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2025 Impact Grant for Deaf Organizations

In the Fall of 2024, we reopened our second Impact Grant for Deaf Organizations and received a record-breaking 84 applications from deaf-centric organizations and programs across the country.. Through this competitive process, we are thrilled to award a total of $100,000 among four organizations, three of which are new to Deaf Organizations Fund (DOF).

We extend our sincerest gratitude to all the organizations who spent considerable time on their applications describing their critical work with deaf communities. We also thank our independent grant review committee for their thoughtful evaluation of all grant applications.

Please review our 2025 grantee organizations and their projects below.

Two tri-color illustrations of a person signing “Impact” and “Organizations” inside a gradient purple circle.
Two tri-color illustrations of a person signing “Impact” and “Organizations” inside a gradient purple circle.

Introducing the Grantees

On the left side is Barbara Spiecker, a white woman wearing a black Atomic Hands t-shirt, and on the right side is Alicia Wooten, an Asian woman wearing a black Atomic Hands t-shirt. They are both standing in front of a burnt orange wall with hanging plants, and they sign Atomic Hands. The video transitions to a screen split into two color backgrounds. On the left is a gradient dark purple screen with a teal DOF logo and the following text in white, all-caps: "Impact Grant for Deaf Organizations." On the right is a navy screen with the Atomic Hands logo in the middle, and below the logo is the following text in teal, all-caps "2025 Recipient".

Atomic Hands

Atomic Hands makes Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM) accessible to the deaf community by providing resources for STEM exploration and learning in sign language. In collaboration with SignStudy, Atomic Hands will develop a tool to simplify searching across multiple STEM sign language lexicons for specialized technical signs, benefitting countless deaf youth and professionals.

Deaf Defy, Inc.

Deaf Defy runs frequent humanitarian aid missions benefitting Deaf children living in refugee camps and areas of conflict, primarily within the Middle East and North Africa. Funds will be used to establish patient resource carts to provide access to audiology supplies and sign language resources to deaf patients and families throughout the year. These carts will be monitored by local deaf community members and located in deaf schools, clinics, or nonprofits in each target region.

Zaineb Abdulla, Founder and President, spells “Deaf Defy” then signs each word in name. The sign name is the word "deaf" followed by the word "defy”. Zaineb is an Arab woman wearing a maroon headscarf and black shirt. The video transitions to a screen split into two color backgrounds. On the left is a gradient dark purple screen with a teal DOF logo and the following text in white, all-caps: "Impact Grant for Deaf Organizations." On the right is a navy screen with the Deaf Defy, Inc. logo in the middle, and below the logo is the following text in teal, all-caps "2025 Recipient".
Angie Bedoya, Lead Program Coordinator, is a Latina woman with black polo shirt in black background, and her eyes and wavy short hair are dark brown with tan skin. Angie fingerspells DEAFinitely, Inc. and then proceeds to sign the organization name. The video transitions to a screen split into two color backgrounds. On the left is a gradient dark purple screen with a teal DOF logo and the following text in white, all-caps: "Impact Grant for Deaf Organizations." On the right is a navy screen with the DEAFinitely, Inc. logo in the middle, and below the logo is the following text in teal, all-caps "2025 Recipient".

DEAFinitely, Inc.

DEAFinitely, Inc. serves Deaf, Hard of Hearing, DeafBlind, DeafDisabled and hearing youth representing multilingual, cultural, racial and socio-economic diversity. Funds will be used to support the organization’s DeafBlind Youth Council (DBYC), which provides virtual and in-person youth leadership and peer mentoring opportunities for DeafBlind youth.

The Black Deaf Project

The Black Deaf Project is dedicated to working with Black Deaf and hearing communities to combat audism, create culturally inclusive education, and foster Black joy and success. Funds will be used to publish four books that celebrate Black Deaf culture, serving as essential teaching tools that fill a significant gap in educational resources and equip teachers, families, and programs with the materials necessary to engage with Black Deaf culture and experiences effectively.

Lissa Ramirez-Stapleton, Executive Director, is a woman with a dark brown skin tone and black locs that fall to her shoulders. She is wearing blue-tone glasses and a silver nose ring. Her outfit consists of a white shirt with red 3/4-length sleeves. The shirt features the text "The Black Deaf Project" written in black. The "C" in "Black" is green, styled with a brown hand in the shape of the sign for the letter "C", and the "D" in "Deaf" is red, featuring a brown hand in the shape of the sign for the letter "D". Lissa signs "Black Deaf Project”. The video transitions to a screen split into two color backgrounds. On the left is a gradient dark purple screen with a teal DOF logo and the following text in white, all-caps: "Impact Grant for Deaf Organizations." On the right is a navy screen with The Black Deaf Project logo in the middle, and below the logo is the following text in teal, all-caps "2025 Recipient".

