Business News

Sappi Fine Paper North America Announces Grant Recipients for the 13th Annual Ideas that Matter Program

Friday 07. September 2012 - Sappi Fine Paper North America announced today the 13 grant recipients for its 13th annual Ideas that Matter program, the industry's highly respected grant program aimed at helping designers create and implement print projects for charitable causes. Since 1999, Sappi's Ideas that Matter program has awarded over $12 million worldwide in grants to designers around the globe to support their work for nonprofit programs and organizations.

This year’s winning projects reflect the on-going commitment in the design community to utilize design in combination with innovative thinking to solve social problems. Grantees submitted outstanding proposals outlining their ideas, creative execution and their unique ability to instill positive social, cultural or environmental change.
The selected proposals were determined by an independent judging panel of leaders from the design profession. This year’s judges, all widely recognized for their forward-thinking commitment to design for social good, included Rich Hollant, Principal/Design Director at co:lab inc., Hartford, CT; Sam Shelton, Principal/Designer, Kinetic, Washington, DC; Mariana Amatullo, Vice President, Designmatters Department, Art Center College of Design, Pasadena, CA; Mike Weikert, Partner, Weikert Design, Baltimore, MD; and Tracy West, Creative Director, 50,000feet, Chicago, IL.
“Sappi started the Ideas that Matter program because we wanted to give back in a way that we felt could make a real and lasting impact,” said Patti Groh, Marketing Director, Sappi Fine Paper North America. “After 13 years, we are proud to see this legacy continue and to be able to recognize the critical role that good design plays in inspiring people to take action.”
The 2012 Ideas that Matter grant recipients are:
Designer, Firm
Project Title
Nonprofit to Benefit from Ideas that Matter Grant
David Rager, David Rager Studio, (Newport Beach, Calif.)
Backyard Skills—creating skill set books, brochures, and postcards to expand outreach for the program
The Ecology Center—educating communities and local households in Southern California on natural solutions to reduce the impact of environmental issues through workshops and programs www.theecologycenter.org
Esther Chak and Mary-Jo Valentino, Imaginary Office,
(Chicago, Il.)
New Urban Arts Quinceanera—celebrating fifteen years of community arts education in Providence, R.I. through a commemorative publication
New Urban Arts —supporting emerging artists and high school students in Providence, R.I. by offering a nationally recognized interdisciplinary studio with access to art supplies, mentors, and educational programmingwww.newurbanarts.org
Michael Osborne and Katy McCauley, Joey’s Corner, (San Francisco, Calif.)
Wellspring Strategic Communication System—sharing the mission of Wellspring with a broader audience through identity design and collateral
Wellspring—addressing the need for supportive housing for adults with psychiatric illness across Kentucky www.wellspring-house.org
Tim Ferguson Sauder, Return Design (Wenham, Mass.)
LOOKLOOK—visual game cards and field guides teaching students ecological literacy and understanding
Kestrel Educational Adventures—connecting K-12 students with the natural world around them in Massachusetts through hands-on science educationhttp://kestreleducation .org
Robert Sedlack and Andrea Pellegrino, Sedlack Design Associates and Pellegrino Collaborative (South Bend, Ind.)
together+ —combating xenophobia in South Africa by providing educational resources to empower people to embrace diversity
University of Notre Dame, Kgosi Neighborhood Foundation and Pellegrino Collaborative—advocating for understanding, unification, and tolerance of groups in local communities facing discrimination in post-apartheid South Africa
http://togetherplusza.squarespace.com
Kenneth Botts, Visual Marketing Associates, Inc. (Dayton, Ohio)
Hawthorn Hill: Home of the Wright Brothers’ Family—establishing a sustainable brand outreach strategy to secure the Wright Brothers’ legacy
The Wright Family Foundation of The Dayton Foundation—preserving the Wright Brothers’ story of inventing the first successful airplane through the research and conservation of family’s personal artifacts and historic property
http://aviationheritagearea.org/wrightFoundation.htm
Anna Rubbo, Megan Bullock, and Matthias Neumann, Global Studio, Center for Sustainable Urban Development,
Columbia University (New York, N.Y.)
People Building Better Cities: Participation and Inclusive Urbanization—
a multi-lingual exhibition on the importance of community engagement in the design and planning of more livable cities
Global Studio—collaborating with students, academics, professionals, local government and NGOs to improve the lives of disadvantaged communitieswww.theglobalstudio.com
The IDEO.org team, IDEO.org (San Francisco, Calif.)
Spreading Human-Centered Design—sharing the first year of goals and human achievements in a year-one report
IDEO.org— a nonprofit organization dedicated to spreading human-centered design in the social sectorhttps://www.ideo.org
Tony Ong, Fantagraphics Books (Seattle, Wash.)
What to Read in the Rain—a book that will showcase the writings of 826 Seattle students
826Seattle—mentoring talented young students and encouraging them to explore their imagination through creative writing www.826seattle.org
Celia Poirier, University of Connecticut (North Windham, CT)
Think Positive—a new identity for the Windham Harm Reduction Coalition
Windham Harm Reduction Coalition, Inc—providing HIV prevention, drug overdose prevention, and drug treatment referral services to individuals and families in Connecticut’s Windham and Tolland counties
http://harmreduction.org
Maria Moon, Designmatters at Art Center College of Design (Pasadena, Calif.)
WHERE’S DARYL?—teaching students the reality and negative impacts of juvenile violence and guns
The Los Angeles School District—partnering with middle school health teachers across Los Angeles to teach anti-gun violence through fun and engaging curriculum tools
http://home.lausd.net
Marc Moscato, The Dill Pickle Club (Portland, Ore.)
Comics for Change—a series of ten comics telling stories of Oregonians working for social justice
The Dill Pickle Club—broadening knowledge of Portland’s past, present and future through tours, programs, and publications http://dillpickleclub.org
Douglas Barrett, and Matt Leavell, University of Alabama at Birmingham (Birmingham, Ala.)
Telling the Story of the Cahaba River—a visual storybook educating the Alabama public on the history and importance of the river
Cahaba River Society—promoting climate solutions to restore and protect the Cahaba River and its rich freshwater wildlife and drinking water resources in Alabama www.cahabariversociety.org
“Serving on the Sappi Ideas that Matter jury was such a true privilege,” said Mariana Amatullo, Vice President, Designmatters Department, Art Center College of Design, and member of the 2012 Ideas that Matter judging panel. “This is a rare platform that brings to the forefront outstanding talent and initiatives that speak loud and clear about the potency of design driven by purpose.”