Butterfly Effect Project lands $100K grant

The Butterfly Effect Project, a Riverhead-based nonprofit, will receive a four-year, $100,000 grant from Holbrook-based American Portfolios Financial Services.

Founded in 2014, the Butterfly Effect Project helps broaden the horizons of school-aged girls by eliminating obstacles such as mobility, cultural differences and finances.

The nonprofit began with eight girls from the Riverhead and Flanders areas and has since grown to more than 430 girls who live in Suffolk County, providing a safe place for young girls to be free, expressive and successful.

The grant from the American Portfolios Foundation is to be distributed over a four-year period beginning in 2021.

“The opportunity that American Portfolios has given BEP is life changing,” Tijuana (Tia) Fulford, founder and CEO of the Butterfly Effect Project, said in a written statement. “Their generous grant is more than financial aid; it represents opportunities, doors opening, growth, sustainability and, ultimately, success stories. It will allow our 400-plus girls not just to dream, but to also have the tools they need to succeed in life.”

American Portfolios CEO Lon T. Dolber said the company has always been committed to serving people and places connected by its corporate social responsibility efforts.

“Our hope is that by being good corporate citizens, we help to make the world a better place for everyone,” Dolber said.