For the remainder of 2018, we’re celebrating our 15^th Anniversary with philanthropic style and an ultra-simple process:

1. Visit thePHAGshop.com and make a purchase
2. During checkout, select a beneficiary
3. All subsequent purchases in 2018 will be tracked by PHAG
4. At the end of the year, PHAG will contribute 15% of proceeds from YOUR purchases to your chosen beneficiary

For this important Anniversary Celebration, we’ve selected five worthy, charitable organizations that cover a broad spectrum of social and community impact in:  Arts & Culture, Education, Environment, Health, and Human & Civil Rights.  Charities were carefully vetted based on personal experience and ratings from either Charity Navigator, the AIP’s CharityWatch list, or both.  These charity evaluators rate how efficiently a charity uses their support, generally giving top ratings to those that spend 75% or more of their budget on programs.  Here are the charitable choices you will have when you shop on-line:

Arts & Culture
PGMC- Philadelphia Gay Men’s Chorus
Charity Navigator- Local:  Not Rated             CharityWatch- Local:  Not Graded
The mission of the PGMC is to entertain audiences, support communities, and foster acceptance through musical performance.  Central to the PGMC’s mission is the chorus’ youth outreach program.  Started through partnerships with community organizations in 2014, the Philadelphia Gay Men’s Chorus began performing outreach concerts in local schools, fostering understanding and personal growth in teenage audiences.  Since then, the chorus’ message of acceptance has reached over 9,700 students.  Donations to the PGMC allow the chorus to continue their support of the LGBTQ community and empower young people by providing them the opportunity to enter a safe and affirming environment, free from the threat of harm, regardless of how they self-identify.

Education
SEO- Sponsors for Educational Opportunity
Charity Navigator- 4 Stars                             CharityWatch- Not Graded
SEO was founded in 1963 with a mission to provide talented and motivated young people from underserved and underrepresented communities with access to superior educational and career opportunities. Today, SEO runs three programs: SEO Scholars is an eight-year academic program that gets low-income public high school students to and through college-with a 95% college graduation rate; SEO Career is the nation’s premier summer internship and training program for underrepresented college students, specializing in banking, private equity, corporate leadership, law, and non-profit; SEO Alternative Investments provides education, exposure, training and mentoring opportunities to talented professionals traditionally underrepresented in the alternative investments sector.

Environment
Environmental Defense Fund
Charity Navigator- 4 Stars                             CharityWatch- A-
Environmental Defense Fund’s mission is to preserve the natural systems on which all life depends.  The EDF works to solve the most critical environmental problems facing the planet, focusing on mitigating climate change, restoring the ocean’s bounty, protecting wildlife and their habitats, and safeguarding health. Since these topics are intertwined, the solutions require a multidisciplinary approach, so the EDF works in concert with other organizations-as well as with business, government and communities to avoid duplicating work already being done effectively by others.

Health
EJAF= Elton John AIDS Foundation
Charity Navigator- 4 Stars                             CharityWatch- Not Graded
Established by Sir Elton John in 1992, the Elton John AIDS Foundation (EJAF) is one of the world’s leading organizations supporting innovative HIV prevention programs, efforts to eliminate stigma and discrimination associated with HIV/AIDS, and direct care and support services for people living with HIV/AIDS. Since its founding, EJAF has raised over $150 million to support urgently needed programs across the US and in 55 countries around the globe. Direct services include HIV/AIDS-related medical and mental health treatment, testing and counseling, food distribution, assisted living, social service coordination, and legal aid.

Human & Civil Rights
Trevor Project
Charity Navigator- 4 Stars                             CharityWatch- A
The Trevor Project is the leading and only accredited national organization providing crisis intervention and suicide prevention services to lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and queer/questioning (LGBTQ) young people under the age of 25.  The Trevor Project offers a suite of crisis intervention and suicide prevention programs, including TrevorLifeline, TrevorText, TrevorChat, and TrevorSpace, a peer-to-peer social network for LGBTQ young people. Trevor also offers an education program with resources for youth-serving adults and organizations, a legislative advocacy department fighting for pro-LGBTQ legislation and against anti-LGBTQ rhetoric/policy positions, and conducts research to discover the most effective means to help young LGBTQ people in crisis and end suicide among this very vulnerable population.

So, no excuses!  In 2018, being philanthropic is easy.  Just make a purchase and let PHAG do the rest!  It’s just one more way we’re showing our appreciation for your support of independent retail.  To learn more about the charities, or the selection process, visit HERE.