After a thoughtful round of deliberations by our adjudicators, Project Change Foundation is pleased to announce our 2024 grant recipient: BizKids Practical Education ASSN, or Build a Biz Kids! We were very impressed with the organization’s mission and how these change-makers plan to utilize the $2,000 grant and advisory support they’ll receive over the next year.

Our 2024 grant recipient is on a mission to equip the next generation of kids with 70+ soft skills and prepare them for success in an ever-evolving workforce and society.

The team behind Build a Biz Kids designs programs, tools and resources for educators to utilize with their students. Children ages seven to 14 have a chance to engage in real-world projects, building their skillsets and confidence so they can navigate and excel in a fast-changing economic climate punctuated by AI, robotics, and other technologies. Build a Biz Kids aims to reach one million students with future-ready educational experiences by 2030.

Located in British Columbia’s Lower Mainland, Build a Biz Kids delivers its programs in schools, nationally and internationally, as well as in partnership with other organizations. For 2023, the charity has three major goals: one, remove barriers for vulnerable populations to participate in programming; two, create financial sustainability so that donor and grant funds can go directly towards the communities it supports rather than administrative costs; and three, reach 30 percent more kids at 50 percent less cost. In just four months, that last goal has already been achieved; more kids than ever will be participating in BizKids’ programs this school year.

Over the next year, Project Change Foundation will help Build a Biz Kids develop a new communications strategy to advance their outreach even further. “Our focus has shifted from communicating directly with parents and students to cultivating relationships with teachers, school trustees, principals, district coordinators, and other youth-based organizations with a renewed focus on donor communication,” Rebecca Patterson, Build a Biz Kids’ community manager, says. “The funds from Project Change Foundation will support the implementation of the new communications strategy developed with the mentorship including website updates, brochures, business cards, and banners.”

Patterson expects working with Project Change Foundation will assist the charity with expanding across Canada and strengthening connections with communities.

“As a non-profit organization, connecting in an authentic way with the communities that you support is incredibly important,” Leah Coss, Build a Biz Kids’ executive director, says. “Our team is really good at providing support directly to the communities we serve, but it’s not always easy to put it into words. This opportunity to work with Project Change Foundation, with someone that specializes in this arena, means the world to us. We know this support will have an enormous impact on our team and in the communities that we support.”

The Project Change Foundation team is excited to start working with Build a Biz Kids. Stay tuned for updates over the next year.

Read more about Build a Biz Kids on their website.