Building a Brighter Future: Our 2021 Impact Report
As humanity continued to weather the effects of COVID-19 and an uncertain global economy, the inequities and challenges families faced in 2021 grew deeper. Millions of children in the US and across the globe are grappling with food insecurity, lack of shelter, and no access to medical care.
Last year, Comic Relief US sought to meet these increasingly complex challenges through bold programs, innovative investments, and funding from our signature program, the Red Nose Day Campaign. We are pleased to share more about our organization’s impact during a pivotal year in our Comic Relief US Impact Report.
In 2021, we strengthened our programmatic focus on racial and gender equity and our commitment to shifting decision-making power and resources to organizations led by the most impacted communities. Last year, 45% of Red Nose Day grants went to Black, Indigenous, People of Color, and locally-led organizations.
We also continued our strong and growing Red Nose Day campaign fund, launched the Innovation and Growth Fund, created the Youth Advisory Council, and established a new social impact goal centered on breaking the cycle of intergenerational poverty.
In 2020 alone, the US Census found 37 million people in America living in poverty. This number has only continued to rise by the millions each year. Too often, intergenerational poverty (IGP) traps families and communities in poverty and its resulting trauma, with no escape.
Deeper problem solving means more investment and more action. We are responding by transforming Red Nose Day from an annual activation to a year-round campaign, maximizing support and resources for children around the world, and building upon the $321 million we have raised in the past eight years for our outstanding grantee partners. From this new work, we will begin to create new ways to be the change we want to see in the world.
Thanks to the incredible generosity of our supporters and partners, we can invest in programs that address the immediate needs of children living in poverty, as well as long-term, systemic changes – ensuring our collective actions reverberate into future generations.
Together, we’re building resilient communities and helping societies prosper. Thanks to so many people’s hard work and generosity, the lives of over 1 million children and families were positively impacted in 2021. Moreover, over 102,000 children & young people gained increased access to essential health services, and 1.7+ million meals were served to children.
Thank you for being part of this journey with us. We hope the narratives, numbers, and stories throughout our 2021 Impact Report help illustrate how truly impactful we can be when we come together.
