Dignity Grows Inc

In 2024, Dignity Grows piloted Hope in a Backpack, a new large-scale direct product support program, designed to strengthen entire communities. By addressing menstrual hygiene insecurity across whole zip codes, school districts, healthcare systems, and Indigenous communities, this initiative advances systemic change, ensuring women and girls can pursue their goals free from the disruptive effects of Period Poverty. Hope in a Backpack launched in Petersburg, VA, where it established a collaborative menstrual hygiene support system for every female student in the middle school and high school. Over three-quarters of the families served reported that this hygiene support positively affected the economic stability of their household.

Dignity Grows launched the Period Poverty Institute of America in 2024, establishing the nation's first clearinghouse for research, educational materials, and action-focused collaboration dedicated to this critical public health issue. The Institute provides a virtual home for evidence-based resources and data-driven strategies, elevating Period Poverty from an often overlooked challenge to a recognized determinant of health and opportunity. Dignity Grows' ongoing National Research Initiative on Period Poverty focuses on the prevalence and lived experience of Period Poverty, in conjunction with the Institute. By fostering innovation and access to menstrual equity education, the Institute positions Dignity Grows at the forefront of systemic solutions to end Period Poverty in America.