Silver Spring Nonprofit Wins Largest 'Social Impact Award' In Country

SILVER SPRING, MD — Trees for the Future, a Silver Spring nonprofit, recently won one of the largest social innovation awards in the country, the Classy Awards.

The organization award was one of 13 winners selected from a competitive pool of over 1,700 programs that participated in the application process.

According to Trees for the Future, it works to combat climate change, generational poverty, and chronic hunger by training farmers in sustainable land use around the world.

The Classy Awards recognized the nonprofit for its unique forest garden approach, which works to help farmers learn to plant trees in a way that restores and protects their land.

"Classy Award nominees set the bar for ambitious, innovative, and impactful work in service of the greater good. These groundbreaking nonprofit organizations work tirelessly, often with too little resourcing and recognition, to drive change in their communities," said Soraya Alexander, Classy's COO.

"We started the Classy Awards in 2009 as a way to honor this incredible cohort of organizations that give so much to the world. Congratulations to this incredible group of Classy Award winners, and a deep thank you for the work that you do," she added.

Now in its ninth year, the Classy Awards is one of the largest social impact awards in the country.

This year's 2022 Classy Award winners included a diverse array of organizations, from internationally recognized nonprofits tackling global issues such as food scarcity and access to healthcare to local programs that are creating equitable opportunities for workforce development and education.

In 2021, the winning organizations collectively operated programs in 22 countries, reached more than seven million people, supported 70,000 students, and have dedicated a total of 186 years to their causes and missions.

Learn more about the Classy Award winners and their specific programs here.