Lawyers For Children among 10 new grantees for Epic Foundation, which seeks to bridge the gap between philanthropists and high-impact social change organizations focused on children and youth

Epic Foundation founder Alexandre Mars leverages tools, skills, and resources of the tech startup world to help charitable organizations multiply their impact

NEW YORK, NY, November 9, 2016 – Epic Foundation has announced the selection of 10 new grantees out of a record 1,900 applicants from 110 countries. Lawyers For Children, a New York City nonprofit that provides free legal and social work services for children in foster care, has been chosen as one of Epic Foundation’s new portfolio organizations.

Epic Foundation, founded in 2014, is a global not-for-profit startup that is also based in New York City. The foundation bridges the gap between a new generation of individual and corporate donors and organizations supporting children and youth. They are developing new tools focused on enhancing how donors select, monitor and experience their impact. Epic’s vision is to disrupt the philanthropic industry by combining passion and expertise with game-changing technology and partnerships. Alexandre Mars, Epic Foundation’s CEO, brings an entrepreneurial spirit and a business mind to his work in the charitable sector. Mars has founded and sold several startups, and continues to invest in tech companies. Every organization funded by Epic is rigorously vetted according to a strict set of criteria.

“Lawyers For Children made it through one of the most rigorous selection processes in the industry,” says Nicola Crosta, Executive Vice President of Epic Foundation. “We have used our passion, our energy and one of the most advanced selection methodologies to review the applications: I am confident that the resulting 2016 Epic Portfolio includes some of the finest NGOs and social enterprise around the world,” Crosta says.

Since its inception in 1984, Lawyers For Children (LFC) has provided free legal and social work services to over 30,000 vulnerable children. LFC’s role is to give children in foster care a voice in the critical courtroom decisions that will impact their safety and their future.  LFC assigns a social worker and an attorney to each client, ensuring that every child’s rights are protected in and out of the courtroom.

According to LFC founder and Executive Director, Karen Freedman, “Private funding from individuals and foundations like Epic Foundation gives LFC the ability to provide our young clients with the holistic representation that ensures that they are safe, protected and heard.” Private funding has supported many of LFC’s special projects, which are designed to meet the needs of its most vulnerable clients, including children who have been sexually abused, those who have mental health diagnoses, and young people who are aging out of foster care without having found a permanent home.

Says Freedman, “We are thrilled to join Epic’s international community of social change organizations focused on children and youth. We are excited to work with Epic Foundation to further our mission to provide advocacy, empowerment, and education for vulnerable children in New York City.”