Highlights from Comic Relief US

For the team at Comic Relief US, innovation is not only about how we drive engagement and generate critical income. It is also built into our approach to grantmaking, as we activate new ways to deepen and accelerate our impact.

It’s in this spirit that we have launched a new grantmaking pillar for our Red Nose Day campaign, adding youth empowerment as a core focus alongside safe, healthy and educated. Building on a foundation we have laid over several years, grants within the empowerment pillar will help young people access economic opportunities and become leaders and advocates, supporting long-term sustainable change that is crucial to breaking the cycle of poverty. I’m really excited about this important evolution in our work, and the incredible organizations we are partnering with. Read more below.

Also included in this update is more about our new content series #PurposePerspectives, which explores the powerful intersection of business, community and social impact, highlighting leaders at the forefront of this work. As I covered in my recent piece on the "new" rules of effective brand-purpose partnerships, it’s clear that Purpose is here to stay: consumers want to support brands that align with their values and do good for the world. And when done right, it not only supports change in our communities and the wider world, it can be a powerful catalyst to benefit both your brand and the bottom line — which really is win-win. I hope you enjoy the conversations we have captured for the series as much as I did.

Sincerely,

Alison Moore, CEO
Comic Relief US

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COMIC RELIEF US LAUNCHES PURPOSE PERSPECTIVES CONTENT SERIES

Comic Relief US’s new #PurposePerspectives series presents insightful conversations exploring the powerful intersection of business, community and impact — highlighting leaders at the forefront of this space to engage, educate and inspire for action.

#PurposePerspectives kicked off this month with Alison Moore, CEO of Comic Relief US, in conversation with Pat McLean, CMO of Walgreens, discussing how social impact and business strategy can work powerfully together.

Upcoming episodes feature Ian Schafer, CEO and Co-Founder of Kindred, Jason Harris, Co-founder and CEO, Mekanism, and other leaders across business, media, policy and non-profits.

Hear the latest edition of #PurposePerspectives with Walgreens CMO Pat McLean and follow Comic Relief US on Linkedin to see new episodes as they are released.

NEW YOUTH EMPOWERMENT GRANTMAKING PILLAR LAUNCHED FOR RED NOSE DAY

Young people have been at the forefront of major movements for social change throughout history — just as they are today. We need their courage, leadership and creativity more than ever. That’s why Comic Relief US has launched a new pillar of Red Nose Day grantmaking, adding youth empowerment as a core focus.

Grants within the empowerment pillar focus on two areas: creating economic opportunities with investments in social entrepreneurship and workforce readiness, and youth leadership development, developing local capacity and fostering sustainable change to help break the cycle of systemic poverty.

This work was launched with an initial investment of almost $1 million, with grants awarded to outstanding organizations working in the U.S. and internationally including Grantmakers for Girls of Color, Echoing Green, EMpower India, West Africa Vocational Education (WAVE) and others.

In 2021 and beyond, empowerment will be a foundational grantmaking priority alongside Red Nose Day’s other focus areas, keeping kids safe, healthy and educated. Read more about Red Nose Day’s new focus on youth empowerment.

ALISON MOORE ON THE NEW RULES OF EFFECTIVE BRAND PURPOSE PARTNERSHIPS

The pandemic has been a wake-up call for the business world, fueling even more activity in the social good arena. But many newly forged relationships can strike the wrong chord if not carefully thought out from concept to execution.

From maintaining authenticity, to the freedom of co-creation, to the focus on generating results, CEO Alison Moore shared her take on what's trending for the "new" corporate good. Read Alison’s article on evolution of brand-purpose partnerships.

COMIC RELIEF US TO BE FEATURED AT SXSW WITH TILTIFY AND JACKSEPTICEYE

Be sure to catch our CEO, Alison Moore, at #SXSW 2021 (March 16-20) appearing alongside YouTube creator JackSepticEye and Tiltify CEO Michael Wasserman for a powerhouse panel: "Reinventing the Telethon for the Digital Generation."

The featured session will explore the reinvention of online giving powered by interactive tech and social good, and how creating more interactive, live, and personalized experiences on social platforms make it easier than ever for the next generation of donors to support their favorite causes worldwide. 

Read more about SXSW’s featured panels and register to watch.

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WHAT WE'RE READING

• "Tucked inside President Joe Biden's $1.9 trillion coronavirus relief plan is a seemingly radical notion that children should not grow up in poverty." Biden’s COVID-19 relief plan includes raising the child tax credit, and making the full credit available to the poorest families. Supporters believe it could start a larger transformation in how the government addresses child poverty. Read the full article from CBS News.

• We Can End Hunger in America—If We're Willing to Make Significant Changes to Our Food System. Co-authored by celebrity chef Tom Colicchio and CEO of Heifer International, Pierre Ferrari, this op-ed in Time calls for a drastic overhaul of the current food system to address food insecurity.

• Net-worth poverty “underscores the economic precarity faced by many children in the U.S. today,” according to researchers at Duke University, who urge policy-makers to look beyond income and take a closer look at the number of families with little to no accumulated wealth. Read more to understand why this means challenges related to child poverty might be 3X more common than previously thought.

• "The path to prosperity is only as sound as the infrastructure it is built upon." A recent piece in Harvard Business Review explores the role that local infrastructure plays in supporting poverty reduction, and calls on the private sector for greater action and investment.