The Public Interest Registry (PIR) unveiled the finalists for the 2025 .ORG Impact Awards Tuesday and announced rapper, philanthropist and activist Common will host this year’s awards ceremony in Washington, D.C. in October that will recognise outstanding mission-driven individuals and organisations from around the world for their positive contributions to society.
The .ORG Impact Awards, founded by PIR, are a celebration of the spirit and mission that defines the .ORG community. Each year, these awards shine a spotlight on the remarkable individuals and organisations leveraging the power of the .ORG domain to create positive change in their communities and beyond. From environmental stewardship and advocacy to technological innovation and humanitarian outreach, the awards encompass a constellation of causes, each vital to the fabric of civil society.
“The .ORG Impact Awards continues to be one of the most meaningful initiatives we look forward to all year, and I’m honoured to welcome the extraordinary 2025 finalists to our global .ORG Community. These finalists represent the very best of our community — their dedication and impact embody the very spirit of the .ORG domain,” said Jon Nevett, President and CEO of Public Interest Registry.
“We’re thrilled to have Common join us and help uplift the forward-thinking changemakers honoured at this year’s awards. A long-time advocate for criminal justice and youth empowerment, Common is a changemaker himself and brings a powerful voice to this celebration of purpose-driven work.”
This year’s finalists represent the top five entries across seven award categories:
- Community Building
- Quality Education for All
- Environmental Stewardship
- Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion
- Health and Healing
- Hunger and Poverty
- Rising Stars (leaders under 30 making a difference in their communities).
Winners in these award categories and the prestigious .ORG of the Year, will be announced as part of the in-person .ORG Impact Awards celebration on 7 October. The winner of the .ORG of the Year award will receive a donation of US$50,000 while the other category winners will each receive $10,000. Beyond the donation, receiving a .ORG Impact Award will help raise the profile of winning organisations, ultimately driving donations, funding, talent acquisition, partnership development and increasing audience reach.
A list of finalists published by PIR is below:
Community Building
Empower Mali
Empower Mali improves lives in rural Malian communities through clean water, education, agriculture, and solar energy, with a focus on community co-investment and long-term sustainability.
Fonds pour les Femmes Congolaises (The Fund for Congolese Women)
Fonds pour les Femmes Congolaises funds and strengthens grassroots women’s organizations in the DRC to advance peace, justice, and gender equality from the ground up.
Long Way Home
Long Way Home engages people in democracy and creates economic and environmental justice through green building, employment, and education.
Techo
TECHO is a youth-led organization working in Latin America’s informal settlements, mobilizing volunteers and communities to overcome poverty through housing, civic engagement, and community-building programs that promote dignity and social justice.
Well Aware
Well Aware is a women-led nonprofit transforming lives in East Africa through sustainable, community-driven clean water systems that advance health, education, and gender equity.
Quality Education for All
Central Leadership Academy
Central Leadership Academy delivers holistic education rooted in community, leadership, and innovation, transforming learning access for underserved youth and children in Liberia and beyond.
INCLUDEU
IncluEdu uses AI to teach sign language and equip educators with inclusive tools, offering real-time feedback and fostering deaf inclusion in schools, workplaces, and communities across Latin America.
Rocket Learning Foundation
Rocket Learning uses tech to connect parents, teachers, and governments in India, improving foundational learning and early childhood education at scale.
NABU
NABU aims to solve the global literacy crisis. By providing culturally relevant, bilingual storybooks in mother tongue languages, NABU ensures that every child can read and rise to their full potential.
Yellow Boat of Hope Indonesia
Yellow Boat of Hope Indonesia builds boats, clean water systems, scholarships, and volunteer-led learning to help children in remote coastal communities access education and opportunity.
Environmental Stewardship
Matter of Trust
Matter of Trust connects surplus with need. Their flagship program recycles hair into tools that regenerate soil and clean water, empowering communities in 52+ countries through circular, nature-based solutions for climate resilience and restoration.
Nature Environment and Wildlife Society (NEWS)
NEWS restores and protects mangrove ecosystems by co-creating with communities, nurturing women climate leaders, and promoting nature-based livelihoods, advancing biodiversity and climate resilience across India.
Ocean Alliance, Inc.
Ocean Alliance protects whales and their ocean environment through global research, education, and innovative drone tech based in Gloucester, Massachusetts.
Wandusoa Organic Cameroon Development Association
Wandusoa trains marginalized youths and smallholder farmers in regenerative agriculture and business skills, cultivating socially and ecologically responsible entrepreneurs in rural Cameroon.
