Sappi North America (Boston, Mass., USA) on Monday (October 16), announced the ten grant recipients of its 18th annual Ideas that Matter program, where financial support is given to designers who create print integrated projects to maximize social impact.

The ten projects selected this year highlight how design and creativity can help solve prominent social issues. Through communication projects and campaigns using paper and print, the winning projects focus on climate change, encourage high school students to consider urban planning, educate girls about their reproductive rights, support quality journalism, address prison reform, and explore solutions for delivering humanitarian aid – inspiring change across the country, and around the world.

As an integral part of Sappi’s corporate social responsibility platform since 1999, the Ideas that Matter grant program has funded over 500 nonprofit projects and contributed more than $13 million to a wide range of causes that use design as a positive force in society. The program is open to North American designers who have partnered with a nonprofit organization and developed a communication campaign that is ready for implementation.

"For the last 18 years, Ideas that Matter has been a key component of how Sappi actively supports the pressing needs of individuals, communities and our environment," said Patti Groh, director of marketing communications, Sappi North America. "We are proud that Ideas that Matter has played such an important role in the design for social good movement, and we are honored to have helped so many vital impact projects come to life."

Ideas that Matter proposals are evaluated on creativity, plans for implementation and potential impact by an independent panel of judges who are selected annually and are recognized for their commitment to design for social impact. The 2017 judges were: Julie Anixter, Executive Director of AIGA; Dana Arnett, Founding Partner and Vice Chairman, VSA Partners; Randy J. Hunt, Head of Design, Artsy; Matthew Manos, Founder and Managing Director, verynice.; and De Nichols, Director, Civic Creatives.

The 2017 Ideas that Matter grant recipients were announced by judge De Nichols in front of over a thousand creatives during the annual AIGA Design Conference in Minneapolis, Minn. on October 14.

 

More information is available online.