CHOOSING KINDNESS FOUNDATION

Programs

1. KINDR Prisons Initiative:Continued to offer three correspondence courses in all 34 prisons in the California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation (CDCR), enrolling approximately 300 incarcerated persons over the course of the year in mindful kindness and personal development correspondence.Continued to fulfill the requirements of the $300,000 CDCR three-year grant awarded in 2024. Implemented the Cultures of Collaboration Model, including a Peer Mentor Training Program in 3 additional California prisons. Continued grant funding to Kindful Restoration for their services in replicating the Cultures of Collaboration Model in 4 CDCR prisons.Continued work converting the three revised correspondence courses to digital courses on the Edovo Platform that serves over 1 million incarcerated individuals.Began translation of the three revised courses into Spanish.

   $524,625 spentof which $350,034 as grants
   42% of program spending

2. KINDR Workplace Initiative:Expanded our focus on kindness training in the workplace.Field-tested the KINDR Workplaces Ecosystem Model and training modules.Continued marketing campaign to develop KINDR Workplaces training into a revenue stream for the founation.Developed a partnership with a fractional services company to offer Kindness in the Workplace modules and certification to their clients.

   $288,758 spent
   23% of program spending

3. EVIDENCE ADVOCACY CENTER:Revised 7 menus of research-based resources and continue to update them.Wrote and edited 6 new articles by Doug Carnine, Linda Diamond, or Danielle Diamond.Added new members, including new Executive Committee members.Initiated an Alliance of professional research-aligned education organizations.Advised and edited a Canon of Literacy still in development by Dr. Paige Pullen.Developed a weekly newsletter of relevant articles, research, and webinars.Participated in live virtual events and co-sponsored an important webinar about Berkeley USD in California.Doug Carnine wrote a substack paper and appeared in a Fordham webinar.Linda and 2 other EAC members developed a Wonkathon article for Fordham.Linda Diamond connected with the Education Endowment Foundation in the UK and the Australian Education Research Organisation in order to use their resources in EAC menus and their articles in the Research, Whitepapers and Articles (RWA) section of the EAC website.Developed a Model Education Policy Navigator tool for states, districts, higher education, and parent advocates.Updated the RWA section of the website with new articles and research.Worked with web designer on…

   $239,657 spent
   19% of program spending

4. KINDR SCHOOLS INITIATIVE:Completed the 5 new PBIS School Kindness implementation projects in June that began in the fall semester 2024-25 school year. They covered 5 states and engaged 3,500 new students in Kindness Projects. Completed 37 continuation projects in schools in 14 states and Guam. Implementations of the PBIS School Kindness projects began during the fall 2024-25 school year and completed in June 2025. Engaged approximately 26,000 students in continuing kindness projects. Completed field-testing of two program editions for teaching mindful kindness to elementary and middle school students in Tier 2 interventions: KINDR Kids and Stepping Stones to Lasting Happiness, Lets Talk About It.Continued development of the KINDR Workplaces Initiative for training administrators, faculty, and school staff. Field-tested a comprehensive school model for implementing KINDR Curricula across Tiers 1,2,and 3 in MTSS and PBIS schools.Drafted a new teacher resource guide for implementing kindness projects in schools across all grades. Compiled a list of free or low-cost resources for schools to incorporate into their kindness projects.

   $80,225 spentof which $12,000 as grants
   6% of program spending

5. KINDR Communities Initiative:Continued funding 3 major community-based projects reaching over 2,000 disadvantaged youth who were predominately Black, Hispanic, Native American, and other peoples of color. These projects serve participants who have experienced a high number of Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACEs) that place them in the at-risk or highly at-risk category.oThe Exception.org: MLK Middle School Project for teaching mindful kindness skills, Riverside, CA.oContinued funding for the Kindful Restoration Grant in Riverside Co, California, to implement community-based services for justice involved individuals by establishing:oan adult reentry programoa diversionary program for juvenilesoa reentry program for juvenilesContinued funding of BreakThrough Miami Kindness Project. The program expanded to 3 additional campuses and served 1,900 students in Saturday Programs and Summer School. These students are all from under-resourced communities and are predominantly Black and Hispanic youth from the greater Miami and West Palm Beach areas.

   $72,574 spentof which $16,000 as grants
   6% of program spending

6. Community Outreach:Shifted focus from building the US-based KINDR Council to assisting with building an international kindness council.Invited to join the k20 Global Kindness Organization, patterned after the G20, bringing together kindness organizations from around the globe to amplify the kindness movement and scale the work of the individual organizations.Served on the leadership team for the k20 to plan the initial global summit to be held in May of 2026. The Foundation hosted a roundtable discussion meeting in NYC for members of the Satell Institute, which promotes corporate social responsibility and philanthropy. Presented overview of workplace training and the role of kindness in the workplace.The Foundation developed partnerships with kindness organizations participating in the k20, exploring various collaborations.

   $30,991 spentof which $5,255 as grants
   3% of program spending

The 6 programs described on its FY2025 Form 990, listed largest first by expense. Program spending in total: $1,236,830.