Ten female nonprofit founders tackling cancer, disability inclusion, human trafficking, STEM access and workforce equity will each receive a $25,000 grant as L’Oréal Paris marks 21 years of its Women of Worth programme.
Ten female nonprofit founders whose work spans cancer support, disability inclusion, human trafficking, gender violence, STEM education, intergenerational connection and workforce equity have been named L’Oréal Paris USA’s 2026 Women of Worth honourees. Each leader will receive a $25,000 grant, alongside mentorship and national visibility through L’Oréal Paris’ platforms, bringing the total grant funding for this year’s class to $250,000.
Now in its 21st year, the programme has recognised 210 women whose organisations address social and community challenges across the US. The latest class follows 2025’s Women of Worth honourees, whose work included supporting children of incarcerated parents, disabled professionals, refugees, survivors of gender-based violence, paediatric cancer patients and people experiencing mental-health challenges.
TURNING LIVED EXPERIENCE INTO SOCIAL IMPACT
Many of this year’s founders have channelled personal adversity or lived experience into organisations designed to address gaps they saw first-hand, says L’Oréal Paris. Their work ranges from helping young women preserve their fertility following a cancer diagnosis to creating career pathways for first-generation technologists and improving access to hearing aids, architecture education and support for trafficking survivors.
That lived-experience-led model reflects a wider shift towards recognising people closest to a problem as critical to designing more effective solutions. Across disability inclusion, for example, Fair Play Talks has highlighted the importance of leaders using lived experience to challenge barriers and reshape systems.
WOMEN OF WORTH DRIVING CHANGE
“Women of Worth is the beating heart of our brand. It is the ultimate expression of our belief that when a woman knows she’s worth it, she can change everything,” noted Laura Branik, President of L’Oréal Paris USA. “We are immensely proud to stand behind these incredible non-profit leaders, giving them the platform and resources to scale their vision and deepen their impact.”
The programme is run in partnership with Points of Light, the global nonprofit focused on volunteering and civic engagement. Women of Worth has evolved over more than two decades from a recognition programme into a wider network of female nonprofit leaders working across education, health, equity and social justice.
When nominations opened earlier this year, Fair Play Talks highlighted how the programme had already recognised more than 200 nonprofit leaders, while providing grants, mentorship and visibility intended to help grassroots organisations scale their impact.
THE 2026 WOMEN OF WORTH HONOUREES
This year’s 10 honourees are:
AMANDA RICE – THE CHICK MISSION
Amanda Rice, based in Austin, Texas, is Founder and CEO of The Chick Mission, which helps remove financial barriers to fertility preservation for young women diagnosed with cancer. Her work sits at the intersection of cancer care, reproductive health and financial access. This is an increasingly important issue as more people are diagnosed with cancer during working age.
Recent research found that more than one million working-age people in the UK are now living with or beyond cancer. This highlights the wider need for support throughout diagnosis, treatment and life beyond cancer.
ARIELLE GALINSKY – THE LEGACY PROJECT
Arielle Galinsky, from Canton, Massachusetts, is Co-Founder and CEO of The Legacy Project, Inc., connecting younger and older adults through multigenerational friendship and storytelling. Her work seeks to reduce social isolation while creating opportunities for knowledge-sharing and connection across generations.
CHANEL POWER – MENTOR ME COLLECTIVE
Chanel Power, based in New York, is Founder and CEO of Mentor Me Collective, which creates pathways for first-generation technologists to build careers in tech. The organisation focuses on opening access to networks, mentorship and career opportunities for people who may otherwise be excluded from fast-growing parts of the digital economy.
CHRISTIE BRUNGARDT – JANA’S CAMPAIGN
Christie Brungardt, from Hays, Kansas, is Founder and Board Member of Jana’s Campaign, which delivers education-based programmes focused on preventing gender and relationship violence. Her organisation’s work reflects the wider need for early intervention and education around abuse, harassment and violence.
CHRISTY VOGEL – SOUNDING JOY
Christy Vogel, from St Petersburg, Florida, is Founder and Executive Director of Sounding Joy, providing hearing aids and access to sound for children who might otherwise go without. The work highlights how relatively practical interventions can significantly affect education, confidence, communication and inclusion.
EMILY CHO – JUVIE FOR STEM
Emily Cho, from Bergen County, New Jersey, is Founder and Executive Director of Juvie for STEM, expanding access to high-quality STEM education for justice-involved young people. The organisation aims to ensure that contact with the justice system does not permanently close off routes into education and future careers.
JORDAN PINE – GREENLIGHT OPERATION
Jordan Pine, based in Camp Hill, Pennsylvania, is Founder and CEO of Greenlight Operation, which combats human trafficking and provides restorative care for survivors. Her work focuses on both prevention and long-term support for people rebuilding their lives after exploitation.
MARISA HAMAMOTO – INFINITE FLOW DANCE
Marisa Hamamoto, from Los Angeles, is Founder and CEO of Infinite Flow Dance, a disability-led nonprofit and professional dance company challenging assumptions about disability and who belongs in the arts. The organisation’s work closely reflects a wider push towards disability-led inclusion.
Recent coverage of the Disability Smart Impact Awards similarly highlighted organisations and individuals using innovation, leadership and lived experience to remove barriers for disabled people.
