Palms for Life Fund
Non-profit OrganizationsNew York, United States11-50 Employees
Palms for Life Fund is a New York City–based family nonprofit focused on international projects aimed at reducing poverty and marginalization by expanding access to education, food, water, and sanitation. Founded in 2006 by Hannah Laufer-Rottman with Maayan Laufer as a co-founder, the organization operates from its New York headquarters and has established local entities in Botswana, Eswatini, and Namibia, with programs in select countries across Africa, Latin America, and Asia. Its work is anchored in a rights-based perspective that access to education, safe water, and adequate nourishment is a basic human right essential to development. A notable element of its mission is the Ceres Food Film Festival, which curates films about hunger, sustainable food systems, and local solutions and accompanies screenings with discussions to inform and engage audiences. In recent years, Palms for Life has pursued partnerships and program expansions, including collaboration with the University of Botswana's San Research Centre to host a two-day national forum on preserving San languages, culture, and knowledge systems in Botswana, and by pursuing asset-based projects such as establishing an early childhood development center. Its activities revolve around projects that build infrastructure to enable education, water, sanitation, and food access for vulnerable communities worldwide.