2. 2
Year In Review
ANNUAL
REPORT 2015
YEARINREVIEW
Dear Friends,
2015 was a time of active exploration and deepened connections for
the Namaste Foundation. We supported 25+ exceptional nonprofits
this year with just over $330,000 in gifts. Projects ranged from teaching
mindfulness in classrooms to filming permaculture documentaries to
building open source collaboration tools. The organizations we chose to
support impressed us with their courage in challenging the status quo
and their passionate visions of a more beautiful world.
Our team grew with the addition of Michelle Grambeau, who is helping
Namaste catalyze new community connections and sharing the stories
from some of the inspiring nonprofit projects and events we encounter.
In the spirit of openness and transparency, this Annual Report includes
more information about the groups we’ve supported, as well as statistics
from our blog. If you’d like to apply for a Namaste gift, or feature your
story on our website, please contact us. We look forward to having a
conversation!
Warm Regards,
The Namaste Team
3. 3
Gift Giving
GIFTGIVINGHerearetheorganizationstheNamasteFoundationsupported this year.
Readmoreaboutourgifttypesand categories here. Toapplyforfuturegift
consideration,please contactus.
BEAUTIFUL WORLD GIFTS
IMPACT GIFTS
Inspiring Stories
Inspiring Stories is growing a movement of young New
Zealanders who can, and will change the world. Since launching
in 2011, Inspiring Stories has built an impressive track record of
programmes and partnerships – perhaps best known for Festival
for the Future, and more recently launching New Zealand’s first
accelerator programme to grow the next generation of social
entrepreneurs & enterprise, Live the Dream. Nearly 5,000 young
people have taken part in Inspiring Stories programmes.
Make a donation to Inspiring Stories through The Future Fund.
Enspiral
Enspiral is a collaborative network of passionate change-makers
and social enterprises. Founded in Wellington, New Zealand, the
Enspiral network of projects includes Loomio, Cobudget, Chalkle,
and Dev Academy.
Make a donation to Enspiral. Read more on our blog.
4. 4
Gift Giving
ANNUAL
REPORT 2015
IMPACT GIFTS
Friends of the Earth
Friends of the Earth is a non-governmental environmental
organization that strives for a more healthy and just world.
Founded by environmentalist David Brower, Friends of the Earth
is guided by sustainability, connectivity, and systemic change.
The organization campaigns on issues including climate change,
pollution, nuclear technology, genetic engineering, deforestation,
pesticides, food and agriculture and economic policy.
Make a donation to Friends of the Earth.
Inhabit
Inhabit is a feature length documentary introducing
permaculture: a design method that offers an ecological lens for
solving issues related to agriculture, economics, governance,
and on. The film presents a vast array of projects, concepts,
and people, and it translates the diversity of permaculture
into something that can be understood by an equally diverse
audience.
The Grace Foundation
The Grace Foundation was established in Switzerland in 2007
by Sabine Lichtenfels and Rainer Ehrenpreis. The goal of the
foundation is to promote the establishment of peace research
villages worldwide and the training in all areas of knowledge
that is necessary for this to occur: Regional self-sufficiency
in the areas of water, food and energy, social and ecological
sustainability, and community building.
Make a donation to The Grace Foundation.
5. 5
Gift Giving
SUPPORT GIFTS
The Borneo Project
The Borneo Project brings international attention and support
to efforts to defend forests, sustainable livelihoods, and human
rights. The organization believes that protecting human rights
and environmental integrity in Borneo is a critical component of
the global movement for a just and peaceful world.
Make a donation to The Borneo Project. Read more on our blog.
To the Ends of the Earth
To the Ends of the Earth is a feature documentary that explores
the rise of extreme energy in our society, as seen through the
eyes of people on the front lines. Filmmaker David Lavallee
explores this global economic trend through the eyes of people in
communities most directly impacted by it.
Make a donation to To the Ends of the Earth documentary.
Action Station
ActionStation enables New Zealanders to take powerful,
coordinated action on urgent issues. ActionStation is a vital
piece of democratic infrastructure for Aotearoa in the 21st
century, here to reinvigorate our proud tradition of participatory
democracy and people power, using the potential of new
technology.