MAYA BIRD-MURPHY – MOBILE MAKERS CHICAGO
Maya Bird-Murphy, from Chicago, is Founder and Executive Director of Mobile Makers Chicago, expanding access to design and architecture education for underserved young people. Her work focuses on widening pathways into sectors where access has historically been shaped by socioeconomic background and networks.
VY LE – WHEREWEAR
Vy Le, from Olympia, Washington, is Founder and CEO of WhereWear, which transforms clothing donations into targeted support for women’s shelters and people experiencing homelessness. The organisation aims to make donated clothing more useful by matching supply to actual community needs.
DISABILITY, CANCER AND WORKFORCE EQUITY
Several of this year’s honourees work in areas closely connected to issues increasingly shaping workplace and social-impact agendas. Disability inclusion is one example. The 2026 Disability Smart Impact Awards highlighted organisations using innovation and lived experience to create greater access and opportunity for disabled people.
Cancer support is another. As more people live and work through cancer, organisations are being pushed to think differently about long-term health, fertility, employment and financial security. Seventeen employers were recently recognised for setting stronger standards for employees living with cancer. And across social-impact initiatives more broadly, there is growing attention on whether support reaches people who have historically been excluded from education, employment or services.
CREATING OPPORTUNITIES FOR OTHERS
Actress, producer and advocate Kristen Bell, making her debut as L’Oréal Paris’ newest global brand ambassador, is helping amplify this year’s class. “I am so deeply honoured to be part of this year’s Women of Worth celebration. Here’s the thing about L’Oréal Paris that I love. They don’t just tell women they’re worth it, they actually hand you the tools to go prove it to yourself. And these honourees? They took one spark of something they cared about and turned it into an actual force – the kind that doesn’t stop with them. It ripples,” shared Bell. “It reaches the next person, and the next. That’s what owning your worth really looks like – not something you keep for yourself, but something you pass down the line. That’s inspiring.”
Her comments capture one of the defining features of the programme. The focus is not simply on individual achievement, but on leaders building organisations that create opportunities for others.
WOMEN OF WORTH CLASS OF 2025
Last year’s class included nonprofit founders working across disability, refugee support, mental health, cancer and social justice. The 2025 Women of Worth honourees included:
- Yasmine Arrington Brooks, founder of ScholarCHIPS;
- Amy Bowers Cordalis, co-founder of Ridges to Riffles Indigenous Conservation Group;
- Mizpah Brown-Rich, co-founder of Joshua’s Gift;
- Keely Cat-Wells, founder of Making Space;
- Sloane Davidson, founder of Hello Neighbor;
- Lynne B Hughes, founder of Comfort Zone Camp;
- Dr Anita Ravi, founder of PurpLE Health Foundation;
- Cristina Rodriguez, co-founder of Mind&Melody;
- Gloria Umanah, founder of Hope Booth; and
- Olivia Zhang, founder of Cancer Kids First.
The programme also continues to recognise longer-term impact among alumni. Earlier this year, Maimah Karmo, founder of the Tigerlily Foundation and a 2009 Woman of Worth, received the Karen T Fondu Impact Award for the continued growth of her work tackling health disparities among young women and women of colour. Her organisation has grown from a volunteer-led initiative into a health-equity organisation reaching millions of women, caregivers and community members.
FROM RECOGNITION TO LONG-TERM IMPACT
Corporate awards and philanthropic programmes can sometimes risk becoming one-off recognition exercises. The more meaningful test is whether they provide enough funding, networks and visibility to help community organisations grow.
For Women of Worth, L’Oréal Paris says the programme has now supported 210 women over 21 years, while each new honouree enters an established alumni network. The programme also aligns with a broader history of L’Oréal investment in women-focused social initiatives.
During the Covid-19 crisis, for example, L’Oréal created a €50 million fund to support vulnerable women, including organisations tackling poverty, domestic and sexual violence and barriers affecting refugee and disabled women. The long-term value of programmes such as Women of Worth therefore lies not simply in celebrating individual founders, but in whether corporate resources can help strengthen the organisations and communities those leaders have built.
WHY GRASSROOTS LEADERSHIP MATTERS
This year’s Women of Worth class also reflects a broader pattern in social impact: significant change often begins with people identifying a gap because they have experienced it directly. A cancer diagnosis leads to a fertility-preservation nonprofit. A lack of accessible dance opportunities becomes a disability-led professional dance company.
Barriers to technology careers lead to a new mentoring network. Gaps in care for trafficking survivors become a restorative-support organisation. The founders may work on very different issues, but the common thread is turning personal insight into practical infrastructure for other people.
That approach is visible far beyond Women of Worth. Across community awards, disability initiatives and wider recognition programmes, Fair Play Talks has repeatedly highlighted changemakers whose impact comes from opening doors, widening access and creating solutions for people who have historically been overlooked.
21 YEARS OF WOMEN OF WORTH
Women of Worth was launched in 2006 and has now entered its third decade. The programme provides each annual class with grant funding, mentorship, exposure and access to an alumni community. L’Oréal Paris says its 210 honourees have collectively worked across causes including mental health, education, environmental justice, disability inclusion, healthcare access and violence prevention.
The 2026 class continues that tradition while also reflecting emerging priorities around workforce equity, STEM opportunity, intergenerational connection and inclusive design. For L’Oréal Paris, the programme remains closely linked to the brand’s long-running “Because You’re Worth It” message. For the women receiving the grants, however, the more tangible value may be what the additional funding and visibility allow them to do next.
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