Aura Cacia Announces Biennial Grants Uplifting Women and Girls in Crisis

Aura Cacia Positive Change Project's 2024 grant recipients provide support services to women and girls facing significant barriers to stability and self-sufficiency

NORWAY, Iowa, March 5, 2024 /PRNewswire/ -- Aura Cacia, a leader in sustainably sourced essential and skin care oils, today announced three recipients of a cumulative $200,000 in grants from the Aura Cacia Positive Change Project to help empower and enrich the lives of women and girls in communities across the U.S.

Since its inception in 2016, the Aura Cacia Positive Change Project has provided grants to organizations that help equip women and girls with the resources necessary to further their commitment to live more purposeful lives. Recognizing that systemic barriers like generational poverty, a criminal justice-involved background, and lack of access to education or safe housing requires long-term commitment, the Aura Cacia Positive Change Project will shift from an annual to biennial cycle this year to maximize the impact of grant funding and offer longer term support for its partners.

"According to the U.S. Census Bureau, women continue to experience higher poverty rates than men," says Somer Marshall, Director of Marketing at Aura Cacia. "In times of crisis, women and girls in marginalized communities bear a heavy burden. The Aura Cacia Positive Change Project directly funds solutions that address the unique social and economic challenges they face to build more equitable and resilient communities."

This year, Aura Cacia's domestic giving fund selected organizations that offer women and girls essential needs like safe housing, transportation, reentry services, higher education and more.

The 2024 Aura Cacia Positive Change Project recipients include: 

• Calvary Women's Services – a Washington, D.C. organization providing safe housing and other essential programs to women experiencing homelessness and domestic violence. Its New Foundations program will receive a $75,000 grant from the Aura Cacia Positive Change Project in 2024 to help bring safety and supportive resources to women fleeing domestic violence as they work toward financial stability and independence.
• Resonance Center for Women, Inc. – a Tulsa, OK organization providing reentry services and assistance with basic needs for women leaving incarceration, especially those who struggle with substance use. Its Rebuilding Lives and Families initiative will receive a $50,000 grant from the Aura Cacia Positive Change Project in 2024 to continue supporting women as they work to improve their holistic well-being and self-sufficiency after prison.
• ACHIEVEability – a Philadelphia, PA organization providing single mothers and low-income families in West Philadelphia with the necessary resources to pursue higher education as a pathway to self-sufficiency. The program will receive a $75,000 grant from the Aura Cacia Positive Change Project in 2024 to continue supporting these women as they strive to break the cycle of generational poverty for their families.

"It's wonderful to have a likeminded partner and thoughtful support through Aura Cacia," said Kris Thompson, Chief Executive Officer of Calvary Women's Services. "This grant will enable us to continue meeting the needs of women in our housing, health, education and employment programs so they can achieve their goals and end their homelessness for good."

The Aura Cacia Positive Change Project has granted over $1.3MM to frontline organizations since its origin and is part of Frontier Co-op's extensive charitable giving.

To learn more about the Aura Cacia Positive Change Project, visit www.auracacia.com/positive-change-project. 

Aura Cacia ® 
Inspired by the power of positive change, Aura Cacia's products are made from simple and pure botanical ingredients that unlock nature's ability to improve our well-being. The brand sources ingredients carefully and sustainably from the best locations around the world, then tests every shipment to verify its purity and quality. Each purchase of an Aura Cacia product supports organizations that help women transform their lives as part of the brand's Positive Change Project. Aura Cacia is a brand of Frontier Co-op. Learn more at www.auracacia.com.

Frontier Co-op® 
Founded in 1976 and based in Norway, Iowa, Frontier Co-op offers a full line of products for natural living under the Frontier Co-op, Simply Organic® and Aura Cacia® brands. Products include culinary herbs, spices and baking flavors; bulk herbs and spices; and aromatherapy products with a wide selection of organics. Frontier Co-op's goal is to provide consumers with the highest-quality products while supporting and promoting social and environmental responsibility. For more information, visit the co-op's website at www.frontiercoop.com.

Media Contact:
Alicia Simmons
Sustainability Manager
[email protected]

SOURCE Aura Cacia