Atomic Hands

Atomic Hands makes Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM) accessible to the deaf community by providing resources for STEM exploration and learning in sign language. In collaboration with SignStudy, Atomic Hands will develop a tool to simplify searching across multiple STEM sign language lexicons for specialized technical signs, benefitting countless deaf youth and professionals.

On the left side is Barbara Spiecker, a white woman wearing a black Atomic Hands t-shirt, and on the right side is Alicia Wooten, an Asian woman wearing a black Atomic Hands t-shirt. They are both standing in front of a burnt orange wall with hanging plants, and they sign Atomic Hands. The video transitions to a screen split into two color backgrounds. On the left is a gradient dark purple screen with a teal DOF logo and the following text in white, all-caps: "Impact Grant for Deaf Organizations." On the right is a navy screen with the Atomic Hands logo in the middle, and below the logo is the following text in teal, all-caps "2025 Recipient".

Deaf Defy, Inc.

Deaf Defy runs frequent humanitarian aid missions benefitting Deaf children living in refugee camps and areas of conflict, primarily within the Middle East and North Africa. Funds will be used to establish patient resource carts to provide access to audiology supplies and sign language resources to deaf patients and families throughout the year. These carts will be monitored by local deaf community members and located in deaf schools, clinics, or nonprofits in each target region.

Zaineb Abdulla, Founder and President, spells “Deaf Defy” then signs each word in name. The sign name is the word "deaf" followed by the word "defy”. Zaineb is an Arab woman wearing a maroon headscarf and black shirt. The video transitions to a screen split into two color backgrounds. On the left is a gradient dark purple screen with a teal DOF logo and the following text in white, all-caps: "Impact Grant for Deaf Organizations." On the right is a navy screen with the Deaf Defy, Inc. logo in the middle, and below the logo is the following text in teal, all-caps "2025 Recipient".

DEAFinitely, Inc.

DEAFinitely, Inc. serves Deaf, Hard of Hearing, DeafBlind, DeafDisabled and hearing youth representing multilingual, cultural, racial and socio-economic diversity. Funds will be used to support the organization’s DeafBlind Youth Council (DBYC), which provides virtual and in-person youth leadership and peer mentoring opportunities for DeafBlind youth.

Angie Bedoya, Lead Program Coordinator, is a Latina woman with black polo shirt in black background, and her eyes and wavy short hair are dark brown with tan skin. Angie fingerspells DEAFinitely, Inc. and then proceeds to sign the organization name. The video transitions to a screen split into two color backgrounds. On the left is a gradient dark purple screen with a teal DOF logo and the following text in white, all-caps: "Impact Grant for Deaf Organizations." On the right is a navy screen with the DEAFinitely, Inc. logo in the middle, and below the logo is the following text in teal, all-caps "2025 Recipient".

The Black Deaf Project

The Black Deaf Project is dedicated to working with Black Deaf and hearing communities to combat audism, create culturally inclusive education, and foster Black joy and success. Funds will be used to publish four books that celebrate Black Deaf culture, serving as essential teaching tools that fill a significant gap in educational resources and equip teachers, families, and programs with the materials necessary to engage with Black Deaf culture and experiences effectively.

Lissa Ramirez-Stapleton, Executive Director, is a woman with a dark brown skin tone and black locs that fall to her shoulders. She is wearing blue-tone glasses and a silver nose ring. Her outfit consists of a white shirt with red 3/4-length sleeves. The shirt features the text "The Black Deaf Project" written in black. The "C" in "Black" is green, styled with a brown hand in the shape of the sign for the letter "C", and the "D" in "Deaf" is red, featuring a brown hand in the shape of the sign for the letter "D". Lissa signs "Black Deaf Project”. The video transitions to a screen split into two color backgrounds. On the left is a gradient dark purple screen with a teal DOF logo and the following text in white, all-caps: "Impact Grant for Deaf Organizations." On the right is a navy screen with The Black Deaf Project logo in the middle, and below the logo is the following text in teal, all-caps "2025 Recipient".

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Deaf Organizations Fund is a 501(c)3 public charity, tax ID: 92-3792141.