IHRF Facebook Announcement
IHRF Selected as Top 100 Charity in Round One of Chase Community Giving on Facebook
More than 1 million Facebook users selected 100 top charities from over 500,000 organizations
December 16, 2009 - The Intracranial Hypertension Research Foundation (IHRF) was selected as one of 100 top charities that will each receive a $25,000 grant from Chase and now have a chance to receive a Million Dollar Grant, following Facebook users’ voting in Round One of Chase Community Giving.
“I was surprised and excited,” said, Emanuel Tanne, M.D., IHRF’s co-founder, when he received the news about IHRF’s selection. “I immediately thought about how this can help the research. This is a great example of what the IH community can achieve, working together. ”
More than 1 million Facebook users signed up for Chase Community Giving in Round One of the program. The grassroots campaign that launched November 16 allowed Facebook’s 350 million users to choose from more than 500,000 of their favorite small and local charities and vote for them to win their share of $5 million. Eligible charities included 501(c)(3) charities, like IHRF, with an operating budget of $10 million or less, serving the general public in designated areas. Round One ended at midnight on Dec. 12 and culminated with a surge of voting in the last week.
“We were pleased to see the level of enthusiasm and support that Round One generated. Interestingly, only two of the 100 organizations overlapped with our existing giving portfolio, which confirmed our early view that this method of giving would indeed complement our traditional giving, while sparking innovation,” said Kim Davis, president of the JPMorgan Chase Foundation.
“This has been one of the most popular crowdsourcing campaigns in Facebook history. Millions of people using Facebook have taken up the Chase challenge to demonstrate the power of crowdsourcing for philanthropic giving,” said Elliot Schrage, vice president of global communications and policy at Facebook. “The program is unique in that a person can leverage their vote on Facebook—in addition to their wallet—to collectively help those in need during the holidays or support a cause important to them.”
The 100 charities announced today span 31 states and serve the public in a variety of areas, including arts, education, health, and basic needs.
Round Two voting begins January 15; the 100 organizations from Round One will have the option to submit a Million Dollar Grant proposal to Facebook users, detailing the difference they would make in their local community with the significant extra resources. Facebook users will vote starting January 15, and on or around February 1, one organization will receive $1 million from Chase. Five additional organizations will receive $100,000 each. Also, the Advisory Board will select additional nominated charities from either round to share in another $1 million.
“The best part is that it’s not over yet,“said Dr. Tanne.
Round Two voting begins January 15, 2010 at http://apps.facebook.com/chasecommunitygiving/charities/1000509