The Welman Project
The Welman Project diverts surplus materials from landfills and redistributes them to schools and nonprofits, supporting education, sustainability, and creativity.
Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion
Found in Translation
Found in Translation trains low-income bilingual women as medical interpreters, advancing health equity and economic mobility in underserved communities.
Humanos 3D
Humanos 3D provides personalized assistive devices for people with upper limb disabilities using 3D printing and emerging technologies, fostering inclusion, innovation, and education through community driven impact.
Imkaan Welfare Organization
Imkaan Welfare Organization empowers marginalized, undocumented, and stateless communities—especially women and children—through education, healthcare, vocational and digital learning, economic opportunities, and legal aid, fostering dignity and inclusion.
Purnata
Purnata rescues and rehabilitates trafficking survivors in India, providing safe spaces, education, jobs, and long-term care to break the cycle of exploitation.
Red Dot Global Foundation
Red Dot Foundation crowdsources data on sexual violence through its Safecity platform, using local insights to promote safety, justice, and survivor-led change.
Health and Healing
Access to Specialist Knowledge
accesstospecialistknowledge.org
Access to Specialist Knowledge connects healthcare workers in underserved regions of the globe to U.S. board-certified medical specialists, offering pro bono support that empowers local providers and promotes equitable access to healthcare.
The BIG Fix Uganda
The BIG FIX Uganda provides lifesaving vet care, animal welfare education, free rabies vaccines, and Africa’s first animal-assisted trauma therapy program—pairing war survivors with rescued dogs to heal PTSD, promote compassion, and transform communities in Northern Uganda.
Global Response Medicine
Global Response Medicine provides emergency medical care and professional training to populations affected by conflict and disaster, deploying veteran-led teams to high-risk areas to save lives.
Nunchi Health
Nunchi Health reimagines youth mental health by centering cultural identity, peer leadership, and community healing. They provide free, accessible, and affirming support to immigrant and minority youth often excluded from traditional systems.
Tiba Foundation
Tiba Foundation partners with Kenyan health organizations to strengthen rural clinics, train providers, and improve women’s economic empowerment and access to life-saving healthcare.
Hunger and Poverty
Andando
Andando helps rural Senegalese communities break the cycle of poverty by focusing on long-term partnerships and the growth of the whole village through integrated support in water, health, education, agroforestry, and financial independence.
Kula Project
Kula partners with Rwandan coffee farmers to build thriving farms and sustainable incomes through agricultural training and entrepreneurial development.
Manna Cafe Ministries
Manna Café Ministries serves the hungry and hurting in Tennessee by providing essentials, support services, and opportunities rooted in dignity, wellness, and community.
MicroLoan Foundation USA
MicroLoan Foundation USA alleviates poverty and promotes gender equality for women in sub-Saharan Africa by providing microfinance, business training, and savings support to help them build resilient livelihoods and transform their families’ futures.
The Rahul Kotak Foundation
The Rahul Kotak Foundation transforms children’s lives in Kenya by tackling school hunger, advancing menstrual health and expanding access to education in underserved communities.
Rising Stars
Aworanti Salvation Grace, Voices Against Rape and Sexual Harassment Foundation
VARSH Foundation empowers women and girls across Africa through feminist-led leadership, advocacy, and legal aid to end sexual and gender-based violence and promote peace.
Joshua Williams, Joshua’s Heart Foundation
Joshua’s Heart Foundation trains the next generation of hungry leaders by equipping service-oriented students with the strategic vision, operational skill-set, and trusted network they need to combat food insecurity and poverty in their own communities.
Jovia Kisaakye, Ecobed Biotech Brand
Ecobed Biotech transforms food waste into mosquito-repellent lotion, clean fuel, and organic farm inputs, advancing climate resilience, health, and livelihoods across East Africa.
Nicholas Lowinger, Gotta Have Sole
Gotta Have Sole’s mission is to provide under-resourced youth with brand new shoes to help them feel confident, comfortable, and special. They are opening opportunities for kids to go to school, play sports, and be kids.
Zofia Kierner, Girls Future Ready Foundation
Girls Future Ready builds confidence and professional skills in young women across Central and Eastern Europe through global mentorship and education programs.
.ORG of The Year
The 2025 .ORG Impact Award, .ORG of the Year, recognizes an outstanding nonprofit or nongovernmental organization nominated in one of the seven categories for their incredible achievement in the past year as evidenced by results and contributions to their sector, constituents, community or society at large. The winner will be announced on October 7.
For more information visit orgimpactawards.org