Kirsten von Reinholtz on the steps of Harvard University's Widener Library.
New Harvard graduate gives away commencement prize to nonprofits supporting homelessness relief, human trafficking survivors, disaster recovery, and more
As honored as I was, it did not feel right to keep the prize while so many nonprofits lost funding … I wanted to support groups doing the work that makes public service possible in the first place.”
— Kirsten von Reinholtz
LOS ANGELES, CA, UNITED STATES, May 19, 2026 /EINPresswire.com/ -- Social good entrepreneur Kirsten von Reinholtz has donated the full monetary award associated with Harvard’s 2025 Derek Bok Public Service
Prize, directing the funds toward nonprofit organizations serving vulnerable communities across the United States.Organizations receiving support 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.
Awarded annually, the Derek Bok Public Service Prize recognizes graduates who have demonstrated a sustained commitment to public service and civic engagement. Von Reinholtz publicly pledged to donate the prize funds on Harvard’s Global Day of Service, committing the award money over several months to organizations whose work reflects causes central to her own service efforts, including homelessness outreach, animal welfare, youth advocacy, anti-human trafficking advocacy, and disaster recovery.
“As honored as I was, it did not feel right to keep the prize while so many nonprofits lost funding and my own community is still recovering from last year’s LA fires,” von Reinholtz said. “Instead, I wanted to support groups doing the work that makes public service possible in the first place.”
Several of the selected organizations hold personal significance for von Reinholtz. Covenant House California, where she serves on the associate board, supports youth experiencing homelessness. As community and public service director for her graduate student government, she oversaw the fourth annual Winter Supply Drive benefiting Harvard Square Homeless Shelter, helping lead the most successful drive in the initiative’s history by more than doubling the previous year’s total in both donated items and overall value. She also serves on the executive board of Blue Mosaic, an organization focused on uplifting survivor voices and addressing interconnected issues of human trafficking through trauma-informed advocacy and community engagement. In response to the California wildfires, von Reinholtz also helped organize the Beachside Benefit, a large-scale fundraising event supporting first responders, fire-impacted families, displaced animals, and recovery organizations that included the California Fire Foundation. Continuing those wildfire recovery efforts, she also helped lead a coalition of Harvard student organizations supporting the planting of more than 5,000 trees through the National Forest Foundation.
Moreover, several of the initial donations were inspired by nonprofit leaders who supported von Reinholtz’s nomination, whom she has described as women whose example and commitment to service helped shape her own understanding of leadership and community responsibility.
“I’m especially grateful to Brooke Kronschnabel, Tara Cavanagh, and Billie Pingree,” von Reinholtz said. “Their example and encouragement helped shape my commitment to service, and it’s because of leaders like them that I get to do this work.”
Von Reinholtz earned her ALM in Management from Harvard University’s Harvard Extension School, graduating with a 4.0 GPA on the Dean’s List and receiving both the Derek Bok prize and the Harold V. Langlois Award, which recognizes a graduate who has demonstrated exceptional academic accomplishment and managerial promise while exemplifying integrity and accountability as an emerging leader. She was also selected as a finalist in the 2025 Harvard Commencement Student Orations Competition.
Von Reinholtz currently works in healthcare and public service communications and, alongside fellow Harvard alum Robert Familia, co-founded Opn CoLabs, a collaboration platform focused on democratizing access to networks, mentorship, and opportunities.
“At some point, every honor and opportunity becomes a question: what good are you going to do with it?” von Reinholtz said. “To me, leadership means using whatever influence you have to open doors for others.”
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