The Social Innovation Anthem Award
Presented by Social Innovation Summit & the Webby’s Anthem Awards
The 2024 Social Innovation Summit featured an exciting new collaboration with the Anthem Awards, host of the world-renowned Webby’s. Together, we highlighted a visionary leader making a meaningful difference in our host city of Chicago. We are pleased to announce the winner of the 2024 Social Innovation Anthem Award: Hope For The Day.
2024 Winner
- Hope For The Day
- Award accepted by Benjamin Kohn, Executive Director – Hope For The Day
- The Anthem Awards and Social Innovation Summit are proud to honor Hope For The Day with the inaugural Social Innovation Anthem Award. Hope For The Day is doing incredible work in Chicago and beyond to educate individuals about the importance of mental health and sharing the message that “it is okay to not be okay.” The organization’s use of creative outreach strategies, such as art, music, and community events, to break the silence surrounding mental health struggles and to promote open conversations about mental wellness is inspiring. By engaging with diverse communities and empowering individuals to prioritize mental wellness, Hope For The Day is helping build a more resilient and empathetic society.
Previous Awards Recipients
2021-2023 Awards Categories & Recipients:
MENTAL HEALTH & WELLNESS AWARD
Winner: Born This Way Foundation & Jack.org
Accepted By: Mitu Yilma, Director of Digital – Born This Way Foundation
ENVIRONMENTAL, SOCIAL & GOVERNANCE (ESG) AWARD
Winner: Action for Racial Equity (ARE)
Accepted By: Brandee McHale, President of the Citi Foundation; Head of Citi Community Investing and Development – Citi
ECONOMIC EMPOWERMENT AWARD
Winner: Project Community Capital
Accepted By: Dr. Gina Merritt, Founder – Project Community Capital®
EDUCATION AWARD
Winner: University Innovation Alliance
Accepted By: Dr. Bridget Burns, Chief Executive Officer – University Innovation Alliance
HEALTH & WELLBEING AWARD
Winner: #FirstRespondersFirst
Accepted By: Deborah Marcus, Executive – CAA Foundation & Kasia Laskowski, Executive Director – Thrive Global Foundation
DIVERSITY, EQUITY & INCLUSION (DEI) AWARD
Winner: Trust for Public Land
Accepted By: Linda Hwang, Senior Director, Strategy & Innovation – Trust for Public Land
FUTURE OF WORK AWARD
Winner: Barbara Bush Foundation for Family Literacy
Accepted By: British Robinson, President & CEO – The Barbara Bush Foundation for Family Literacy
COVID RESPONSE & IMPACT AWARD
Off Their Plate
Off Their Plate empowers local kitchens led by women and people of color to feed their communities through employment and nutrition. We are an entirely volunteer corps of business folk, engineers, and creatives partnering with food industry workers to build a more equitable food economy.
Accepted by: Natalie Guo, Founder, Off Their Plate
ECONOMIC EMPOWERMENT AWARD
Block by Block Amani Housing Strategy
Northwestern Mutual is leading the Block by Block Amani Housing Strategy, a unique collaboration between residents of Milwaukee’s most distressed neighborhoods (Amani), several community non-profits, and Northwestern Mutual. The Block by Block initiative addresses the need for quality affordable housing and eliminates blighted properties – connecting residents to existing housing programs, engaging the community in the revitalization process and providing residents with onsite training to learn transferable skills for the trade industry.
Accepted by: LaQuondra Shaw, Program Officer, Northwestern Mutual
DIVERSITY, EQUITY & INCLUSION AWARD
The McLendon Minority Leadership Initiative
The McLendon Minority Leadership Initiative (MLI) provides minorities a jump-start to their careers through practical experiences, opportunities to build their network, and instilling the values of John McLendon: Integrity, Education, Leadership, and Mentorship.
Accepted by: Coach Tommy Amaker, Harvard University & Coach John Calipari, University of Kentucky
FUTURE OF WORK AWARDS
FutureFit AI
FutureFit AI partnered with Fortune 500 companies during the economic fallout from the pandemic to ‘Reimagine Layoffs’ by providing laid off employees with an AI-powered tool that acted as a ‘GPS for their career’ to help them navigate into their next role — supporting them from career path exploration, to reskilling, to job placement with a combination of advanced labor market data and algorithms, alongside career resources and human guidance.
Accepted by: Hamoon Ekhtiari, Founder & CEO, FutureFit AI