MISSION
We amplify opportunities for equity in conservation.
APPROACH
We envision a system in which higher education is free, equitable, and accessible in the United States. Until then, we will be here to provide scholarships for students and networking opportunities to the historically excluded in conservation.
HISTORY
Tykee James and Orietta Estrada founded the Amplify the Future and the Black and Latinx Birders Scholarship in May 2020. Together they formed a committee to administer the scholarship and distribute funds to undergraduate birders in STEM. Amplify the Future offers consulting services for conservation organizations that need assistance with creating more equitable spaces and will be launching a new scholarship initiative in 2022 aimed at historically excluded students pursuing their graduate studies. In 2022, Amplify the Future will offer career development resources for students and professionals who are new to the conservation fields or are in search of networking opportunities.
FUNDING
In 2020, 100% of the donations went into the Black and Latinx Birders Scholarship Fund. This made the scholarship sustainable for the 2021 cycle. Operating costs are currently supported by a private donor. This year, 90% of the donations will go into the scholarship fund and 10% will be used to cover operating costs associated with forming as a charitable organization. At this point in time the fundraising continues in order to ensure that the scholarship fund is sustainable for the coming years. How is it done? Fundraisers, community-centric fundraising, private donors, sponsors, and hundreds volunteer hours. Amplify the Future is an all volunteer organization and the leaders are as dedicated to its mission as they are to their other work. For some volunteers, working on Amplify the Future is their main career focus.
FUTURE
One more goal of the organization is to find ways to fund positions so that it can grow at a faster rate and scale upward. There is value in this work and there is a need for it. Amplify the Future’s offerings are the first of their kinds in the United States.