Native Cultures Fund

Native Cultures Fund is sponsored by The Pad Project. This fund provides monetary grants to Native-led and Native-serving nonprofits to purchase and distribute menstrual products, supporting the menstrual health of communities and schools in states with high Native populations.

How We Help - The Pad Project Hit enter to search or ESC to close The Pad Project partners with local organizations and grassroots NGOs to fund the placement of pad machines, implement washable pad programs, and run menstrual hygiene management workshops in communities around the world. We work with our partners to tailor each program to the specific menstrual health needs of each community.

At The Pad Project, our goal is to ensure that every menstruator can attend school. Access to pads allows menstruators to feel comfortable and confident in a learning environment, but it is critical to pair menstrual hygiene products with comprehensive sexual and reproductive health and rights (SRHR) education.

Whenever we install a machine, we do so by partnering with established local organizations who can host community-led workshops and start dialogue around menstruation and related menstrual hygiene management (MHM) and SRHR education. Our film, Period. End of Sentence.

, can serve as an entry point for these conversations . Menstrual Cup Distribution Our 2 menstrual cup distribution programs in Pakistan and India include education workshops for girls and women. Menstrual Health Education More than 199,949 girls reached with menstrual health and education workshops.

Our 12 pad-making machines have employed 87 women in 5 countries (Afghanistan, India, Kenya, Nepal, Sri Lanka) to make and market disposable pads . These programs involve the manufacture and sale/distribution of disposable pads to girls and women in the community.

Please note that the cost of international taxes, customs duty on raw materials, import duty, and transportation from vendor location to the port of entry is not included in the following estimates.

Manual Pad Machines: Estimated to produce 43,000 pads per year serving a community of 400 women for 1 year 4-5 women employed for production* Cost of Pad Machine: $7,000 Shipping and taxes (for locations outside India): $3,700 Cost of 1 year Raw Materials: $2,500 Cost of Training and Operations: $25,000 Semi–Automated Pad Machines: Estimated to produce 300,000 pads per year serving the menstrual hygiene needs of 2,800 women for 1 year 5-6 women employed for production* Cost of Pad Machine: $18,500 Shipping and taxes (for locations outside India): $8,000 Cost of Raw Materials for 12 months: $22,000 Cost of Training and Operations: $28,500 Automated Pad Machines: Estimated to produce 720,000 pads per year serving the menstrual hygiene needs of 6,900 women for 1 year 10 women employed for production* Cost of Pad Machine: $42,500 Shipping and taxes (for locations outside India): $15,800 Cost of Raw Materials for 12 months: $70,500 Cost of Training and Operations: $40,000 *Additional women/other community members are employed for sales and education outreach by the implementing partners depending on the program design and scale.

Our 8 washable pad-making programs across 7 countries (Bahamas, Ghana, Guatemala, Kenya, Sierra Leone, Tanzania, Uganda) employ 15 women as program managers. These programs involve manufacturing and distributing Dignity Kits to girls and women in the community. Each Dignity Kit contains washable pads, liners, underwear, hand towels, and soap.

Please note the cost of pad distribution is not included in the following estimates. Distribution drives are set up monthly in the community.

People Served: 300 menstruators for 1 year Manufacturing Cost: $10 USD per Dignity Kit Non-India-Based Program (Guatemala, Kenya, Sierra Leone, Uganda) People Served: 250 menstruators for 1 year Manufacturing Cost: $12 to $14 USD per Dignity Kit We provide monetary grants to nonprofits serving U.S. communities to purchase and distribute menstrual products in those communities.

With this grant program, we hope to help organizations support the menstrual health of the people they serve on a long-term basis! We provide monetary grants to U.S. public schools and school districts to purchase and distribute free menstrual products to their students. With this grant program, we hope to help students gain reliable access to menstrual products so they can stay comfortable and confident as they learn!

The Native Cultures Fund provides monetary grants to Native-led and Native-serving nonprofits to purchase and distribute menstrual products. With this grant program, we support the menstrual health of communities and schools in states with high Native populations. We provide grants of up to $500 worth of menstrual products to individuals and startup nonprofits in the U.S. to launch menstrual equity programs in their communities.

