Empowers Africa: One Step at a Time for a Better Tomorrow

What Are Public Charities?

Before we move on, we must first discuss what public charities are. In simple terms, domestic organization that are described in the Internal Revenue Code can be divided into two classes of organization: public charities and private foundations.

Private foundations have a single funding source, and their primary activity is to make grants to other charitable individuals or organizations rather than to provide for the operation of a variety of charitable programs.

On the other hand, organizations that have been classified as public charities are organizations, such as, hospitals, churches, medical research establishments, colleges, and schools. Moreover, public charities must have contributions from a variety of sources that include governmental agencies, corporations, individuals, and private foundations.

Empowers Africa has partnered with some of the most effective organizations on the ground in Africa that have focused on developing and producing sustainable and lasting change within their countries.

The organization was founded back in 2013 by 20 trustees and an advisory committee. A member of their team, Krista Krieger, who is the Chair of the Board and Executive Director, has said, “We are a group of women who are supporting programs that focus on human empowerment, land conservation, and wildlife protection. We look for programs run by well-organized, successful organizations and research each project to make sure it is measurable, sustainable, and has the endorsement of the local communities and governments.”

Consequently, Empowers Africa is particular about their focus, funding programs they believe can make a difference to African communities. They have funded programs that support the protection of wildlife and land conservation, support communities that live near protected wildlife areas, and provide funds to urban neighborhoods where tourism serves as a vital source of development. At the time of this article, they have granted donations to more than 60 organizations in 15 countries.

Moreover, they have also created educational documentaries to further enhance their emphasis on important topics. Currently, they have produced seven short film documentaries regarding matters related to education, small business developments, female empowerment and animal cruelty-related subjects like rhino poaching.

Many of these documentaries have been shared on local and international platforms such as various film festivals. Their influence and well-documented work on their documentaries have led them to win multiple awards over the years, including the London Independent Film Awards, NorCal Film Fest, the Independent Short Film Awards, the Crown Wood International Film Festival, and the Accolade Global Film Competition.