cycle of apathy present among the upper classes.