Make a donation to ActionStation.
6. 6
Gift Giving
ANNUAL
REPORT 2015
SUPPORT GIFTS
The Art of Yoga Project
The Art of Yoga Project is designed to help at-risk girls by
focusing on early intervention and preparing girls for a positive
future. The Art of Yoga Project is a leader in revolutionizing the
rehabilitation of girls by offering trauma-informed, strength-
based, gender-responsive services. The organization’s mission
is to lead teenage girls in the California juvenile justice system
toward accountability to self, others and community by
providing practical tools to affect behavioral change.
Make a donation to the Art of Yoga Project. Read more on
our blog.
The Flow
The Flow is a highly visual feature-length ride by Louis Fox into
the mysterious phenomenon we call being “in the zone,” or “the
flow.” Through stunning cinematography, The Flow immerses
its audience in an authentic transcendent experience. Returning
with this insight to modern life, the film shows our culture in
contrast: blocked where it could be fluid, destroying what wants
to grow, forcing what comes naturally. Yet while humanity
hovers on the brink of social and ecological catastrophe, we are
also within a hair’s breadth of realizing our inherent capacity to
realign in harmony with nature. The Flow suggests that we may
simply need to look at things in a different way.
Make a donation to The Flow movie.
7. 7
Gift Giving
SUPPORT GIFTS
Orientation Aotearoa
Orientation Aotearoa is a holistic education program in New
Zealand. The group’s mission is to promote wellbeing by providing
collaborative and experiential learning environments to explore and
develop participants’ identity, purpose, skills and
talents. [Gift Year: 2015]
Make a donation to Orientation Aotearoa. Read more on our blog.
Pachamama Alliance
Pachamama Alliance is a global community that offers people the
chance to connect, engage, travel and cherish life for the purpose of
creating a sustainable future that works for all.
Make a donation to Pachamama Alliance. Read more on our blog.
Silicon Valley Gives
Silicon Valley Gives is a 24-hour online fundraising effort, hosted
by the Valley Community Foundation with the help of sponsors,
offering local nonprofits the chance to crowd-fund from the
community. Nearly $16 million in total has been raised in the first
two years of SVGives.
Make a donation to Silicon Valley Gives. Read more on our blog.
8. 8
Gift Giving
ANNUAL
REPORT 2015
SEED GIFTS
Share Necessities
Share Necessities is a nonprofit organization committed to
building resiliency in the community. Our “I Make It Count”
program trains inner city youth in the tools to live a positive life
and become a positive force within their communities. With our
support homeless, low-income, and at-risk youth are given an
opportunity to find new life paths and realize their full potential.
Make a donation to Share Necessities.
charity: water
charity: water is a nonprofit bringing clean and safe drinking
water to people in developing nations. charity: water funds
inspiring organizations who are providing long-lasting water and
sanitation services around the world. charity: water has helped
pioneer “birthday campaigns” and the “100% model.”
Make a donation to charity: water. Read more on our blog.
Restorative Justice Community Action
Restorative Justice Community Action improves community
livability through restorative justice practices. RJCA creates a
forum in which people impacted by livability crimes meet with
offenders who commit the crimes to discuss the impact and
determine restitution. These community forums help prevent
further crime and community deterioration while repairing the
harm caused by criminal behavior.
Make a donation to Restorative Justice Community Action. Read
more on our blog.
9. 9
Gift Giving
SEED GIFTS
The Ferguson Youth Initiative
The Ferguson Youth Initiative serves the youth of the Ferguson
community by encouraging them and engaging them as active
members of the community, developing programs as needed, and
further communicating and partnering with existing community
youth programs.
Make a donation to Ferguson Youth Initiative. Read more on
our blog.
The Ferguson Public Library
The Ferguson Public Library’s mission is to provide the community
print and digital resources for education, information and
recreation, and a welcoming public place for both community
interaction and individual pursuits. The Library encourages lifelong
learning, dedicated to making the City of Ferguson a rewarding,
attractive, and pleasant place in which to live, visit, and work.
Make a donation to Ferguson Municipal Public Library. Read
more on our blog.
