The Sharp Foundation
Inspired by Martha Sharp’s story of personal courage.
The Sharp Foundation supports global humanitarianism, promoting people who take great personal risk to rescue others who are threatened by political & religious extremism.The Sharp Foundation will develop a small grants program to support current rescue efforts throughout the world. We recognize that there are many who take great risk to protect the lives of others. These unsung heroes and heroines often lack resources to further their valiant efforts day-to-day. Through collaborations with non-governmental organizations and community leaders, we will provide urgently needed support in a timely manner, knowing that the ability to take action that saves lives can hinge on having immediate access to financial support. This was true for Martha Sharp on many occasions.
It is the goal of the Foundation to create a network of rescuers throughout the world to inspire each other to continue their critical and important work. |
The Sharp Foundation provides financial and technical support to individuals and grassroots organizations committed to bettering the world through their extraordinary courage and is inspired by the work of Martha Sharp, who, with her husband, rescued thousands during WW II and established the Unitarian Universalist Service Committee.
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The Board of Directors |
Marina Goldman, President
Marina is a Women’s Health Nurse Practitioner now working in addictions medicine. She is Co-Founder of the Katanya Women’s Development Association (KaWDA) based in Sierra Leone where she served as a Peace Corps Volunteer in 1982. She has worked in Sierra Leone with ISHIglobal:International Surgical Health Initiative, SEED, NarSarah Clinic, Foundation for West Africa, and IBIS Global Education for Development. She produced and distributed a film “The Secret Pain” (about female genital mutilation/FGM) which brought her together with Ann Marie Caulker, co-founder of KaWDA. Marina is motivated by the desire to create social change and gender equality. She is also an actor, writer, educator and film producer. She lives in Western Massachusetts with her husband Josh and their two adult sons. Marina is the narration voice of Martha Sharp in the Ken Burns documentary, Defying the Nazis: The Sharps' War. She is also the recipient of the first Righteous Among Us Award from The Joukowsky Family Foundation. Leigh Rae, Treasurer
Leigh is a consultant with over 25 years of experience in both the non-profit and for-profit sectors. Her background includes financial and human resource management, fundraising and program development. Currently, she serves on several non-profit boards including the Women's Fund of Western Massachusetts and the Greenfield Community College Foundation. She is a co-founder of the Katanya Women’s Development Association (KaWDA), an organization focused on human rights in Sierra Leone, West Africa. Leigh holds a Master’s Degree from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology’s Center for Real Estate and a Bachelor of Arts degree from Hamilton College. Leigh lives in Montague, Massachusetts with her husband, a freelance photographer who works internationally for a variety of social causes. She is mother, a gardener, and great admirer of nature. Joseph Steig, Clerk
Joseph is CFO of Long River Ventures, a seed and early stage New England-based venture fund. Joseph also serves as Senior Advisor at VentureWell (formerly the National Collegiate Inventors and Innovators Alliance). VentureWell is a non-profit that provides grant funding and training support to technology-based entrepreneurs, principally to teams coming out of the university environment. Joseph has a background with technology start-ups, ranging from aquaculture to Internet ventures. He is founder of River Valley Investors, an angel investor group, and has extensive experience in economic development. Joseph has a B.A. from Hampshire College, grew up in Vancouver, Canada and now lives in Massachusetts. |