Giving Tuesday and Beyond! Make a Difference with Uplift Travel Foundation
- Matt Hund
- Nov 26
- 3 min read
As any year comes to an end, many of us seek opportunities to make a significant difference in the lives of real people in need. If you are able, we humbly suggest you consider entrusting your donation to our local team of volunteers and featured partners working on sustainable solutions to locally identified problems worldwide.
Following the exciting launch of the Uplift Travel Foundation and our inaugural Kenya trip this year, we’ve never been more ready to turn your donations into real actions that will impact people for generations to come. Our six key areas of impact are 1) Access to Education, 2) Cultural Connection, 3) Empowering Women and Girls, 4) Food and Water Security, 5) Local and Small Business Support and 6) Wildlife Conservation — and we see the difference!
If you would like to join our efforts, coming alongside local visionaries and global changemakers effecting real change in the world, please consider giving in any way you can. Here are a few examples of how to give:
Personal One-Time or Monthly Giving
None of what we do would be possible without support from friends and neighbors like you. Whether you prefer to donate as a one-time gift or charge your credit card monthly, your contribution keeps our featured partners moving toward sustainable, local solutions.
A few examples: Your donation of $100 or $200 may be used for a milk cow, gardening fence or jewelry-making supplies; even $10-50 per month can make a real difference for those in need of school supplies or meals for children; larger amounts for bigger projects might include providing a venue, supplies and transportation for instructors to offer menstrual pad training for a rural village where women and girls previously have gone without.
How to give:
Visit UpliftTravel.org/Donate to use a credit card or Paypal, and select the “One-Time” or “Monthly” button adjacent to where you enter the amount. (Note: You may also choose to select the area of impact that most resonates with you, we use these notes to help guide our later distributions.)
Mail a check (made out to “Utopia Foundation” with “Uplift” in the memo) to P.O. Box 416 in Suttons Bay, MI 49682.
Contact us: For larger amounts, or to discuss how best to ensure your donation supports the greatest need, email matt@uplifttravel.org or call 517-230-9806.
Retirement & Investment Account Distributions
Many of our early supporters have expressed interest in donating from their existing accounts, including contributions from investment accounts and qualified charitable distributions from retirement accounts — most of which are tax free. To give from an existing account is as simple as contacting your financial advisor or custodian and requesting funds be mailed to the following address:
Utopia Foundation (EIN: 52-2392335)
123 West Front Street Suite B, Traverse City, MI 49684
Place “Uplift” in the Memo
Grants & Matching Funds
Currently, our greatest need is capacity building and operations money to help establish and grow the foundation — including processes for submission, review and monitoring of these excellent projects already underway in rural Kenya.
If you’re so inclined to share information about grant opportunities from an organization you are part of, or if you would like to offer matching funds to your own or others’ donations (through yourself or your employer), contact us at matt@uplifttravel.org or by calling 517-230-9806.
Travel With Us
If you’d like to travel with us next year, know that we specialize in custom itineraries that connect our visitors as travelers, not tourists, offering access to local friends, experts and projects that give back. To learn more about our 2026 itineraries, click here or fill out the form here to sign up for one of our limited spaces.
Subscribe to our newsletter to learn more about the Uplift Travel Foundation and our wonderful in-country partners and projects. Learn more about our areas of impact at UpliftTravel.org.
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