Members Project® Announces Five New Winners to Share $1 Million in Funding from American Express

NEW YORK--(BUSINESS WIRE)--American Express and TakePart announced today the latest round of winners of Members Project, an innovative online initiative that provides everyone with the opportunity to take small steps to make a big difference by linking up with volunteer opportunities to earn Membership Rewards® bonus points, voting for their favorite charities to receive support from American Express or contributing themselves to causes they care about. Chosen by the public through online voting, the five organizations will collectively receive $1 million in funding from American Express to advance their missions of serving communities around the world. The five charitable organizations that will each receive $200,000 in funding from American Express are:

Arts & Culture: StoryCorps – With this funding, StoryCorps will record, share and preserve the stories of nearly 1,000 people nationwide, adding to their vast, diverse archives. With a focus on the stories of everyday people – those often excluded from the historical record – they remind the nation that every story matters and every voice counts.
Community Development: Grameen Foundation – With the $200,000 in funding from Members Project, Grameen Foundation will help local microfinance institutions in Africa, Asia and Latin America provide tiny loans to some of the world’s poorest people so they can start or expand small businesses. Its innovative technology programs will provide access to practical farming and health information to people in poor communities through mobile phones.
Education: Jumpstart for Young Children – The $200,000 in funding from American Express will help support Jumpstart's yearlong, early education program and will be leveraged during the 2010-2011 school year to help support Jumpstart Corps members provide the right start to over 9,500 preschool children, launch Jumpstart’s new curriculum program nationwide and fuel the organization’s growth.
Environment & Wildlife: National Audubon Society – The funding will go to support the ongoing emergency response and long-term restoration effort of the Gulf coast, such as working on aspects of coastal health and gathering vital data on oiled birds to gain critical insights into the impact of the spill.
Health & Wellness: American Cancer Society – The American Cancer Society combines an unyielding passion with nearly a century of experience to save lives and end suffering from cancer. As a global grassroots force of more than three million volunteers, the Society fights for every birthday threatened by every cancer in every community. As the largest non-governmental investor in cancer research, contributing about $3.4 billion, the Society turns what it knows about cancer into what it does. As a result, more than 11 million people in America who have had cancer and countless more who have avoided it will be celebrating birthdays this year.

Members Project provides everyone the opportunity to get involved and vote for the charity they believe most deserves funding from American Express. The third Members Project voting cycle is now open through November 21, 2010, and everyone is encouraged to go online and make a difference by voting for their favorite charities.

To vote, participants can register for Members Project at TakePart.com/MembersProject and vote once per week for their favorite charity from a diverse list of up to 50 organizations that have been selected by both American Express and TakePart. New for this cycle, Members Project will allow voting through Facebook at www.facebook.com/membersproject. The qualified charities serve a wide range of categories, including Arts & Culture, Community Development, Environment & Wildlife, Education and Health & Wellness. At the end of the voting period, American Express will be providing each winning charity with $200,000 in funding.

Members Project believes that everyone can help change the world for the better, one step at a time. Whether it’s volunteering time, voting for a favorite charity to receive funding from American Express, donating or telling friends, through Members Project, people can log on and decide how they’d like to take action. Cardmember or not, anyone who is at least 18 is invited to register online at TakePart.com/MembersProject in order to seek out the many ways in which they can do good. Through Members Project, people can find volunteer opportunities that are right for them and get rewarded for their time by earning Membership Rewards bonus points. Members Project fosters community; the program provides participants the tools to help them promote their favorite charities and tell their friends about the small steps they are taking to make a big difference. Everyone is invited to join the conversation and share their Members Project experiences using Twitter and #AmexMP to tag their tweets.

Through TakePart’s engagement platform, Members Project helps millions of people across the country to drive positive change on issues they care about. The tools offered by TakePart support ongoing advocacy efforts around diverse issues include social networking applications, viral videos and mobile outreach. Members of the TakePart community can learn more about issues they care about, take action for change and get involve through volunteerism and building social network communities.

About American Express

American Express is a global services company, providing customers with access to products, insights and experiences that enrich lives and build business success. Learn more at www.americanexpress.com and connect with us on www.facebook.com/americanexpress, www.twitter.com/americanexpress and www.youtube.com/americanexpress.

About TakePart

TakePart is a content-driven social action network of people, non-profit organizations, and businesses that are working together to drive positive change on big issues like clean water, education reform, nuclear non-proliferation, and environmental protection. TakePart is driven by the idea that a good story well told can inspire people to take small steps that drive big changes. TakePart is another step in the evolution of its parent company, Participant Media, whose mission is to present entertainment that inspires and compels social change.