Since its inception in 2006, The Red Backpack Foundation has donated millions to charities around the world, focusing on charities that empower underserved women and girls.Check out highlights below from organizations and causes we have supported.
Since its inception in 2006, The Sara Blakely Foundation has donated millions to charities around the world, focusing on charities that empower underserved women and girls.Check out highlights below from organizations and causes we have supported.
The Red Backpack Foundation provided scholarships to send 1,000 girls across the country to Camp Invention, a program that is run by the National Inventors Hall of Fame, which was founded 50 years ago with the USPTO. Camp Invention develops confidence and problem-solving skills, builds leadership, perseverance and resourcefulness and encourages entrepreneurship in young innovators!
The Red Backpack Foundation renewed its commitment to the Mindset Series in partnership with 3DE with a 5-year commitment of $1.5M. As of Fall 2024, the Mindset Series is integrated into 60 Schools across 13 States, reaching over 15,000 students.
The Red Backpack Foundation invested $1M in Rethink Impact, a VC fund that invests in female leaders with early-stage growth/impact companies in health, environmental sustainability, education and economic empowerment. Using tech to solve the world’s biggest problems, Rethink Impact believes that the next generation of extraordinary companies will find success through their relentless pursuit of mission, for the benefit of all communities.
The Red Backpack Foundation donated $5+ million to support female entrepreneurs in the wake of COVID-19 and teamed up with GlobalGiving to establish The Red Backpack Fund. GlobalGiving managed the Fund, making 1,000 grants of $5,000 each to female entrepreneurs in the U.S. to help alleviate the immediate needs and support the long-term recovery of those impacted by the crisis.
In 2020, The Red Backpack Foundation expanded the Mindset Series and in partnership with 3DE developed and launched an additional year of social and emotional curriculum, reaching 7,200 9th and 10th grade students across 23 schools. In a year of virtual learning and unprecedented challenges for education, this curriculum was needed more than ever!
“Humans can be quarantined, but the human spirit cannot be contained.”- Sara Blakely. The Red Backpack Foundation commissioned a mural of this quote to inspire hope and positivity throughout Atlanta while supporting local artists impacted by the pandemic. The Fund worked with Living Walls to curate and produce the mural, employing an all-female crew. Living Walls is a local non-profit that creates intentional, thought-provoking public art to inspire social change and activate public spaces. Artist Sarah Neuburger curated the design, a combination of helping hands and bright colors, all symbolizing one thing: our Atlanta community. The mural can be found at 1061 Ponce De Leon Ave NE in Atlanta.
The Red Backpack Foundation invested in several Atlanta-based initiatives to support food-insecure communities, local businesses, and medical staff on the frontlines. The Foundation provided thousands of families with groceries in partnership with one of the Foundation’s entrepreneurial fellows, Jasmine Crowe, the founder of Goodr. We also supported local restaurants all over Atlanta by catering 30,000+ healthy meals to those working on the frontlines. In support of out-of-work restaurant workers, we sponsored Souper Jenny’s drive-through grocery, feeding 1,200 people per week for four weeks.
The Red Backpack Foundation donated $50K to the UN Foundation’s COVID-19 Solidarity Response Fund in support of Global Citizen’s premiere, One World: Together at Home. This Fund helped prevent, detect and respond to the virus, especially where the need was greatest.
Once again, The Sara Blakely Foundation became lead sponsor of the New Mavericks, one of the Atlanta Film Festival’s programs that highlights female directors and crews that create films focused on female leads and empowerment.
The Red Backpack Foundation has been a long-time supporter of GCAPP, a capacity–building and training organization focused on youth health and empowerment. This year, as the Premier Sponsor for the GCAPP Empower Party, the Foundation helped fuel GCAPP’s work to enable communities to design and implement programs that give young people the knowledge, skills and motivation to realize their full potential.
The Red Backpack Foundation sponsored a Habitat for Humanity home build for a local, single mom. The Spanx team volunteered, wore their hard hats and got their hands dirty, completing their third company-wide build just in time for the Holidays!
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In the fall of 2019, The Red Backpack Foundation launched the “Mindset Series by Sara Blakely” in 13 schools, in partnership with 3DE. This series aims to accelerate outcomes by equipping students with the social and emotional skills needed to thrive in today’s world. Through a combination of videos, activities, discussions and reflections, the series highlights the importance of mindset – the work students need to do to mentally prepare for greatness. It’s about getting to know yourself, believing in yourself and
For the third consecutive year, The Red Backpack Foundation teamed up with the Center for Civic Innovation (CCI), to provide funding to a new class of Atlanta-based social entrepreneurs. Each woman received a $5,000 Red Backpack Grant, and the chance to pitch for more funding later. They also received hundreds of hours of coaching and training, but more importantly, they built a community of lifelong peers and mentors. These women made significant growth in their ventures that launched many of them into the next phase of their entrepreneurial journey. They obtained cross-sector partnerships, garnered national news coverage, collectively grew their revenue 300% and impacted more than 6,000 people in Atlanta and beyond.
