Home
Funding Areas
About Us
When Michael and Brittany Urbanowicz's 6-year-old daughter, Sophie, was diagnosed with cerebral palsy, the Indiana couple couldn't find shoes that would fit her ankle-foot orthosis braces.
"We went to nine shoe stores to find a pair of shoes to fit the braces and still could not find shoes to fit over her braces," Brittany says in a press release.
"Despite their efforts, they struggled to find shoes that accommodated Sophie's AFO braces, leaving them feeling like they were failing their daughter in a seemingly simple task."
That's when Brittany came up with the idea for Sophie's Boot, a zipper-and-bracket shoe that Michael says "gives her a sense of normalcy like other little girls with the braces hidden within the shoes, she now looks like the other little girls, and it has built up her confidence level and her energy level to where we haven't seen it before."
According to the Sophie Boot website, Sophie's AFO braces last for four months, but the Sophie Boot decreases in-toeing by 15%, raises the steps per minute metric by 14.86%, and lasts longer than $3,000 AFO braces, which "barely lasted four months due to Sophie's
Selected Grant News Headlines
A customized collection of grant news from foundations and the federal government from around the Web.
'Safety, compassion, innovation': Beaufort Memorial honors top staff at Bemmy Awards.The Quality Services department took home the award for Department of the Year at BeaufortMemorial Hospital's...more
This ranking recognizes the leading children's hospitals in the U.S., featuring the top 50 hospitals.Cleveland Clinic Children's placed in all eight pediatric subspecialities: Cardiology and Cardiac...more
Mackinac Policy Conference left early childhood education off this year's agenda.By 2027, make Detroit a city that puts young children and families first, says James Ribbron, executive director of...more
Investing in tech to help children and communities thrive | Takeda Stories.How our Global CSR Program helped empower diverse entrepreneurs to innovate health solutions.29 Digital public goods...more
Greg Bourke is the author of "Gay, Catholic, and American: My Legal Battle for Marriage Equality and Inclusion" Bourke spoke at the Yale School of Management's Social Impact Lab.Bourke's final advice...more
Tesla plans to deploy a small fleet of robotaxis in Austin in the coming weeks.Tesla FSD 13.2.9 will still run a kid down while illegally blowing past a stopped school bus with red lights flashing...more
Awarded funding will support a wide range of activities between now and September 30, 2025.The FCCN initiative, supported by $85,000 in grant funding, will help build and sustain a Family Child Care...more
The Delivering Innovative Vocational Education through Virtual Reality Technology new workforce training program aimed at preparing individuals with disabilities for the program.DIVE-VRT delivers...more
Children are growing up surrounded by screens, apps, and smart devices.Being intentional about tech use goes a long way toward deepening interest in tech and creating meaningful experiences.Creating...more
Safeguarding innovation and trade secrets in American AI leadership Safeguarded innovation andtrade secrets in U.S.AI leadership.Testimony was given before the House Judiciary Subcommittee on Courts,...more
Children News from...
Becton, Dickinson and Company
Johnson Foundation
Robert Wood Johnson Foundation
Social Entrepreneurship
Spotlight
When it Comes to Social Enterprises, Failure is the Best Platform for Innovation
In the world of social enterprises, failure is a cringe-worthy moment nobody wants to talk about. But, social entrepreneurs can benefit from their failures.
