Our partners at Pepsi announced today that they’re expanding the scope of the Pepsi Refresh Project this month to offer a helping hand to Gulf communities affected by the Deepwater Horizon oil spill.
The “Do Good for the Gulf Initiative“—which some of us here at GOOD have been helping bring to life—will follow the basic format of the ongoing Refresh Project, with $1.3 million in grants being given out to the project ideas that receive the most votes within the different funding levels.
On July 12, RefreshEverything.com will open up for Gulf-specific submissions. Any projects that “make a positive impact on communities that have been most directly affected by the recent oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico.” In other words: we’re looking for projects that help out these cities, towns, and communities in their time of need. But not, to be clear, projects that would fall under the jurisdiction of the official Deepwater Horizon Response or losses that should rightfully and legally be covered by BP.
While BP and various government agencies will be handling those cleanup and recovery efforts directly related to the spill, there’s no question that the region could use all the help it can get. And since nobody knows what communities need more than the communities themselves, it’ll be exciting to see the ideas submitted from throughout the Gulf region. (Though submissions can come from anywhere in the country; the impact must be within oil spill-impacted areas.)
So if you’ve got an idea for a project that will help lift the spirits and put some wind in the sails of Gulf communities, get ready to plug it in on July 12 starting at 12 p.m. EST. The submission window will stay open until Friday, July 16 at 11:59 a.m. EST, or after the first 1,000 submissions, whichever comes first. Voting will begin on August 2, and grantees will be announced on September 2.
GOOD—in the form of us Refresh Ambassadors—is also planning on heading down to the region soon to help out however we can. If you know of any way we can be of service, or if there’s anything we should be covering, give us a shout or post it in the comments.