The Red Backpack Foundation committed $500,000 to advance women’s leadership around the world via Vital Voices’ 2020 Fund, which was created to accelerate support for women leaders through programming and through the development of the first-of-its-kind global headquarters for women’s leadership. Housed within the Vital Voices Global Headquarters, the Sara Blakely Center for Entrepreneurship will chart a new course for women’s economic empowerment in the United States and around the world. The Center will be accessible to the 18,000+ women in the Vital Voices network in addition to visiting women leaders and the general public.
The Red Backpack Foundation partnered with Spanx and the PowHERful Foundation to host the second PowHERful Enrichment Summit in Atlanta. The PowHERful Foundation has been successful in getting women to and through college and provides women with the services necessary to thrive in their education and professional choices. The organization provides financial assistance, mentorship, and wraparound support to help their scholars achieve their highest potentials. We were thrilled to host the largest Summit turnout yet!
The Red Backpack Foundation celebrated Giving Tuesday by inviting female-focused organizations to gather at Spanx HQ for a philanthropy fair designed to inspire, engage, and give back! Each Spanx employee was given funds to donate to the charities that gathered as they learned more about each group’s mission, impact, and the different ways people can volunteer to help. The fair highlighted such causes as health and wellness through Girls on the Run, career development through Dress for Success, education via Generation Infocus and Global Village Project, empowering the homeless through ChopArt and Rainbow Village, and human trafficking via Wellspring Living.
100 high school girls joined The Red Backpack Foundation at the Spanx HQ for “My Future Credit”, a creative media-focused event hosted in partnership with re:Imagine/ATL–a local nonprofit that empowers the next generation of storytellers. This full-day workshop incorporated intention setting, mindfulness, panels, dance, improv and more to encourage these teens to achieve their dreams and break barriers in the entertainment industry.
The Red Backpack Foundation teamed up with the Center for Civic Innovation (CCI) for the second year, to provide funding to a new class of Atlanta-based social entrepreneurs. In addition to supplying a year of wraparound business services, the grant included a personal stipend, leadership development training, and attracted additional investment opportunities for these world-changing companies. To jumpstart this exciting initiative, CCI—along with a few Spanx employees—joined the Foundation for a mentorship kick-off and celebration.
The Red Backpack Foundation sponsored a Kode with Klossy camp, hosting 25 young women from the Atlanta Girls School at Spanx HQ for a weekend of girl power, coding and fun.
The Red Backpack Foundation partnered with Spanx and the PowHERful Foundation to host the first ever PowHERful Enrichment Summit in Atlanta. The PowHERful Foundation has been successful in getting women to and through college and provides women with the services necessary to thrive in their education and professional choices. The organization provides financial assistance, mentorship, and wraparound support to help their scholars achieve their highest potentials.
The Red Backpack Foundation donated $250,000 to 10 local, social entrepreneurs through the Center for Civic Innovation. The grant provided the women a year of wrap-around services, leadership development training and attracted additional investment opportunities for these world-changing businesses. To kick off this exciting initiative, the Maverick1000 team joined The Red Backpack Foundation and the Center for Civic Innovation at Spanx for a mentorship intensive and business-pitch competition. The Maverick1000 awarded the four winning women in-kind services around marketing and communications.
The Red Backpack Foundation sponsored Akola’s launch event at Neiman Marcus in Atlanta, GA, proudly supporting founder and past SPANX Leg Up Winner Brittany Merrill Underwood as Akola became the first full-impact social brand in the luxury space. Akola is a female-owned non-profit jewelry company that has employed more than 500 women living in poverty, empowering them to break the cycle and transform their lives.
The Red Backpack Foundation donated $100,000 to Let Girls Learn, a Peace Corp initiative that seeks to elevate and expand educational opportunities for adolescent girls—including girls in areas of conflict and crisis.
In conjunction with the launch of her new book, The Red Backpack Foundation hosted a baby shower for expecting and new mothers at Grady Hospital, a 125-year-old Atlanta institution with a long history of serving the community’s most vulnerable and underserved populations. Blakely and team gifted more than fifty women with new strollers and car seats.