With this grant, we hope to support young menstrual equity advocates and new grassroots organizations in their menstrual health endeavors! HOW OUR PROGRAMS CONTRIBUTE TO THE UN’S SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT GOALS The Pad Project’s work to empower women and all people who menstruate around the world is in line with the UN’s Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) 3, 4, 5, 6, and 12.

The Pad Project is working to promote the health and wellbeing of people who menstruate by increasing access to affordable, hygienic menstrual products and enhancing bodily autonomy. This is expected to lead to both 1) enhanced access to health services for sexual and reproductive health, especially through self-care and 2) improved contraceptive uptake by women of reproductive age.

By addressing barriers that limit girls’ access to schools once they start menstruating, including access to products and a supportive eco-system, the programs are also helping reduce school absenteeism at the level of secondary education. The programs are also expected to reduce the risk of gender-based violence by tackling intergenerational menstrual stigma.

The menstrual product enterprises jumpstart a micro-economy for the women that they employ and provide them with enhanced economic and social agency, which brings with it opportunities for leadership in family and community life. The washable pad-making programs encourage sustainable menstrual hygiene practices and reduce non-biodegradable menstrual waste.

The Pad Project is also planning to include biodegradable disposable pads and menstrual cups as part of its future program investments to further support the SDGs 6 and 12. Visit the UN Foundation website to learn more about their SDGs. (Graphic: https://menstrualhygieneday.

org/project/infographic-mhm-and-sdgs/ ) We’re ready to give this project everything we have, but we know we can’t do it alone. Learn about our Ambassador Program Learn about your local legislation. Corporate and nonprofit partnership.

Host a fundraiser, make a contribution 10573 W Pico Blvd Suite 73 Contributions are tax – deductible to the extent permitted by law. TAX ID # 82-2441730. Support our Menstrual Hygiene Month Campaign!

The Pad Project supports grassroots partners with small grants and technical assistance to pilot and scale menstrual health programs in low-income communities. We promote the creation of sustainable business models for the production and//or selling of menstrual products. Where markets are severely under-developed, our grants support free distribution of products.

To encourage choice for the people we serve, the programs provide access to one or more products, including disposable pads, washable pads, period underwear and menstrual cups. In every region where we work, our partners provide culturally sensitive menstrual health education within their communities.

The Pad Project develops partnerships with schools, non-profits, and grassroots organizations to address period poverty in the U.S. Through our U.S. Programs, we stand as the first believer in changemakers, providing grants to organizations in need of menstrual care products. Our commitment is to uplift communities and locally led initiatives by increasing access to menstrual products and resources.

In doing so, our hope is to close opportunity gaps connected to period poverty across the country. The Pad Project’s Ambassador Program is a leadership development and advocacy initiative that galvanizes the next generation of menstrual equity activists into action. Our youth-powered team takes a localized approach to tackling menstrual injustice through project-based learning and service opportunities.

Volunteering their time and skills, Ambassadors collaborate on work that progresses product accessibility, public health, and civic engagement to advocate for a world free from menstrual stigma. This program builds community, awareness, and a global network of activists, prioritizing inclusivity and belonging.

Girls Learn International (GLI) Girls Learn International (GLI) empowers and educates middle and high school students to advocate for human rights, and gender equity in the U.S. and around the world. Student-to-student, and student-to-parent, GLI is building a movement of informed advocates for universal girls’ education and a new generation of leaders and activists for social change. Learn more by visiting https://girlslearn.

org/about-us/pads-for-schools/ Oakwood is an independent, coeducational K-12 school that cultivates individual growth and values all voices. Balancing seriousness of purpose with a sense of play, Oakwood students enter the world as confident and passionate individuals who are motivated to do good. Learn more by visiting https://www.

oakwoodschool. org/ Feminist Majority Foundation (FMF) Founded, in 1987, the Feminist Majority Foundation (FMF) is the nation’s largest feminist research and action organization dedicated to women’s equality, reproductive rights and health, and non-violence.

FMF programs include the Campaign for Afghan Women & Girls, the Campaign for the ERA, Feminist Campus, Girls Learn International, the National Clinic Access Project and Ms. Magazine. Learn more by visiting https://www. feminist.

org/