BOSTON, May 2, 2013 /PRNewswire/ -- Sappi Fine Paper
North America today announced the 2013 Call for Entries for Ideas
that Matter, an annual, innovative grant program that supports and
transforms the creative ideas of designers into a powerful force
for social good. Fourteen years ago, Sappi established the Ideas
that Matter grant program to recognize and support designers who
use their skills and expertise to solve communications problems for
a wide range of charitable activities. Sappi has witnessed this
world-changing work first hand and remains committed to the belief
that good ideas inspire people to take action, great ideas
change the world.
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Ideas that Matter remains the only grant program of its kind in
the industry. Since 1999, Sappi has funded over 500 nonprofit
projects, contributing more than $12
million worldwide to causes that enhance our lives, our
communities and our planet in ways that add unique value and have
measurable impact. Since the program's inception, Ideas that Matter
funded projects have addressed every imaginable societal issue from
diversity and human rights campaigns to projects that focus on
health and youth development. In tracking the program's long-term
success, Sappi estimates that these projects have directly impacted
the lives and environments of people and communities across 24
states and 15 countries.
"Sappi understands that the lasting legacy of the Ideas that
Matter program are the individual lives that are positively
impacted and forever changed because of the grant-funded projects,"
said Jennifer Miller, Executive Vice
President, Coated Business and Chief Sustainability Officer, Sappi
Fine Paper North America. "The stories of success that come back to
Sappi weeks, months and sometimes even years after the grant is
awarded, are proof that the creative ideas of designers can have an
influence beyond the aesthetic and that those ideas can be a
powerful force for social good. It is the people – the designers
and nonprofits they choose to work with – that are the lifeblood of
this program, and we at Sappi are honored to play a small, but
meaningful role in the work they do."
Each project concept and design entry to Ideas that Matter is
evaluated on creativity, potential effectiveness and practicality
of the implementation plan by an annually selected, independent
panel of judges comprised of leaders and influencers in the design
industry. These judges are widely recognized for their commitment
to design for social good as well as their award-winning work. This
year, Sappi is proud to have the following design leaders take on
the challenging task of selecting grant winners from the pool of
qualified and creative proposals: Bill
Drenttel, President of Winterhouse Institute based in
Connecticut; Erin Huizenga, Director of New Business
Development at Remedy in Chicago;
Jennifer Kinon, Founding Partner at
Original Champions of Design/OCD based in New York City; Michael
Lejeune, Creative Director at Metro in Los Angeles; Alissa
Walker, freelance design writer in Los Angeles.
Individual designers, design firms, agencies, in-house corporate
design departments, design instructors, individual design students
and design student groups can apply for an Ideas that Matter grant.
The designer or the nonprofit must be based in North America. Grant awards range from
$5,000 to $50,000 per project. At
least a portion of the project must be printed, though additional
elements may include a variety of communication mediums. And, for
the first time in 2013, proposals may include up to 10% of the
total budget as an honorarium for the applying designer or design
firm.
The grant application process for Ideas that Matter is similar
to submitting a client creative brief or strategic plan. Basic
information is required including: the mission statement of the
benefiting nonprofit organization and a copy of its 501(c)(3)
designation; a written description of the proposed project,
including a list of elements to be part of the program; a brief
description of the project's objectives; a visual presentation of
the proposed idea; a project timeline and proposed budget; a
summary of information about the applicant; the applicant's resume;
and samples of the applicant's previous work.
To obtain an entry form and for more information about Ideas
that Matter, visit www.sappi.com/ideasthatmatterNA or call
800-882-4332. Applications for proposals must be postmarked by
July 19, 2013. The winners will
be announced in September 2013.
About Sappi Fine Paper North America
Sappi Fine Paper North America, known for innovation and quality,
is a preeminent North American producer of coated fine and release
papers and market pulp headquartered in Boston, Massachusetts. Its coated fine papers,
with highly recognized brand names such as McCoy, Opus,
Somerset and Flo, are used in
premium magazines, catalogs, books and high-end print advertising.
The company is also the world's leading supplier of release papers
for the automotive, fashion and engineered films industries,
including the globally recognized Ultracast brand. Sappi's release
papers provide the surface aesthetics for synthetic fabrics used in
footwear, clothing, upholstery and accessories, as well as the
textures for decorative laminates found in kitchens, baths,
flooring and other decorative surfaces. An integrated pulp and
paper producer, with state-of-the-art pulp mills, Sappi is the
third largest seller of hardwood pulp in North America.
Sappi Fine Paper North America is a subsidiary of Sappi Limited
(NYSE, JSE), a global company headquartered in Johannesburg, South Africa, with over 14,000
employees and manufacturing operations on three continents in seven
countries and customers in over 100 countries around the world.
Learn more about Sappi at: www.sappi.com/na.
SOURCE Sappi Fine Paper North America