Omaze and Sir Richard Branson to Make History by Sending Two People to Space Aboard A Virgin Galactic Flight

LOS ANGELES, July 11, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Today, Omaze, the charity fundraising platform that offers the chance to win once-in-a-lifetime experiences and prizes, and Sir Richard Branson, Virgin Galactic Founder, announced they will give away two seats on a Virgin Galactic commercial flight. The Omaze sweepstakes will support Space for Humanity, a nonprofit seeking to democratize space and send citizen astronauts of diverse racial, economic, and disciplinary backgrounds to space.

Participants can enter for the chance to win a once-in-a-lifetime galactic journey: two tickets to experience microgravity at the edge of space aboard Virgin Galactic's VSS Unity, the same spacecraft that carried Sir Richard Branson to space and back this morning. Learn more in this video featuring Sir Richard Branson.

The out-of-this-world opportunity is one of the most notable examples of Omaze's unique and innovative approach to raising money for charity and challenging traditional giving models. It represents a significant step for Omaze as the company seeks to achieve its ambitious goal of raising $1 Billion a year for charity and an even bigger milestone in expanding equity and access to space exploration. 

"Until now, most people could only dream of venturing beyond Earth. Now, we are incredibly excited to team up with Sir Richard Branson, Virgin Galactic, and Space for Humanity to give two everyday citizens a chance of going to space. Omaze was founded on democratizing access to out-of-reach experiences. It's an honor to advance this ideal to space travel while partnering with an organization dedicated to democratizing space for the better of all humankind," said Matt Pohlson, CEO and Co-Founder of Omaze.

From now through August 31, 2021, every donation for this experience through Omaze will support Space for Humanity, a nonprofit organization taking on the challenge of sending humans to space and training them to lead from an Overview Perspective. Space For Humanity's mission is deeply rooted in the principles of the "Overview Effect," which is the experience astronauts are presented with when viewing the Earth from orbit, offering an expanded opportunity to see the profound beauty, wholeness, and interconnectedness of our home planet. Astronauts return to earth with a completely new perspective, and oftentimes, a desire to create greater change. Upon their return, Space for Humanity's citizen astronauts will commit themselves to leveraging that experience for the collective good.

"We are so incredibly grateful to Sir Richard Branson and Virgin Galactic for giving us the opportunity to be the charity of choice in this revolutionary initiative," said Rachel Lyons, Executive Director of Space for Humanity. "This is a historic moment for life on this planet. We now have the opportunity to share this perspective for the common good. It is my hope that by democratizing access to space, we will collectively renew our relationship with our planet, and each other, allowing for a prosperous future on and off the planet." 

For more information, to enter for your chance to win, or to read the full rules please visit www.omaze.com/space.

About Omaze 
Omaze is an online fundraising platform that offers the chance to win once-in-a-lifetime experiences and prizes to support nonprofits around the world. Through the Omaze platform, people from more than 180 countries have made donations that support over 400 charities, driving substantial levels of awareness for their work. Omaze has raised more than $150M for causes to date, and was named to the 2020 list of Fast Company's Most Innovative Companies. 

This experience raises funds for Charities Aid Foundation America ("CAF America"), a US-registered, 501(c)(3) public charity. 100% of donations for this experience go to CAF America, which will then grant the donations, minus the experience fees and costs, to Space for Humanity. 

About Space for Humanity
Space for Humanity is expanding access to space for all of humanity. We are organizing the planet's first Sponsored Citizen Astronaut Program, where leaders, from any walk of life, can apply for an opportunity to go to space and experience the Overview Effect: the cognitive shift in awareness that occurs when a human being looks down on the Earth from space. 

Through our citizen astronaut program, leadership training, and collaborative efforts to educate the public, we are setting the stage to create the world we want, both here on Earth and throughout the cosmos. We are ranked in the top 100 non-profits globally, in terms of online engagement. For more information, please visit www.spaceforhumanity.org. 

About Virgin Galactic Holdings
Virgin Galactic Holdings, Inc. is a vertically integrated aerospace and space travel company, pioneering human spaceflight for private individuals and researchers, as well as a manufacturer of advanced air and space vehicles. It is developing a spaceflight system designed to offer customers a unique and transformative experience. You can find more information at https://www.virgingalactic.com/

SOURCE Omaze