The Pepsi Refresh Project is helping people who want to improve their communities and make the whole world better. The soft-drink giant is funding 32 most-voted social projects with $1.3 million every month starting from spring and as so far it has funded over 100 projects and injected more than $5 million back into local communities.
The Pepsi Refresh Project website, www.refresheverything.com, has served as a repository for America’s best new ideas. Through the end of May, over two million users have registered on the Refresh Project site, which has captured over 5,000 new ideas from all 50 states. The public decides upon the best ideas by casting up to 10 votes per day. Public participation showcases the broad reach of the Project and the desire for local stimulus to fund good ideas.
In addition to the chance to receive funding, participants in the Pepsi Refresh Project can network with like-minded groups and individuals to share tips and resources on traditional and social fundraising methods, and many receive local and national exposure. To view the entire list of Pepsi Refresh Grant Finalists for May, visit: http://www.refresheverything.com/finalists.
Refreshing Facts and Stats from the Pepsi Refresh Project
• 127 refreshing ideas have been funded by the Pepsi Refresh Project
• Over 5,000 ideas have been submitted, including ideas from every state
• Submissions come from a mix of Boomers, Gen-Xers and Millennials
• Refresheverything.com has registered over two million users and receives approximately five million unique visitors a month
• Pepsi Refresh Project ideas have received over 25 million votes
• Pepsi has more than doubled Facebook fans since the start of the program
• @Pepsi has grown to more than 24,000 Twitter followers
• The volume of online conversation has been exceptional, with more than 60,000 tweets (175 million Twitter impressions to date), including celebrities like Lance Armstrong (@lancearmstrong), Ice T (@FINALLEVEL), Kathy Griffin (@kathygriffin), Moby (@thelittleidiot), and Tori Spelling (@torianddean).
«Ideas supported or submitted by influencers such as Bruce Springsteen, Ellen Pompeo, Rihanna, and Jenny McCarthy have also been in the running for funding,» confirms Jill Beraud, CMO and President, Joint Venture, PepsiCo Beverages Americas. «However, data about the Pepsi Refresh grant recipients reflect findings from the most recent Pepsi Optimism Project (POP) Study, released in January 2010, that 70 percent of Americans believe that new ideas from ‘people like you and me’ will only become more impactful in the next decade.»