Harvard graduate donates commencement prize to nonprofits nationwide

By AI, Created 5:02 PM UTC, May 18, 2026, /AGP/ – Kirsten von Reinholtz has given away the full cash award from Harvard’s 2025 Derek Bok Public Service Prize, splitting the money among nonprofits supporting homelessness relief, disaster recovery, anti-trafficking work, youth services and animal welfare. The donation underscores how a student honor can be turned into immediate aid for groups facing funding pressure.

Why it matters: - The donation turns a Harvard commencement honor into direct funding for nonprofits serving people and communities under strain. - The award money is going to groups focused on homelessness relief, human trafficking survivors, disaster recovery, youth advocacy and animal welfare. - The move comes as many nonprofits are losing funding and as von Reinholtz’s own community continues to recover from last year’s Los Angeles fires.

What happened: - Kirsten von Reinholtz donated the full monetary award from Harvard’s 2025 Derek Bok Public Service Prize. - The funds are being directed to nonprofit organizations across the United States. - Recipients include the Phillips Brooks House Association, Covenant House California, the National Forest Foundation, the California Fire Foundation, Project Street Vet, The Midnight Mission, Blue Mosaic, Memphis Rox, Stepping Stones Foundation and the Harvard Square Homeless Shelter. - Von Reinholtz publicly pledged to donate the prize on Harvard’s Global Day of Service.

The details: - The Derek Bok Public Service Prize is awarded annually to graduates with sustained commitment to public service and civic engagement. - Von Reinholtz said the money is being committed over several months to causes tied to her own service work. - Those causes include homelessness outreach, animal welfare, youth advocacy, anti-human trafficking advocacy and disaster recovery. - Von Reinholtz serves on the associate board of Covenant House California, which supports youth experiencing homelessness. - As community and public service director for her graduate student government, she led the fourth annual Winter Supply Drive for Harvard Square Homeless Shelter. - That drive became the most successful in the initiative’s history, more than doubling the prior year’s total in both donated items and overall value. - Von Reinholtz also serves on the executive board of Blue Mosaic, which focuses on survivor voices and trauma-informed advocacy around human trafficking. - In response to the California wildfires, she helped organize the Beachside Benefit fundraiser supporting first responders, fire-impacted families, displaced animals and recovery groups, including the California Fire Foundation. - She also helped lead a coalition of Harvard student organizations that supported planting more than 5,000 trees through the National Forest Foundation. - Von Reinholtz said several of the initial donations were inspired by nonprofit leaders who supported her nomination. - She specifically thanked Brooke Kronschnabel, Tara Cavanagh and Billie Pingree.

Between the lines: - The donation reflects a broader view of service: public honors are being treated as resources to redistribute, not rewards to keep. - Her giving pattern mirrors the causes she has already worked on, which makes the donation feel like an extension of existing community work rather than a one-time gesture. - The wildfire-related support also shows the prize money moving toward immediate local recovery needs as well as national nonprofit priorities.

What’s next: - Von Reinholtz said the donations will continue over several months. - Her work remains centered on healthcare and public service communications. - She also co-founded Opn CoLabs with fellow Harvard alum Robert Familia, a collaboration platform aimed at expanding access to networks, mentorship and opportunities. - Harvard lists von Reinholtz as an ALM in Management graduate from Harvard Extension School with a 4.0 GPA, Dean’s List honors, the Derek Bok prize and the Harold V. Langlois Award. - She was also a finalist in the 2025 Harvard Commencement Student Orations Competition.

The bottom line: - Von Reinholtz turned a prestige prize into practical support for nonprofits on the front lines of homelessness, disaster recovery and survivor services.