Award presented by two-time Pulitzer Prize winner and New York Times columnist Nicholas Kristof raises millions for featured organizations for the sixth year in a row.
SAN JOSE, CALIFORNIA, November 23, 2024—The annual Holiday Impact Prize has announced Fistula Foundation as a 2024 winner for its work to end the needless suffering of women injured in childbirth.
The Holiday Impact Prize is presented by two-time Pulitzer Prize winner and New York Times columnist Nicholas Kristof and supported by Focusing Philanthropy. The award has helped raise the profiles of organizations that are making a difference on the very issues Kristof covers in his journalism—health, education, climate, human rights, and women’s rights, both in the United States and around the world. Since 2019, the Holiday Impact Prize and the special edition C-19 Impact Initiative have together raised more than $42 million and recruited more than 4,600 volunteers for the organizations featured.
As part of this award, Fistula Foundation will receive $50,000 in addition to donations raised from readers.
“Women with obstetric fistula suffer needlessly in the shadows,” said Fistula Foundation CEO Kate Grant. “Nick Kristof has been their champion for decades, using his platform to focus a bright light on the scourge of fistula, while highlighting the life-transforming treatment that our network of partners provides. We are so honored to receive his endorsement and thrilled to channel donations from the Holiday Impact Prize to support thousands of women across Africa and Asia who need our help right now. Because of generous supporters, we can continue to provide fistula surgeries to more women in more places than any other organization in the world.”
“I’m deeply honored to support these incredible organizations and know our readers will be moved by the amazing work they do around the world,” said Nicholas Kristof. “These nonprofits are at the forefront of tackling some of the most pressing challenges in our society, and it’s a privilege to play a role in empowering their work. Each donation—and every volunteer—is a catalyst for meaningful change. By providing this support, we are helping to create opportunities, uplift communities, and foster resilience where it’s needed most.”
Since 2009, Kristof has written an annual “holiday gift guide” column to bridge a philanthropic gap: To connect readers who wanted to help but didn’t know how, and heroic individuals and organizations that desperately needed resources but were off donors’ radar. In 2019, Kristof introduced his Holiday Impact Prize as a way to increase donations and create a more ambitious campaign.
“This giving season, we can reflect on a time where generosity can make an especially profound impact. I’m thankful for our readers and supporters who have made the Holiday Impact Prize a huge success, allowing us to uplift organizations that are working tirelessly to help people around the world,” said Kristof.
Anyone looking to join in and make a difference can donate or sign up to volunteer through January 31, 2025 by visiting KristofImpact.org. For more information, read Kristof’s holiday giving column in The New York Times.
About Focusing Philanthropy
Focusing Philanthropy, a 501(c)3 nonprofit that finds and funds high-impact, scalable programs around the world, provides the platform for this initiative by processing readers’ contributions, monitoring and reporting on results, and replenishing credit card transaction costs of donations made on KristofImpact.org so that 100 cents on the dollar will support the winning organizations.
About Fistula Foundation
Fistula Foundation is the global leader in obstetric fistula treatment. It exists to end the needless suffering of women who experience this devastating childbirth injury. Since 2009, the Foundation has worked with more than 140 partners in 35 countries to provide more than 100,000 life-changing surgeries to women in need. The Foundation raises funds from global donors and strategically directs these funds to doctors and hospitals that provide free, life-transforming surgery in areas of high, unmet need.
Published on November 23, 2024.