Sappi Fine Paper North America Opens 2013 Ideas that Matter Call for Entries

BOSTON, May 2, 2013 /PRNewswire/ -- Sappi Fine Paper North America today announced the 2013 Call for Entries for Ideas that Matter, an annual, innovative grant program that supports and transforms the creative ideas of designers into a powerful force for social good. Fourteen years ago, Sappi established the Ideas that Matter grant program to recognize and support designers who use their skills and expertise to solve communications problems for a wide range of charitable activities. Sappi has witnessed this world-changing work first hand and remains committed to the belief that good ideas inspire people to take action, great ideas change the world.

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Ideas that Matter remains the only grant program of its kind in the industry. Since 1999, Sappi has funded over 500 nonprofit projects, contributing more than $12 million worldwide to causes that enhance our lives, our communities and our planet in ways that add unique value and have measurable impact. Since the program's inception, Ideas that Matter funded projects have addressed every imaginable societal issue from diversity and human rights campaigns to projects that focus on health and youth development. In tracking the program's long-term success, Sappi estimates that these projects have directly impacted the lives and environments of people and communities across 24 states and 15 countries.

"Sappi understands that the lasting legacy of the Ideas that Matter program are the individual lives that are positively impacted and forever changed because of the grant-funded projects," said Jennifer Miller, Executive Vice President, Coated Business and Chief Sustainability Officer, Sappi Fine Paper North America. "The stories of success that come back to Sappi weeks, months and sometimes even years after the grant is awarded, are proof that the creative ideas of designers can have an influence beyond the aesthetic and that those ideas can be a powerful force for social good. It is the people – the designers and nonprofits they choose to work with – that are the lifeblood of this program, and we at Sappi are honored to play a small, but meaningful role in the work they do."

Each project concept and design entry to Ideas that Matter is evaluated on creativity, potential effectiveness and practicality of the implementation plan by an annually selected, independent panel of judges comprised of leaders and influencers in the design industry. These judges are widely recognized for their commitment to design for social good as well as their award-winning work. This year, Sappi is proud to have the following design leaders take on the challenging task of selecting grant winners from the pool of qualified and creative proposals: Bill Drenttel, President of Winterhouse Institute based in Connecticut; Erin Huizenga, Director of New Business Development at Remedy in Chicago; Jennifer Kinon, Founding Partner at Original Champions of Design/OCD based in New York City; Michael Lejeune, Creative Director at Metro in Los Angeles; Alissa Walker, freelance design writer in Los Angeles.

Individual designers, design firms, agencies, in-house corporate design departments, design instructors, individual design students and design student groups can apply for an Ideas that Matter grant. The designer or the nonprofit must be based in North America. Grant awards range from $5,000 to $50,000 per project. At least a portion of the project must be printed, though additional elements may include a variety of communication mediums. And, for the first time in 2013, proposals may include up to 10% of the total budget as an honorarium for the applying designer or design firm.

The grant application process for Ideas that Matter is similar to submitting a client creative brief or strategic plan. Basic information is required including: the mission statement of the benefiting nonprofit organization and a copy of its 501(c)(3) designation; a written description of the proposed project, including a list of elements to be part of the program; a brief description of the project's objectives; a visual presentation of the proposed idea; a project timeline and proposed budget; a summary of information about the applicant; the applicant's resume; and samples of the applicant's previous work.

To obtain an entry form and for more information about Ideas that Matter, visit www.sappi.com/ideasthatmatterNA or call 800-882-4332. Applications for proposals must be postmarked by July 19, 2013.  The winners will be announced in September 2013.

About Sappi Fine Paper North America
Sappi Fine Paper North America, known for innovation and quality, is a preeminent North American producer of coated fine and release papers and market pulp headquartered in Boston, Massachusetts. Its coated fine papers, with highly recognized brand names such as McCoy, Opus, Somerset and Flo, are used in premium magazines, catalogs, books and high-end print advertising. The company is also the world's leading supplier of release papers for the automotive, fashion and engineered films industries, including the globally recognized Ultracast brand. Sappi's release papers provide the surface aesthetics for synthetic fabrics used in footwear, clothing, upholstery and accessories, as well as the textures for decorative laminates found in kitchens, baths, flooring and other decorative surfaces. An integrated pulp and paper producer, with state-of-the-art pulp mills, Sappi is the third largest seller of hardwood pulp in North America.

Sappi Fine Paper North America is a subsidiary of Sappi Limited (NYSE, JSE), a global company headquartered in Johannesburg, South Africa, with over 14,000 employees and manufacturing operations on three continents in seven countries and customers in over 100 countries around the world. Learn more about Sappi at: www.sappi.com/na.

SOURCE Sappi Fine Paper North America