Burners Without Borders

DONATE

Impact

Impact

2023 Impact Numbers

As 2023 comes to a close, we’re thrilled to highlight the impact of our global community through our annual report ‘BWB by the Numbers’. Our network has come a long way since 2005, extending far beyond disaster relief, supporting community resiliency and grassroots initiatives across the world.

Burners Without Borders relies on the support of generous individuals like you to fuel our mission. Your donation, no matter the size, is instrumental in supporting ongoing initiatives and launching projects that empower local leaders for a brighter and more resilient future. Consider making a year-end donation to contribute to BWB’s continued success.

  • 16 BWB Chapters and 16 Active BWB Working Groups. For a total of 32 activated groups across the globe.
  • 17 BWB grant projects completed across 11 different subject areas.
  • Hosted 99 participants at Fly Ranch for the BWB Spring Summit working on 2 natural building projects.
  • Engaged 22 projects through the BWB Project Proposal Form.
  • Co-created with 110 campers to produce the BWB Esplanade camp in Black Rock City amplifying the civic impact of Burners. This year we activated as a resource hub for participants during the rainstorms.
  • BLAST worked with 62 green theme camps for its second year in BRC.
  • RAT mentored 28 artists and 4 theme camps supporting solar power to their projects for a second year in BRC.

While our full impact data isn’t available yet we can tell you that our network has activated at least 1,300+ volunteers towards 3,300+ hours of civic service and distributed $26,000+ in 2023

  • We welcomed 2 new Chapters/Working Groups this year:
    Madison, Wisconsin and South Afrika.
  • If you’re a community leader (or want to be), join us in contributing to our worldwide impact story. Connect with your local BWB group and become part of our global network!

Supporting the 2030 Sustainability Roadmap in Black Rock City:
Working with BLAST & RAT, along with the new Green Corridor, was a major success. Each program saw a huge increase in participation. These projects emerged from the Green Theme Camp Community (GTCC).

  • 10 camps were placed in the inaugural Green Corridor, a sector in Black Rock City containing theme camps working towards the goals of the 2030 Environmental Sustainability Roadmap.
  • 62 Camps were part of Burner Leadership Achieving Sustainable Theme Camps (BLAST). A 295% increase of participating camps rating their sustainable operations around: Power, Water, Food, Waste, Shelter and Transportation
  • 28 artists and 4 theme camps mentored by Renewables for Artists Team (RAT), learning to use renewable energy. A 233% increase in participation from last year.

10 Supported Projects Across 7 Subject Areas:

The bread and butter of BWB are the projects we support and members create. Share your project with us via the BWB Project Proposal Form to see how we can support your impact.

Interactive Map

In 2022 we funded 44 initiatives, distributing $45,000 in micro-grants. 2023 saw the completion of 17 of these grantee projects:

  • BWB Detroit Backpack Project, Doxie Kaltz (Housing and Homelessness)
  • NYC Backpacks For the Unhomed, Lauretta Prevost (Housing and Homelessness)
  • Burner Donation Barrel, Angela Gentry (Fundraising and Support)
  • The Garden of Mutuality, Jennifer Murphy (Community Development)
  • Tutus for Pride, Krista Gurko with Sacramento Valley Spark (LGBTQI+)
  • Abolitionist School Social Workers, Unlisted (Radical Inclusion, Diversity, and Equity)
  • Ikigai Explorers, Charlotte de Casabianca (Children and Youth)
  • Sanitation and Hygiene Improvement Kakumiro District, Uganda, Businge Ponsious (Health & Wellness)
  • Radio Tower Repurposing & FM Repeater, Michael Sofranko (Disaster Response and Preparedness)
  • Haba at Pyramid Lake Paiute Museum, Jacob Mast (Indigenous Issues and Sovereignty)
  • Safety Third and BWB Regional Comms, David Loudermilk (Disaster Response and Preparedness)
  • Beauford Lane Community Art Gallery, Ngoc-Tran Vu (Community Development)
  • Immigrant Aid Print Project, Jessi Janusee (Refugee and Migration Support)
  • Artistic Expression for Indigenous Students in Guatemala, Joanna Drew (Indigenous Issues and Sovereignty)
  • Burner Biochemists, Gregory Sklar (Health and Wellness)
  • Bee Safe, BWB Colombia (Environmental & Sustainability)
  • Permaculture Design Course, Musa Munga (Refugee and Migration Support)

Hosted 3 BWB Worldwide Calls with 755 registered participants:

The BWB Spring Summit brought together conversations centering on the theme, “Listening to the Land”. There were 7 programming offerings:

  • Collaborative Arts and Learning Skills (Lorine Estelle Bay)
  • Indigenous Water Wisdom (Carmen Gonzales)
  • Regenerative Roundtable (Laura Day)
  • Earth Immersion: Nurturing the Land-Body Connection (Felix de Rosen)
  • Natural Building Techniques (Nicholas Salmons)
  • Collaborative Effigy-Building Workshop (Nick Palmer)
  • Haba Build with Pyramid Lake Museum (Ripple Project)

We hosted 3 days of a Black Rock City speaker series, with 17 events focused on sustainability, creating impact, and building community:

  • Listen to the “Art as a Tool for Impact” panel, a collaboration with FarAway Projects, and offering insights into the artist’s role in creating global impact.
  • More recordings from this speaker series to be published soon!

What People are Saying….

  • “You guys (BWB) planted the seed in my head by asking what, if any, I am doing regarding the revolution in Iran. I would not have expected, in my wildest dreams, to have the project reach this wide of an audience! That was almost one year ago. Thank you!”- Bardia Saeedi (Project Lead, Iranian Bus Project)
     
  • Joseph Miller, Indigenous Community Relations Coordinator for Friends of Inyo, wrote this blog article about his time at the BWB Summit for the Friends of Inyo website.
     
  • ”The most important thing from the experience is that I fell in love with building. I feel that what I’m doing right now is a direct sequence from the grant experience. At the moment, I’m building a radically sustainable autonomous house and sharing it with other Burners and communities.“
    – Sergii Dumyk (BWB Grant Recipient & BRC Showerloop)

Fostering a more Connected, Creative & Resilient World

DONATE Find a Project