Estée Lauder reveals grant recipients for Writing Change initiative

Beauty conglomerate The Estée Lauder Companies has announced the grant recipients for its first edition of Writing Change, its literacy impact initiative inspired by inaugural poet Amanda Gorman.

Over the course of three years, the initiative looks to invest in organisations that are working on closing the literacy gap and support efforts in creating systemic changes. Grantees will be tracked and evaluated by the company on an annual basis in coordination with nonprofit partners.

“We are so proud to launch Writing Change,” said the group’s president and CEO, Fabrizio Freda, in a release. “This programme is deeply tied to our company’s long-standing commitment to the advancement of education, particularly for women and girls - and was deeply inspired by Amanda’s belief in literacy as a pathway to change its mission.”

Recipients of the initiative’s first edition were selected based on their abilities to show potential global expansion in years two and three, as well as the impact they have and their ability to collaborate. Each falls into one of the three Writing Change pillars: access, advocacy and artistic expression.

American Library Association, We Need Diverse Books and Girls Write Now have been selected as this edition’s grantees, while two additional community-based grants will be awarded to LA-based organisations WriteGirl and Minneapolis’ Migizi.

The initiative was launched due to the steady growth in illiteracy throughout the US, with the pandemic further contributing to its decline due to the disruption of education and the increase in inequalities.