Access to nutritious food is one of the most basic and important human rights, and yet, more than 700 million people faced hunger in 2023. A staggering 35% of the global population, equivalent to 2.8 billion people, experience “hidden hunger,” the lack of adequate nutrition. Global conflicts and trade disruptions have brought to light the […]
Every person deserves access to nutritious food in a way that honors their dignity, respects their choices, and meets them where they are. From childhood through adulthood and older age, food can mean much more than a meal — and can even strengthen entire communities. Nourishing Hope — a 2026 Make It Better Philanthropy Award […]
The math of the modern American workforce is quietly fracturing at the shoreline. For every five skilled tradespeople who retire nationwide, only two enter the field. This widening generational gap leaves a staggering annual vacancy of 1.7 million skilled labor roles. While public conversation centers on construction or automotive infrastructure, a parallel crisis unfolds at […]
Just before dawn in Yellowstone National Park, something ancient fills the valley. A wolf howl rises — low, long, carrying for miles through the cold air. To most visitors, it is breathtaking. To Taylor Rabe and Amir Dehbi, Conservation Nation fellows working at the frontier of wildlife science, it is data. Wolves are among the most ecologically important, and socially controversial animals in […]
By the time my daughter Emma was 7, I could see that her “picture-perfect life,” complete with strong grades, extracurricular activities, and an active social world, also made her a prime candidate for the mental health challenges facing an alarming number of “Perfect Girl” teens in affluent communities like ours. My six children grew up […]
The Philanthropy Awards are the Make It Better Foundation’s keystone program — a national platform designed to identify, elevate, and amplify high-impact nonprofits. Each year, organizations are recognized across multiple levels based on their impact, innovation, and potential to scale. Although we love all of our winners, these NFPs stand out as models for others […]
What if listening may be the key to helping solve our biodiversity crisis? Not just hearing — really listening. To the roar of a lion. The haunting song of a humpback whale. To the layered chorus of a forest at dawn, or the unsettling quiet of an ecosystem in collapse. The sounds of our living […]
Many of the behaviors that show up in adult relationships — defensiveness, emotional shutdown, perfectionism, people-pleasing, fear of conflict — often begin as survival strategies long before adulthood. At a recent conversation hosted by The Family Institute at Northwestern University — a Make It Better 2026 Philanthropy Award winner — licensed marriage and family therapist […]
At their core, the most important themes in life are universal. Across cultures and continents, humans share the same hopes: lives filled with love, safe communities, access to quality healthcare and education, and opportunities to explore their passions. The Make It Better Foundation and Better Magazine exist to make it easier for our audience to […]
Make It Better — that’s our natural instinct. We fill our lives with people, work, and opportunities that we love, then we want to pay those blessings forward. And hopefully help create a better world for them, and others, too. When we founded Make It Better 20 years ago, honoring our planetary home and protecting […]
