What can design do for the greater good?

More than a decade ago, Sappi Fine Paper—makers of McCoy, Opus, Somerset and Flo—established the Ideas that Matter grant program to recognize and support designers who donate their time and talent to create communications materials for a wide range of charitable activities. Today, Ideas that Matter remains the only grant program of its kind in the design industry. Through this program, Sappi has awarded more than $11 million in grants worldwide to designers who are performing pro-bono work for nonprofit organizations.

Grants support projects designed to enhance our lives, our society and our planet for a wide range of issues reflecting the concerns and needs of the communities that designers live in and care about most. Individual designers, design firms, agencies, in-house corporate design departments, design instructors, individual design students and design student groups, who are performing pro bono work for a nonprofit organization can apply for an Ideas that Matter grant. Grant awards range from $5,000 to $50,000 per project and may be used to cover implementation and out-of-pocket costs. Applications for this year’s Ideas that Matter program must be postmarked by July 15, 2011. The winners will be announced in September 2011.

Project concepts and design entries to Ideas that Matter are evaluated on creativity, potential effectiveness and practicality of the implementation plan by a team of annually-selected design leaders who are widely recognized for their award-winning work and their commitment to design for social good. This year Sappi welcomes: Allan Chochinov, Editorial Director and Partner of Core77, New York; Dawn Hancock, Owner and Managing Director of Firebelly Design, Chicago; Kit Hinrichs of Studio-Hinrichs, San Francisco; Oliver Munday, Designer and Illustrator based in Washington, DC and; Petrula Vrontikis of Vrontikis Design Office and instructor at Art Center College of Design.

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 22, 2011.