How It Works

How it works

Make global citizens. And art.

Part art project, part philanthropy, part immersion in global learning, Students Rebuild Challenges connect K-12 students worldwide in a common effort to make a difference, while giving you the tools and flexibility to teach your way.

Learn about this year’s challenge

Our Unique Model

Holistic learning. For an hour, a semester, or a year.

In addition to an engaging art project, every Students Rebuild Challenge comes with rich opportunities and free resources for exploring other cultures, geography, and more. Online video conferencing brings students from other countries into your classroom and makes our global community more personal.

Art as a means for change.

When students make art for someone else, they’re all in—mind, body, and spirit. And art equals action—it’s something everyone, everywhere can do.

Designed for busy teachers.

Students Rebuild projects can be scaled from a single class to a full year. We provide the free resources to help you teach within whatever time and space you have.

Touching lives globally.

Funds generated through Students Rebuild support on-the-ground programs by trusted NGOs like CARE, Save the Children, The Nature Conservancy, charity: water, and others.

Past Challenges

Each student's contribution adds up to impact.

Since 2010, more than one million participants in 83 countries and all 50 U.S. states have created nearly 6 million works of art and raised more than $5 million dollars, benefiting over 50,000 children around the world. See the difference students have made—from 2010 through the present.

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2022: World Needs Challenge

Sparking global change through art-ivism

Together, we raised $2,500,000 to support organizations tackling some of the world's greatest needs.

1,921 teams of students created more pieces of art than ever before —more than 250,000 posters!— to raise 2,500,000 to help The Nature Conservancy’s efforts to address rising ocean climate; No Kid Hungry’s global hunger relief work; International Rescue Committee’s human rights work serving refugees; CARE USA and The King Center’s education efforts towards peacemaking and anti-racism; and Creative Reaction Lab’s programs to put art into action.

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2021: Changemaker Challenge

Honoring everyday heroes

Students faced a number of issues during this Challenge: a global pandemic, socially distant learning, racial injustice, the environment, and much more. That’s why we invited students to make awards for changemakers in their own backyard. Their awards also helped support changemakers around the world! Learn more below.

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2020: Hunger Challenge

Fighting Hunger and Malnutrition

Tens of millions of children around the world go to bed hungry or malnourished each night—but students from around the world changed that. Through the Hunger Challenge, students were able to mobilize $2.3 million for programs fighting hunger. Learn more below.

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2019: Ocean Challenge

Ocean conservation

The world’s ocean and the people who live closest to it face urgent environmental challenges—but the actions of young people made a collective wave of support. Students made over 250,000 sea creatures which were each matched with a donation from the Bezos Family Foundation. In total, $500,000 was donated to ocean conservation and programs training coastal youth in ocean conservation.

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2018: Facing Difference Challenge

Engaging Difference

We invited students to create self-portraits and use them as a springboard for exploring the ways differences keep us apart—and how they can be overcome. The art that poured in generated $600,000 for peace-building programs in Nigeria, Sri Lanka, and the South Caucasus.

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2017: Youth Uplift Challenge

Youth Empowerment

Over 115,000 students in 28 countries made 250,000+ hands for the Youth Uplift Challenge! For every hand you made and sent in, the Bezos Family Foundation donated $1.90—up to $500,000—to Save the Children’s programs empowering youth in Nicaragua and Indonesia to rise into a life they dream for themselves.

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2016: Healing Classrooms Challenge

Syrian Refugee Crisis

Teams from around the world made over 200,000 paper pinwheels! The Bezos Family Foundation matched each pinwheel with $2 for a total donation of $400,000 to support the International Rescue Committee's Healing Classrooms programs in Iraq and Lebanon.

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2015: Literacy Challenge

Access to Literacy Programs

Students Rebuild partnered with Save the Children and Global Nomads Group to improve youth reading and writing skills around the world. For each bookmark we received, the Bezos Family Foundation donated $1—raising $300,000 in total—for Save the Children’s Literacy Boost program in Latin America, Africa, and Asia.

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Who are we

A Program of the Bezos Family Foundation.

Students Rebuild is operated and funded by the Bezos Family Foundation, a private, independent foundation based in Seattle. Guided by the belief that all young people deserve the opportunity to reach their full potential and meaningfully contribute to society, the Foundation invests in the science of learning and the experiences that young people from birth through high school need to learn and thrive. Matching funds for each Challenge are donated by the Foundation and given to [benefiting partners](http://www.studentsrebuild.org/partners "Partners"). Each partner is carefully vetted at the outset of each Challenge for their capacity to make lasting impact in the communities they serve.

Learn About Our Mission

Where the Art Goes

Each Challenge ends with a powerful culminating exhibit.

At the end of each Challenge, we partner with an artist to combine individual art pieces into a compelling collective exhibit that promotes wider awareness of the issue at hand.!

See Past Art Culminations

See art culmination

How it works

Our Unique Model

Art as a means for change.

Designed for busy teachers.

Touching lives globally.

Past Challenges

2022: World Needs Challenge

Sparking global change through art-ivism

2021: Changemaker Challenge

Honoring everyday heroes

2020: Hunger Challenge

Fighting Hunger and Malnutrition

2019: Ocean Challenge

Ocean conservation

2018: Facing Difference Challenge

Engaging Difference

2017: Youth Uplift Challenge

Youth Empowerment

2016: Healing Classrooms Challenge

Syrian Refugee Crisis

2015: Literacy Challenge

Access to Literacy Programs

Who are we

Where the Art Goes

2021: Changemaker Challenge Honoring everyday heroes

2020: The Hunger Challenge Fighting Hunger and Malnutrition

2019: The Ocean Challenge Ocean Conservation

2018: Facing Difference Challenge Engaging Difference

2017: Youth Uplift Challenge Youth Empowerment

2016: Healing Classrooms Challenge Syrian Refugee Crisis

2015: Flowers for Nepal Challenge Earthquake Recovery

2015: Literacy Challenge Access to Literacy Programs

2014: Water Challenge Clean Water

2013: Typhoon Haiyan Challenge Typhoon Recovery

2012: One Million Bones Challenge Humanitarian Crisis

2011: Paper Cranes for Japan Challenge Earthquake and Tsunami Recovery

2010: Haiti Challenge Earthquake Recovery

2021: Changemaker Challenge
Honoring everyday heroes

2020: The Hunger Challenge
Fighting Hunger and Malnutrition

2019: The Ocean Challenge
Ocean Conservation

2018: Facing Difference Challenge
Engaging Difference

2017: Youth Uplift Challenge
Youth Empowerment

2016: Healing Classrooms Challenge
Syrian Refugee Crisis

2015: Flowers for Nepal Challenge
Earthquake Recovery

2015: Literacy Challenge
Access to Literacy Programs

2014: Water Challenge
Clean Water

2013: Typhoon Haiyan Challenge
Typhoon Recovery

2012: One Million Bones Challenge
Humanitarian Crisis

2011: Paper Cranes for Japan Challenge
Earthquake and Tsunami Recovery

2010: Haiti Challenge
Earthquake Recovery