Amazon Web Services Announces Winners of 2020 Imagine Grant for Nonprofits

Amazon Web Services announced the winners of the 2020 Imagine Grant, a public grant opportunity open to registered 501(c) nonprofit organizations in the U.S. that are using technology to solve the world’s most pressing challenges.

Now in its third year, the AWS Imagine Grant program provides vital resources to nonprofit organizations looking to deploy cloud technology as a central tool to achieve mission goals. As part of the program, AWS seeks proposals for big ideas on how to leverage technology in new and innovative ways to accelerate impact in local and global communities.

The 2020 winners are:

• Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation, a leading global organization funding type 1 diabetes (T1D) research. JDRF will leverage big data, analytics, visualization, artificial intelligence, machine learning and augmented reality to create a comprehensive, cloud-based, secure registry of diabetes data that will help drive the right actions across the diabetes research ecosystem to accelerate cures, prevention and treatment of T1D.
• NatureServe, an international nonprofit conservation organization dedicated to providing the scientific basis for effective conservation action. The nonprofit is reimagining bioinformatics to better address threats to biodiversity. Using AWS, they will develop a cutting-edge biodiversity data and analytics solution for mapping species locations with high precision, modeling their habitats and assessing their risk of extinction.
• Thomson Reuters Foundation, the corporate foundation of Thomson Reuters, which works to advance media freedom, foster more inclusive economies, and promote human rights. The foundation is developing a ground-breaking digital platform empowering civil society organizations and social enterprises at the frontlines of protecting human rights to access free legal support and customized opportunities for learning, knowledge-sharing, innovation and collaboration. Their program, TrustLaw, will use this platform to facilitate access and delivery of pro bono legal support, research and resources for organizations across the globe to achieve social justice and advocate for legal and policy reform.
• FamilySearch, the world's largest genealogical website. To further help individuals discover their families, heritage and legacies, the nonprofit will use machine learning for handwriting recognition to support and expedite the transcription of genealogically-significant historical documents worldwide at scale across multiple languages, regions and dialects. Its historical records database currently contains nearly 6 billion digital images.
• GBH Educational Foundation, a leading multi-platform creator for public media in America and the largest producer of content for PBS. GBH will implement a highly scalable, cloud-based video editing system to transform the way public media organizations are able to deliver educational, illuminating and inspiring content that fosters citizenship nationwide.
• Tessitura, a nonprofit that provides CRM-centered technologies and services to approximately 700 performing arts, cultural and entertainment organizations around the globe. Tessitura is undergoing a technology transformation and will migrate its platform to the AWS cloud in order to better serve the needs of its member organizations. The cloud will enable Tessitura to deliver robust ticketing, admissions, marketing, membership, fundraising, and education functionality with top-line security, efficiency, and minimal downtime.

Winners receive up to $100,000 in unrestricted funding and up to $100,000 in AWS Promotional Credits, in addition to other capacity-building resources, including training and implementation support. Proposals were judged on several factors including the innovative and unique nature of the project, impact on mission-critical goals, and clearly defined outcomes and milestones.

Since the launch of the Imagine Grant program in 2018, AWS has awarded over $2.5 million in funds, AWS Promotional Credits and AWS training support to 26 nonprofit organizations. Previous winners are currently using AWS services to tackle critical challenges such as finding cures for childhood cancer, stopping illegal fuel dumping in oceans, giving unbanked populations a financial voice and helping veterans access critical support, among other mission areas.

“We received an inspiring set of applications for this year’s AWS Imagine Grant, representing a diverse set of projects across the nonprofit sector,” said Dave Levy, VP of Nonprofits and U.S. Government at AWS. “We congratulate our winners, who are doing fantastic work to address important societal challenges. AWS looks forward to collaborating with these amazing organizations and to building, inventing and reimagining solutions that drive meaningful change.”

Over 29,000 nonprofit organizations worldwide use AWS to increase their impact and advance mission goals. Through multiple programs tailored specifically to the nonprofit community, AWS can enable organizations of all sizes to overcome barriers to technology adoption, while enhancing the scale, performance, and capabilities of mission operations.

Click here for more information on the AWS Imagine Grant.

Editor's Note: This press release was provided by a company unaffiliated with NonProfit PRO. The views expressed within do not directly reflect the thoughts or opinions of NonProfit PRO and its staff.