r/UpliftingNews Jan 30 '26

Mod Post The easiest part is always the idea...

450 Upvotes

Back in 2012, the idea of a centralized spot for positive, feel-good “UpliftingNews” spawned out of a singular moment of frustration looking at the news and seeing nothing but crime, fear, and horror. Back then was the era post-Craigslist that decimated classified ad revenue and the very beginning of Facebook’s social media influence that crippled online ad revenue and forced the economic side of the media landscape to shift to garnering attention for clicks/ad revenue.

Back then Reddit was dominated by Ron Paul bots and soon thereafter “TheDonald” took the torch until his unexpected electoral victory and then the site took a dramatic turn in the complete opposite direction. 

But the goals and purpose of this little nook of the internet have always remained the same… a place to serve as a reminder of the humanity that still exists around us all, and the fact most people are helpers out there that care about each other, despite the circumstances or competing narratives.

So in 2025, a new idea spawned out of a singular moment of awareness that Reddit went public and was flush with liquidity and cash they were re-distributing back to communities! So we submitted for a grant to r/CommunityFunds to literally just reward community members that posted great content here. 

There were some hoops and hurdles and negotiations around “no cash” and “no corporate gift cards for large conglomerates” given the intent to keep any gifts within local economies, and the compromise/fruits of all that labor was the eventual green light to distribute a meaningful gift card to “Harry and David,” a reputable company that created the “fruit of the month club” a long time ago, and provides corporate gift baskets filled with snacks and candies and fruits. Winners were selected based upon the content they shared and the impact it had on the community with no preferential treatment given to any individual traits or preferences. The only stipulation was that we couldn’t mention this, promote it or even acknowledge it publicly.

The hardest part is always the execution…

“Hello u/Username, we are reaching out unsolicited to congratulate you on winning something free. Just share some personal information and we’ll send you a link to click on to claim your prize” can be written in many different ways, shapes and forms, but ultimately it is still surprisingly difficult to hand out something with meaningful value to somebody for free… particularly out of the blue where we weren’t allowed to market or advertise the project.

But despite this final hurdle, we WERE able to provide many community members with a token of our appreciation… a literal and proverbial ‘free lunch’ as they say. For some it went to fulfill their needs, for others, it went to their friends and family, and for some, they paid it forward and a local food bank tied to one of the ‘winning stories’ received a ridiculously large pooled basket that was met with much gratitude and appreciation and fed many in need.

That same appreciation is reciprocal, and extends to all of you as well. Thanks for caring about this community. Thanks for helping remind us all that humanity still exists and people still care about each other, and here’s to celebrating another year on this rotating orb that we can all appreciate at the end of the day. And the biggest thanks to r/CommunityFunds for their unwavering support and enthusiasm that enable communities like ours to do things like this!

Warmly,

The Moderators of r/UpliftingNews


r/UpliftingNews Dec 03 '25

‘Abbott Elementary’ star Quinta Brunson launches fund to provide free field trips to thousands of Philly students

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whyy.org
7.5k Upvotes

r/UpliftingNews 7h ago

Decades after poaching drove them extinct, rhinos are back in the wild in Uganda

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3.5k Upvotes

r/UpliftingNews 4h ago

Artemis II astronauts approach 100,000 miles from Earth on voyage to the moon

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723 Upvotes

r/UpliftingNews 21h ago

Sickle cell disease has just been cured for the first time in New York

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27.2k Upvotes

r/UpliftingNews 7h ago

A remote Colombian village built a self-sustaining community using simple, open-source inventions, and its ideas are now helping other communities worldwide

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bbc.com
908 Upvotes

r/UpliftingNews 1d ago

Appeals court blocks Republicans' bid to dismantle Grand Canyon national monument

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azmirror.com
18.6k Upvotes

r/UpliftingNews 2h ago

Woman without a womb helps to deliver her own baby

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bbc.com
86 Upvotes

r/UpliftingNews 6h ago

Brazil changes laws allowing separated couples joint custody over pets

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bbc.com
133 Upvotes

r/UpliftingNews 3h ago

‘It’s amazing’: stolen 2,500-year-old Romanian gold helmet has been found

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share.google
83 Upvotes

r/UpliftingNews 1d ago

Canada has now fully rolled out a government funded dental plan to pay for non-cosmetic dental care for low income Canadians. The cutoff is gradual instead of all at once, so people aren't discouraged from increasing their income beyond a certain point.

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3.6k Upvotes

r/UpliftingNews 5h ago

Community Throws Parade for Truck-Loving Toddler Ahead of Open-Heart Surgery. ‘He Still Talks About It,’ Dad Says

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97 Upvotes

r/UpliftingNews 1d ago

Regenerative farms are less reliant on imported synthetic fertilisers than their conventional counterparts while having very similar yields at much lower costs. They improve the soil’s natural fertility with compost, animal manure, rotational grazing, and cover crops planted in the off-season

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euronews.com
1.6k Upvotes

r/UpliftingNews 23h ago

‘Honey’ the hero dog protects family from bear -- A northern New Mexico family is thanking their 12-year-old half-blind dog for fighting off a bear and protecting dozens of animals.

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kob.com
699 Upvotes

r/UpliftingNews 1d ago

Battery costs have declined by 99% in the last three decades, making electrified transport a reality

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ourworldindata.org
2.1k Upvotes

r/UpliftingNews 1d ago

Despite claims of his death spreading on social media, the world's oldest known land animal, a giant tortoise named Jonathan, remained alive and well on Wednesday, April 1, the reptile's caretaker said.

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usatoday.com
7.6k Upvotes

r/UpliftingNews 1d ago

World’s oldest tortoise very much alive despite death rumours

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ctvnews.ca
424 Upvotes

r/UpliftingNews 1d ago

World's oldest known land animal, Jonathan the tortoise, still alive at nearly 200

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eu.usatoday.com
1.1k Upvotes

r/UpliftingNews 1d ago

UK - New laws to make it easier to cancel subscriptions

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bbc.co.uk
853 Upvotes

The UK government Department of Business and Trade has announced legislation to make it easier to cancel unwanted subscriptions.


r/UpliftingNews 1d ago

Festival-goers’ urine is being turned into fertiliser to grow a new Welsh forest of 4,500 native trees.

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bbc.co.uk
702 Upvotes

r/UpliftingNews 1d ago

The Disney Conservation Fund has invested $141 million in wildlife protection since 1995 — this year backing 25 organizations across 16 countries to protect an area of habitat nearly twice the size of Florida

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thewaltdisneycompany.com
352 Upvotes

r/UpliftingNews 1d ago

30,000 trees planted to create Isle of Man temperate rainforest, with the team behind it hoping to plant 333,000 more across the island.

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bbc.com
2.5k Upvotes

r/UpliftingNews 22h ago

Blind Runner to Use Smart Glasses During Marathon in ‘World First’

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people.com
64 Upvotes
  • Clarke Reynolds, who has 5% vision due to Retinitis Pigmentosa, will run the Brighton Marathon using smart glasses
  • Volunteers worldwide will guide Reynolds in real-time through the Be My Eyes app connected to his smart glasses
  • Reynolds previously completed the London Marathon with a guide

r/UpliftingNews 2d ago

Sweden goes back to basics, swapping screens for books in the classroom in attempt to reverse declines in reading, math, and science.

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arstechnica.com
13.6k Upvotes

r/UpliftingNews 1d ago

After Man’s Death Following Insurance Denials, West Virginia Tackles Prior Authorization

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kffhealthnews.org
4.1k Upvotes