Aha! commits more than $200,000 to charitable giving in 2026

by Rachele Siering

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"[I am] wowed by the magnitude of your work and the global consciousness to run such a successful organization. We are honored to have been supported on our farm by everyone and to have met such a wonderful group of people." — Lokelani 'Ohana

"We believe strongly in sharing the successes of the work we do to lift the less fortunate up from difficult circumstances. Thank you for believing in that too and contributing to making a difference in the lives of others." — Active Faith Community Services

"FYI: The annual cost to provide one child with six nutritious meals every weekend is around $432. Your donation of $10,000 will ensure that 24 children have a reliable food source every weekend throughout the entire school year!" — Got Your Back San Diego

Hearing back from the organizations Aha! Cares supports is a reminder of the tangible difference this program makes in people's lives. Our responsibility at Aha! is not just about providing value to customers, or even just offering a lovable experience. For our teammates, it is also about uplifting others in the communities where we live and work.

This year, teammates searched their communities for nonprofits addressing core needs. The result was more than $200,000 in funding delivered to hyperlocal projects through our charitable giving program — and meaningful relationships in the areas where teammates live.

A personalized way to give back

Aha! Cares started as an alternative to a more traditional charitable giving model where companies collectively contribute funding to a cause selected by leadership. We figured putting that responsibility in teammates' hands instead could create a stronger sense of connection and change.

In 2019, we asked teammates to champion a nonprofit within a few miles of where they lived. Our team has always been 100% remote, so this approach had a hyperlocal impact — expanding where we could apply funding helped us support meaningful projects far and wide.

The program stuck. And we now span nine countries, more than 25 U.S. states, and around 100 cities. This is Aha! Cares: a year-round commitment to nonprofits offering food, shelter, safety, and opportunity.

Besides nominating nonprofits in our own cities, we also volunteer in person during the bi-annual Aha! onsite. In Hawai’i this past December, groups of Aha! teammates showed up to clean outdoor planting areas for a community garden; collected trash to preserve beaches, sand dunes, and green spaces; and unpacked and set up for a donation event at a nonprofit supporting girls, women, and families on Maui. Every teammate also gets a dedicated day to volunteer closer to home.

The program has been rolling for seven years now. And if you ask us, the personal element is what makes this feel meaningful — for nonprofits and our teammates alike.

Meet this year's nonprofits

Since launching Aha! Cares in 2019, we have given more than $1.5 million to nonprofits around the world.

Here are the 30 organizations Aha! teammates championed for funding in 2026.

Food

18 food-focused organizations received funding, keeping programs running that stock food pantries, provide meal programs, and deliver meals to folks facing food insecurity.

• Raphael House | San Francisco, California, USA

• Active Faith Community Services | South Lyon, Michigan, USA

• Hope Connection and Community | Arvada, Colorado, USA

• Got Your Back San Diego | San Diego, California, USA

• Hope's Corner | Mountain View, California, USA

• Community Driven | Minneapolis, Minnesota, USA

• PORCH Chapel Hill-Carrboro | Carrboro, North Carolina, USA

• Gravenhurst Against Poverty | Gravenhurst, Ontario, Canada

• Beaver Valley Outreach | Thornbury, Ontario, Canada

• Market Box | Chicago, Illinois, USA

• Rainier Valley Food Bank | Seattle, Washington, USA

• Rural Ottawa South Support Services | Manotick, Ontario, Canada

• Water Drop | Los Angeles, California, USA

• FISH of Vancouver | Vancouver, Washington, USA

• Amor Healing Kitchen | Charleston, South Carolina, USA

• The Pantry (Feeding Hawai’i Together) | Honolulu, Hawai’i, USA

• Sunday Lunchbox | Austin, Texas, USA

• Tempe Community Action Agency | Tempe, Arizona, USA

Safety

Five nonprofits focused on projects keeping community members safe and secure — including cost-of-living relief for members of the LGBTQ+ community with cancer, critical crisis intervention services for children, and funding to support hospice-enrolled individuals without caregivers.

• Will Munro Fund for Queer and Trans People Living with Cancer (The 519) | Toronto, Ontario, Canada

• Lindsey House | Tulsa, Oklahoma, USA

• The Janet S. Munt Family Room | Burlington, Vermont, USA

• Things of My Very Own | Schenectady, New York, USA

• Grace House Akron | Akron, Ohio, USA

Shelter

Five shelter-oriented nonprofits received Aha! Cares funding this year. Projects included furnishing homes for youth aging out of foster care, and purchasing program supplies and funding activities for residents at a women's crisis center.

• Jubilee Women's Center | Seattle, Washington, USA

• Willma's Fund (OutReach LGBTQ+ Community Center) | Madison, Wisconsin, USA

• A Sense of Home | Hawthorne, California, USA

• Solutions for Change | Vista, California, USA

• Sunday Friends Foundation | San Jose, California, USA

Opportunity

This year, Aha! teammates secured funding to purchase essentials for a nonprofit serving vulnerable youth and families. We also supported an internship program for London youth who have an education, health, and care plan.

• The Giving Closet Project | Jacksonville, Florida, USA

• Bexley Voice | London, United Kingdom

For many nonprofits, this is not the last touchpoint they will have with Aha! Cares. Many Aha! teammates opt to deliver their checks directly and volunteer at the organization in person.

We are honored to be able to serve communities as part of Aha! Cares since 2019. And we hope next year's impact is even more widespread. If you are feeling inspired to launch a charitable giving program at your own company (or want to adapt an existing one), our team is happy to share some more specific tips about scaling up corporate giving efforts. Just reach out. Giving back in whatever way you can contributes to a stronger sense of community and security for the people living in it — no matter where you are.

See how Aha! Cares creates a new kind of charitable giving program.