The Red Backpack Foundation sponsored Every Mother Counts (EMC) annual fundraiser after Sara launched the Belly Art Project: Moms Supporting Moms and committed 100% of author proceeds to support EMC and raise awareness for maternal health.
The Red Backpack Foundation became the anchor sponsor of the Grameen American Social Business Fund (GASBF), a unique U.S.-focused social impact investment opportunity that aims to raise up to $25 million in loan capital for Grameen America’s microloan portfolio. This gift will enable Grameen America to empower more than 100,000 low-income women entrepreneurs through microloans, credit and asset-building services.
The Red Backpack Foundation sponsored the Atlanta Film Festival in support of the New Mavericks, a program that highlights female directors and crews that create films focused on female leads and empowerment. During the festival, Sara presented a New Mavericks director Elisa Paloschi with an additional grant, recognizing her inspiring work: “Driving With Selvi”.
Inspired by Malala’s incredible journey, The Red Backpack Foundation gives $150,000 to support The Malala Fund.
The Red Backpack Foundation supports Rainbow Village, a transitional housing community for homeless families with children in north metro Atlanta. Most of the heads-of-household at Rainbow Village are women who have fled lives of domestic violence and poverty.
The Red Backpack Foundation supports The Global Village Project with a 3-year commitment to help launch an educational STEAM Program, which exposes female refugee students to Science, Technology, Engineering, Art and Math. This program opens up a world of opportunity and provides a safe environment for these girls to realize their potential.
The Red Backpack Foundation connects Spanx employees to international “sisters” via Women for Women International, an organization that supports women in countries affected by conflict and war. In addition to notes of encouragement from their Spanx family, the partnership provides these marginalized women training, resources and support to create sustainable change for herself, her family and her community.
Sara is the youngest self-made, female billionaire to join Bill Gates and Warren Buffet’s Giving Pledge, a commitment made by the world’s wealthiest who have dedicated the majority of their wealth to philanthropy.
The Red Backpack Foundation provides its fourth year of support to the Harold Robinson Foundation whose mission makes it possible for Los Angeles’ less fortunate children to attend camp in a safe and nurturing environment. HRF strives to create a sense of purpose and accomplishment in each individual by providing a safe haven to explore fears and dreams while learning leadership skills and applications.
The Red Backpack Foundation donates $100,000 to Veronika Scott, founder of the Empowerment Plan: a non profit that hires previously homeless women to make sleeping bag coats for homeless people. “Without your support at that crucial moment in time, we would not have been able to grow into the company we are today. Your gift and early belief in our mission encouraged other donors to follow in your footsteps,” said Veronika Scott.
The Red Backpack Foundation gives $150,000 to the Oprah Winfrey Leadership Academy in Africa. The academy provides a nurturing educational environment for academically gifted girls in grades 8-12 who come from disadvantaged backgrounds and have demonstrated academic talent and leadership potential.
To celebrate Spanx’s 10th anniversary, The Red Backpack Foundation gives $10,000 grants to 10 Atlanta organizations that support women: Cool Girls, Drake House, Dress for Success, Edge Connection, Our House, Quality Care for Children, Atlanta Day Shelter for Women and Children, Partnership for Community Action, Atlanta Children’s Shelter and All Grown Up.
The Red Backpack Foundation gives $100,000 to the Atlanta Girls School to support their Entrepreneurship Program and its business plan completions. Finalists are awarded up to $1,000 in venture capital to continue research and development of their business plans.
The Red Backpack Foundation gives $100,000 to the Atlanta Girls School to support their Entrepreneurship Program and its business plan completions. Finalists are awarded up to $1,000 in venture capital to continue research and development of their business plans.
The Red Backpack Foundation partners with the Marist School to help fund and build a Habitat for Humanity home for single moms in Atlanta.
Sara hosts a premiere of the powerful documentary Pray the Devil Back to Hell, which honors the strength and perseverance of Liberian women who came together to end a civil war. The Red Backpack Foundation pledges to match donations to support women and help build a medical clinic in Liberia.
The Red Backpack Foundation, alongside Virgin Unite, helps launch CIDA’s Women on the Move program. This program offers mentorship and leadership training to empower underprivileged South African women to develop economic independence and become agents of change in their communities.
Sara launched the Foundation in 2006. Each VIP ticket provided a one-year scholarship to the CIDA (Community & Individual Development Association) City Campus in Johannesburg, South Africa. With $600k raised, The Red Backpack Foundation sent 278 women to college!
