Pepperdine Students award $84,000 in Grants to Local nonprofits
MALIBU, Calif. – A Pepperdine University Nonprofit Management class culminated its semester-long project Tuesday with the awarding of $84,000 in grants to four local organizations, impacting a range of community services from arts education to pediatric surgery. The grants, ranging from $5,000 to $25,000, were the result of extensive student research and deliberation.
The class, led by Professor Ruth Bernstein, began by evaluating 19 nonprofit organizations, narrowing the field to 11 based on financial health and mission alignment. Students then formed small groups to conduct site visits, gaining firsthand insight into each organization’s operations before collectively deciding on funding priorities.
“There is so much impact that can be made and it was just amazing to see what it takes to try and spread our impact in as many ways as we possibly can,” said junior Molly Wallace. “It was really beautiful to see what we can do with this money and the ways we connected with all these nonprofit organizations.”
Grant recipients included Shemesh Farms and Women of Substance and Men of Honor ($5,000), White Hall Arts Academy and sarah’s House ($14,000), The Painted Turtle ($15,000), and Mending Kids ($25,000).
The $84,000 total was comprised of multiple funding sources. $50,000 originated from the SEED Gift,a donation from a member of Pepperdine’s Board of Regents. An additional $18,000 was earned through student giving pledges submitted to The Philanthropy Lab and a matching contribution from Gash, who attended the grant ceremony. The final $15,000 came from the Nonprofit Leadership Collaborative within Pepperdine’s Business Division.
Bernstein emphasized the value of the experiential learning opportunity for her students.”I just felt the joy and I think they’ll take this with them and that the money will still have a major impact, even for the organizations that got a small amount of money,” she said. “And knowing that the students chose well, with the thought and the process.”