The Zinn Education Project
The Zinn Education Project promotes and supports the use of
Howard selling book A People’s History of the United States and
other materials for teaching a people’s history in middle and
high school classrooms across the country. The Zinn Education
Project is coordinated by two non-profit organizations, Rethinking
Schools and Teaching for Change.
Make a donation to Zinn Education Project. Read more on our blog.
10. 10
Gift Giving
ANNUAL
REPORT 2015
SEED GIFTS
Advancement Project
Advancement Project is a next generation, multi-racial civil
rights organization. Rooted in the great human rights struggles
for equality and justice, the Advancement Project exists to fulfill
America’s promise of a caring, inclusive and just democracy,
using innovative tools and strategies to strengthen social
movements and achieve high impact policy change.
Make a donation to the Advancement Project. Read more on
our blog.
LCCR
Lawyers’ Committee for Civil Rights of the San Francisco Bay
Area, founded in 1968, works to advance, protect and promote
the legal rights of communities of color, and low-income
persons, immigrants, and refugees. Assisted by hundreds of
pro bono attorneys, LCCR provides free legal assistance and
representation to individuals on civil legal matters through direct
services, impact litigation and policy advocacy.
Make a donation to Lawyer’s Committee for Civil Rights. Read
more on our blog.
Wemakeadditionalgiftsoncrowd fundingplatforms Kickstarter, Indiegogo, Patreon, Pledgeme.
11. 11
Statistics
SUMMARYSTATS
2015 vs 2014
MOST POPULAR BLOG POSTS
• My Plate, My Planet: Shifting to a Sustainable Diet
• NEXT Foundation Looking for Transformational Education and Environment Projects
• Enspiral: Building an Open Source Society
(Statistics from Squarespace)
$333,550
29
$11,502
13
6,177
16,188
2.62
4%
4%
1%
-19%
79%
84%
2%
Total Gift Amounts
Total Gifts
Average Gift Size
Blog Posts
Blog Audience
Page Views
Page Views Per Visitor
12. 12
Financials
ANNUAL
REPORT 2015
$333,500
GRAND TOTAL
GIFTS MADE THROUGH SVCF IN 2015
GIFTS OUTSIDE SVCF
FINANCIALS
TheNamasteFoundation’sprimaryresources aremanaged at theSilicon
ValleyCommunityFoundation(SVCF).
Month
January
January
January
January
January
January
January
January
April
May
May
May
June
June
July
August
August
September
October
November
November
November
December
Organization
Restorative Justice Community Action, Inc.
Ferguson Youth Initiative
Advancement Project
Teaching for Change
Ferguson Municipal Public Library
Lawyers Committee For Civil Rights of the S.F. Bay Area
Enspiral Foundation
Permaculture Research Institute USA (Inhabit)
Orientation Aotearoa
Silicon Valley Gives
The Art of Yoga Project
Charity: Water
Friends of the Earth
Hartley Film Foundation, Inc. (The Flow)
Inquiring Systems, Inc. (The Grace Foundation)
Share Necessities
Earth Island Institute, Inc. (The Borneo Project)
Action Station Aotearoa Incorporated
Media Alliance (To the Ends of the Earth)
Pachamama Alliance
Inquiring Systems, Inc. (The Grace Foundation)
Inquiring Systems, Inc. (The Grace Foundation)
Inspiring Stories Trust
Total
Patreon
Kickstarter
Indiegogo
Total
AMOUNT
$2,500
$2,500
$2,500
$2,500
$2,500
$2,500
$100,000
$25,000
$20,000
$15,000
$10,000
$2,500
$25,000
$10,000
$5,000
$1,000
$8,000
$10,000
$10,000
$5,000
$5,000
$25,000
$25,000
$316,500
$600
$15,250
$1,200
$17,050
13. 13
2015 Gift Types and Levels
SeethefulllistoforganizationsthatNamaste Foundationhas supported onourGifts page. To
applyforfuturegiftconsideration,please contact us.
SUPPORT GIFT
$5,000 TO $25,000
IMPACT GIFT
$25,000 TO $100,000
BEAUTIFUL WORLD GIFT
$100,000 AND ABOVE
SEED GIFT
UNDER $5,000
2015GIFTTYPES&LEVELS