We Believe Kids Can Change the World.
Getting started with Project Heart is simple, fast, and free. Whether this is your first year teaching or you’ve been guiding young people your entire career, we’re designed to help you do what you do best.
Project Heart is a program of The OtterCares Foundation — a nonprofit dedicated to inspiring the next generation of entrepreneurs and philanthropists.
Learn More About OtterCares
2025-2026 Impact
$28K+
Illumination Fund
Dollars Awarded
14K+
Students Reached
What Educators Say
91%
Increased Student
Engagment
87%
Connected Learning to
Real-World Needs
87%
An Impactful Experience
for Students
Our Story
Over a Decade of Impact
Project Heart started as an idea with the power to create lasting, impactful change in the hearts and minds of young people — by helping to unleash the philanthropist in every K–12 student. Here’s how we got here.
2009
Founded by the OtterCares Foundation
Nancy Richardson founded OtterCares to invest in education and empower youth through philanthropy and entrepreneurship. Project Heart was born from that mission.
2010
Formalized as a Lesson based Curriculum
Project Heart launched as a structured 10-lesson curriculum, quickly adopted by elementary schools across the country and around the world.
2016
Scaled to Middle & High School
Recognizing a gap in upper grades, the program expanded in 2016 and 2017 to serve middle and high school students with age-appropriate content and lessons.
2019
Fully Digital Platform Launched
A new digital-first platform opened access globally — making every lesson, activity, and resource freely available to any educator with an internet connection.
Now
An Open-Source Philanthropy Framework
Today, Project Heart is a complete open-source education ecosystem — providing K–12 educators with high-quality, flexible resources designed to unleash the maker, doer, and giver inside every student.
Who We Are
The Foundation Behind the Mission
Our History
Built on a Belief That Change Starts Young
Nancy Richardson founded OtterCares to invest in education and empower youth to create lasting change through philanthropy and entrepreneurship. Since 2009, that founding belief has shaped everything — from how we write our lessons to how we support our educators.
Project Heart grew from the conviction that every student has something to give — time, talent, or treasure — and that discovering that power early changes the trajectory of a life.
Our Purpose
One Inspired Mind Can Change the World
We believe young people aren’t tomorrow’s changemakers — they’re today’s. The OtterCares Foundation inspires students to become entrepreneurs and philanthropists who create lasting and impactful change in their communities.
Project Heart is how that belief becomes action: a free, flexible, educator-first resource that meets students exactly where they are — and challenges them to go further than they thought possible.
OtterCares Manifesto
A Declaration for Lasting Change
“We’re doing tomorrow today. Because the thing about tomorrow, ready or not, it’s already here. So we’re frontloading the future by teaching kids to be entrepreneurs, philanthropists, makers, doers and givers — today.”
“See, tomorrow is theirs anyway. And we’re privileged to inspire, prepare, teach, engage, equip and entrust them with everything we’ve got. Instead of crossing our fingers and hoping for the best or sticking our head in the sand and wishing for yesterday, we’re stacking the deck and betting on the bright side.”
“We don’t give handouts. We don’t give hand ups. We give boosts. Boosts of confidence. Boosts of inspiration. Boosts of rocket-fueled passion aimed for the stratospheres of possibility. Three, Two, One.“
“Light the fuse, press ignition, and pass the wheel. It’s their turn to fly this crazy craft called Tomorrow — toward a bigger, better, brighter future for all of us.”
#IgniteTomorrowToday
Meet the Team
Linda Crum
Executive Director
Linda is a passionate advocate for youth empowerment, blending decades of experience in nonprofit leadership, athletics, and character development to inspire the next generation of changemakers. As Executive Director of the OtterCares Foundation, she leads bold initiatives that spark entrepreneurial…
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Lucy Nuremberg
Grants and Program Manager
As the Grants and Program Manager, Lucy Nuremberg leads the foundation’s grantmaking efforts, partnering with applicants and grantees to empower today’s youth to become the entrepreneurs, philanthropists, and innovators of tomorrow. With a background in childcare and education nonprofits, Lucy brings…
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Kelsey Ransom
Director of Programs and Partnerships
Kelsey joins the OtterCares Foundation with over a decade of experience in relationship development with K-12 educators and educational program management and implementation. As the Programs and Partnerships Director, Kelsey oversees our Project Heart philanthropy education program and provides…
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Madison Polansky
Employee Engagement and Programs Manager
Madison is dedicated to fostering connections between people and opportunities. As the Employee Engagement and Programs Manager at OtterCares, she excels in linking Otter Ambassadors and employees with schools and nonprofits, leveraging their time and talents for impactful community…
Read MoreGet Started Today — It’s Free
Ready to Ignite Philanthropy in Your Classroom?
Join hundreds of educators using Project Heart to turn students into tomorrow’s changemakers. Register for free and get instant access to the complete K–12 curriculum library.
See Real Impact in Real Classrooms
From classroom transformations to student-led community initiatives, Project Heart creates measurable change in schools across the country. When young people learn they are valued, powerful individuals who can create positive change, the unexpected happens—improved collaboration, enhanced critical thinking, increased empathy, and lasting impact that extends far.