ISSUE #76: THE GIVING SQUARE'S FAVORITE THINGS
As we close out the year we wanted to celebrate highlights from 2025 and share how they might connect to your own life. Here are a few of OUR FAVORITE THINGS!
How did we come up with this list? Over the last year The Giving Square has explored philanthropy with over 2,000 2nd through 8th graders. Through this work, kids have conducted over 1,000 book reviews, delivered over $71,000 in grants to kid-serving non-profits, and explored the themes of technology and the future through our podcast. Want a glimpse of the magic? Watch our new video of the Kids for Kids Fund in action (below).
TGS just published a *NEW* edition of The Giving Potato Game, a card game that helps kids explore the myriad ways everyone can help others. Designed in partnership with Game Genius, the game is played during the Kids for Kids Fund program, family workshops, and other group learning experiences.
What have we learned along the way?
1. Kids can talk about hard things while being playful.
2. Games amplify the impact of our programs by making them fun and engaging for all ages.
Want to design your own game? Contact Game Genius. Want a copy of The Giving Potato Game? Let us know!
Our work continues to advance thanks to The Giving Square Network, a community of educators, researchers, philanthropy professionals, non-profit organizations, alumni, advisors, board and team members. Two highlights:
1. Within this community, three amazing women became TGS Board Members: Donna Wells (Politics & Prose), Andrea Brady (Great Southern Bank), and Olivia Smith (The Orr Group).
2. TGS Executive Director Amy Neugebauer co-presented at national conferences with network members Peter Williamson (Game Genius), Michael Layton (Johnson Center for Philanthropy), and Hope McGuire (Montgomery County Public Schools),
If you would like to get involved in the TGS Network, reach out!
In response to educator demand for an additional layer of programming for lower grades and kids' love of animals, we launched a pilot of Kids for Kids Animal Kingdom. Over this school year Maiya and Amy have been collaborating with the Diener team on the pilot. At a midway check in, Diener students shared that they really liked how much everyone was learning from animals about helping others. They also suggested incorporating a few more animals, especially cats, dolphins and the nearly extinct Northern White Rhino.
We are excited to take this program to new schools in 2026!
Trying to figure out a year-end gift for some kids in your life? Consider the latest awardees from The Giving Square Selects! Why? Over 1,000 kids reviewed the books for interest as well as substance.
The winning titles for 2025 were:
* At the Window by Hope Lim (Author), Qin Leng (Illustrator)
* I am Stuck by Julia Mills (Author & Illustrator)
* LOVE by Matt de la Peña (Author), Loren Long (Illustrator)
* Otter Carries On by Maya Tatsukawa (Author & Illustrator)
* What's the Rush by Yiting Lee (Author & Illustrator)
Looking for some good audio content for long travels (trains, planes, automobiles!). Check out our latest season of Kids are Philanthropists, Too!, the podcast. You can find Season 6 on "The Future of Good, " HERE!
Our co-hosts (4th graders to 12th graders) interview leaders from the Institute for the Future, Grantmakers for Education, FutureGood and more. We cover everything from how food flavors are invented to the role of art in influencing the future.
Feeling overwhelmed about the present? Jump into the future, with us!
At the highest level of grantmaking yet, students in the Kids for Kids Fund gave away $71,000 in $1,000 grants to local, kid-serving non-profits. Student's biggest concerns of the year were immigration and child protection.
While The Giving Square is an education non-profit, at this level of participatory grantmaking, kids are giving away more money than over an estimated 65-75% of private foundations.
Why does this work? Kids are great philanthropists! They are responsible, empathetic, concerned, and driven to do good. How does this work? Check out the video at the top!
ADDITIONAL RESOURCES
The latest Harvard's Good Insights Podcast, "Transforming Youth Philanthropy", features Executive Director Amy Neugebauer.
Amy Neugebauer co-wrote Chapter 6 of Alison Body's new book, "Children as Change Makers: Unleashing Children's Real Philanthropic Power."
The Giving Square was referenced in, "In Abundance: An Analysis of the Thriving Landscape of Collective Giving in the U.S." Thank you Michael Layton!
Our latest blogpost "Making Philanthropy Inclusive and Equitable Starts with Kids," was published by Giving Compass.
The Giving Square was highlighted in, "Raising Philanthropic Children: Moving Beyond Virtuous Philanthropy, Towards Transformative Giving and Empowered Citizenship," published by Alison Body out of the University of Kent.
Our work would not be possible without the generous support of the Rothschild Foundations, The Serimus Foundation, Kettering Family Philanthropies, The Morris and Gwendolyn Cafritz Foundation, Maryland Humanities, individual donors, school partners, our Team, our Partners, The Giving Square Network (above), and you!