For Jupiter High School sophomores Jessie Baxter and Holly Milsom, soccer has been a great way to make friends and build confidence. But they started to notice something about some of their peers. “When girls didn’t have good bras and underwear, their self-esteem was lower,” says Baxter. So she and Milsom came up with an idea: They founded Ta Ta for Now, a nonprofit organization that provides bras and underwear to teen girls in need. “We don’t want girls to stop doing what they love,” says Milsom. “We want every girl to feel confident.”
In October 2022, the girls applied to Philanthropy Tank, a local organization that mentors and funds student-led community impact ideas. In March, they presented their idea to a panel of philanthropist investors and were awarded $10,000 to help grow their business.
Jupiter teen Daisy Li, a junior at Alexander W. Dreyfoos School of the Arts, was also awarded $10,000 for her project. Down to Earth seeks to educate kids about climate change and mobilize them to practice sustainability. Li got the idea for Down to Earth while participating in a Climate Ready Ambassadors program at Pine Jog Environmental Education Center. “It made me realize just how precious our Earth is,” she says. “We need to protect it.”
Founded in 2015, Philanthropy Tank has awarded more than $700,000 to 70-plus student-run projects in Palm Beach County as well as Baltimore. “Two-thirds of all the programs we have funded and mentored are still operating today,” says founder Evan Deoul. “This validates our original mission and our students’ ability to make an impact in their community. What could be better than that?”
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