Beyoncé’s charity foundation has awarded $50,000 to In a Perfect World, a non-profit organisation focused on youth education, creativity, social consciousness and leadership, according to a report by Black Enterprise. The grant will help the organisation expand its educational and leadership programmes, allowing it to reach hundreds more young people.
Building leaders ‘In a Perfect World’
Founded and led by Manuela Testolini, In a Perfect World runs programmes that teach young people to lead and take part in civic life. Two of its main initiatives are Youth Ambassadors and REACH, which supports schools and educational resources. The organisation focuses on giving students responsibility, not just lessons, and that is the point Testolini returns to most often.
The organisation says its work has supported 35 school projects across eight countries. It has also worked in more than 500 classrooms in high-poverty areas and logged 20,000 hours of service led by young people. Taken together, it says, those efforts have touched 50,000 lives around the world.
“One of the things I’m most proud of is taking young leaders from the United States to Central America to build schools for indigenous communities there, to build with them.
They’re young leaders here, but how do they take what they’re doing across borders? How do they help other young people find their voice and have their place in the world?” Testolini said.
The timing of the $50,000 grant is also crucial. It arrives as schools and community programmes face tighter budgets. “This very generous grant is going to allow us to expand programming to hundreds more kids who need our support. Between all of the cuts to education, cuts to after-school programming, creative programming, we are so needed right now, and this could not come at a better time,” Testolini said.
She expects the money to allow the organisation to expand its programmes to hundreds more children who need support. The grant does not solve the underlying shortfall, but it gives one group room to grow.
Beyoncé’s BeyGood
Beyoncé Knowles-Carter started the BeyGood foundation in 2013. The charity considers education, entrepreneurship and community response its three core pillars. Its broader aim is economic equity, meaning people should be able to access the opportunities they need to build something for themselves.
“On behalf of Mrs Beyoncé Knowles-Carter and Ms Tina Knowles, we are just grateful for you to be in this ecosystem now because, again, we see the good work you’re doing, and we know that you will continue to do it without a doubt,” said Allana J. Barefield, BeyGood’s digital editorial content manager, in a video shared on Instagram.
Since its launch, BeyGood has supported a range of causes, from relief efforts for those affected by the Los Angeles wildfires and Florida hurricanes to educational initiatives such as the Beyoncé Knowles-Carter x Lorraine Schwartz GIA Scholarship. It has also backed other groups, including through a $100,000 gift to Texas Southern University’s Ocean of Soul Marching Band and $120,000 in grants to small businesses in Atlanta.