Innovation Award Finalists
This award recognizes a nonprofit that is changing the way community challenges are addressed. Rather than honoring overall organizational success, it spotlights a specific program, initiative, or system that replaces an old approach with a smarter, more effective one. Nominees should demonstrate how their innovation has expanded reach, improved outcomes, or opened new ways of serving residents of Palm Beach or Martin counties.
1. Peace.Love.Goat
Peace.Love.Goat has transformed part of a former citrus-growing property into an unconventional setting for animal-assisted wellness and community connection. At the 22-acre Old Citrus Estate, the Koprowski family uses cuddle-trained goats and other farm animals to create therapeutic experiences designed to encourage stress relief, calm, connection and joy. Programming ranges from goat cuddles and animal interactions to fitness activities, workshops, kids camps and community gatherings, offering children, families and adults an alternative to more traditional wellness settings. By repurposing old agricultural land as a place where people can experience the emotional benefits of connecting with animals and nature, Peace.Love.Goat has created a distinctly Treasure Coast approach to community well-being.
2. Project LIFT
Project LIFT has reimagined youth support by combining mental-health treatment with hands-on skilled-trades training in one integrated model. Instead of treating substance use, school disengagement, emotional health and employment as separate problems, the organization addresses them together through counseling, mentorship, academic support, transportation and training in fields such as construction, welding, automotive and HVAC. The results are strong: more than 80% of participants complete the program while remaining drug- and alcohol-free, 80% improve their mental-health functioning and 70% earn an industry-recognized certification. By pairing therapy with practical career pathways, Project LIFT is giving at-risk teens and young adults both the stability and the skills to build a different future.
3. The Children’s Museum of the Treasure Coast
The Children’s Museum of the Treasure Coast has reimagined accessibility so that all children can learn, play and belong together. Rather than treating inclusion as a separate program or occasional accommodation, its Accessibility and Inclusion Initiative weaves sensory-friendly experiences, adaptive learning, bilingual resources and reduced-cost access into the Museum’s everyday work. Over nearly two decades, more than 15,300 individuals with disabilities and special needs have participated in its programs, giving families who may once have felt excluded the chance to enjoy the same experiences as everyone else. The Museum extends that philosophy into the workplace as well, creating meaningful employment opportunities for people with disabilities—and demonstrating that true inclusion means opening the door for everyone.
