On May 8, 2023, we honored five organizations across the country all working to #EndClothingInsecurity. Our Clothing Insecurity Partners are nonprofits working in partnership with Cradles to Crayons in our service locations and our Clothing Insecurity Crusader—a new category of recognition this year—represents an organization working outside our network. Congratulations to the 2023 recipients of the 6th Annual Chairman’s Council Clothing Insecurity Impact Award!

• 2023: Clothing Insecurity Partners
• South Shore Stars (Boston)
• Women In Need (NYC)
• Nationalities Service Center (Philadelphia)
• SGA Youth & Family Services (Chicago)
• 2023: Clothing Insecurity Crusader
• UniCycle (Nashville)

The Cradles to Crayons Chairman’s Council Clothing Insecurity Impact Award honors the contributions of organizations working to ensure children have the essential clothing they need to feel safe, valued, and to thrive in their childhoods.

Cradles to Crayons offers annual recognition in two categories:

• Clothing Insecurity Partner: this recognition honors C2C Service Partner organizations for their excellence in partnership to meet children’s clothing needs and mitigate Children’s Clothing Insecurity in collaboration with Cradles to Crayons. This award is open to currently active Cradles to Crayons Service Partners. 
   
  • C2C will offer four tiers of recognitions within the Clothing Insecurity Partner division. One Service Partner per C2C market will be honored, and these top four selections will then be ranked accordingly for the four awards within this division: 
  • • One (1) Grand Prize: $10,000 grant  
    • One (1) Runner Up: $5,000 grant  
    • Two (2) Honorable Mentions: $2,500 grant

• Clothing Insecurity Crusader: this recognition honors an organization whose work exemplifies C2C’s vision that children will one day have the clothing essentials they need to thrive, feel safe, valued, and warm—from distributing essentials like shirts and pants to winter coats and pajamas or shoes, to advocating for systems-wide change to mitigate children’s clothing need. This award is open to any U.S. nonprofit organization that is not currently a Cradles to Crayons Service Partner and is actively working outside of current C2C service areas (Chicagoland, Greater Philadelphia, Massachusetts, New York City, and the SF Bay Area). This award is accompanied by a $10,000 grant.

Eligibility: 

To be eligible to apply, Chairman’s Council Clothing Insecurity Impact Award winner organizations: 

• Must be a registered 501(c)(3) organization. 
• Must work directly or indirectly to provide children ages 0 –17 with clothing essentials. 
• Must have at least one dedicated, part-time employee for clothing and resources-based programming. 
• Must provide clothing and/or programming free of charge to recipients. Organizations that provide items at a cost to recipients will not be considered.
• Must not restrict clothing and/or programming eligibility beyond geography or income requirements. Organizations requiring additional qualifications or restrictions are ineligible.
• Must provide services and/or programming within the United States.
• “Clothing Insecurity Partner” award applicants MUST be a current Cradles to Crayons Service Partner organization, active and in good standing.
• “Clothing Insecurity Crusader” award applicants CANNOT operate solely in a current C2C Partner Service area (Chicagoland, Greater Philadelphia, Massachusetts, New York City, and the SF Bay Area), and MAY NOT be an active Service Partner. 

Award applicants that do not meet the specified eligibility criteria or submit incomplete applications will not be considered. . Prior recipients of the Chairman’s Council Clothing Insecurity Impact Award/Chairman’s Council Impact Award/Phyllis Yale Impact Award within the past three years are not eligible. 

Grants may be applied to programming focused on the distribution of clothing and related basic essentials, clothing-based public education campaigns and general advocacy work, coalition-building activities, or general operating funds. However, lobbying activities are not permitted for award use.