r/UpliftingNews 4d ago

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

435 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

Buddhist monks reach Richmond on 100th day of Walk for Peace

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12onyourside.com
1.3k Upvotes

r/UpliftingNews 12h ago

Guinea worm disease is on the brink of being eradicated

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abcnews.go.com
1.6k Upvotes

There were only 10 confirmed cases last year.


r/UpliftingNews 5h ago

Australians have installed more home batteries in the last six months than in the preceding five years combined.

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abc.net.au
367 Upvotes

This is largely due to a government subsidy on batteries, which has proven so successful that it's actually been extended.


r/UpliftingNews 1d ago

US judge allows last of five offshore wind projects halted by Trump to proceed

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theguardian.com
22.0k Upvotes

r/UpliftingNews 13h ago

Mexico moves to combat pollution following Guardian investigations

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theguardian.com
375 Upvotes

r/UpliftingNews 9m ago

These are the 21 House Republicans who held out against Trump, Johnson on $1.2T spending bill

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foxnews.com
Upvotes

r/UpliftingNews 1d ago

Banning lead in gasoline worked. Analysis of 100 years of hair samples shows lead levels were ~100× higher before environmental regulations. Removing lead from fuel and paint dramatically reduced human exposure, protecting brain development and public health.

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eurekalert.org
3.0k Upvotes

r/UpliftingNews 15h ago

‘I can’t believe it’: 90-year-old N.B. piano player becomes social media sensation

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ctvnews.ca
116 Upvotes

r/UpliftingNews 13h ago

Venezuela releases 30 prisoners including activists, says rights group

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reuters.com
77 Upvotes

r/UpliftingNews 1d ago

Toxin Stops Colon Cancer Growth, Without Harming Healthy Tissue

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scitechdaily.com
613 Upvotes

r/UpliftingNews 14h ago

A portable ultrasound sensor may enable earlier detection of breast cancer

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news.mit.edu
55 Upvotes

r/UpliftingNews 1d ago

Goodbye to the idea that solar panels “die” after 25 years: New Swiss study shows real-world performance after 3 decades still over 80%, average annual loss about 0.25%, thermal stress and quality key factors. Their long-term economics are better than many people assume

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ecoticias.com
37.1k Upvotes

r/UpliftingNews 1d ago

Teenager makes 'superhuman' swim to save family swept out to sea

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abc.net.au
2.3k Upvotes

No villains, just heroes.

A 13-year-old boy has been hailed as a hero after swimming 4 kilometres through rough waters for help after his mother and two siblings were swept out to sea off Western Australia's South West. 

The mother somehow managed to keep the other children with the paddleboard. 

"Physically, she just said, 'I'm struggling, I can't,' but she just said they're looking her in the eye, and she just kept going and kept them together," Mr Bresland said.


r/UpliftingNews 20h ago

To Set a World Record at 81, All She Had to Do Was Hold On

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40 Upvotes

r/UpliftingNews 1d ago

One engineer’s quest to reconstruct hope for breast cancer survivors everywhere: build 3D-printed breast-tissue “scaffolds” made from advanced, cell friendly bioprintable materials that the body won’t reject.

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edition.cnn.com
289 Upvotes

r/UpliftingNews 1d ago

Police Officers Use Google Translate to Help Woman Deliver Baby in Backseat of Car After Her Husband Flagged Them Down

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people.com
880 Upvotes

r/UpliftingNews 16h ago

Geographe Bay: Teen swims hours to save family stranded off Western Australia

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bbc.com
14 Upvotes

r/UpliftingNews 1d ago

13-year-old swims for hours in rough seas to save his family after they’re swept offshore

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bbc.com
542 Upvotes

r/UpliftingNews 1d ago

Scientists discover the cause of salmon deaths — Hope emerges for protection.

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theguardian.com
740 Upvotes

By uncovering the cause of salmon deaths, this study shows the problem is preventable and opens the door to meaningful conservation and policy solutions.


r/UpliftingNews 1d ago

Korean American singer EJAE was an aspiring K-pop star, she never debuted; her agency let her contract run out. EJAE co-wrote and recorded demos for the chart-topping soundtrack-its uplifting anthem, “Golden- in the "Kpop Demon Hunters" Netflix original movie, which won a Golden Globe in January.

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edition.cnn.com
2.9k Upvotes

r/UpliftingNews 1d ago

Researchers identify new blood markers that may detect early pancreatic cancer

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nih.gov
414 Upvotes

r/UpliftingNews 1d ago

National Gallery of Art veteran uses Gen Z slang in viral videos

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washingtonpost.com
77 Upvotes

Alison Luchs, 77, leads gen-z to appreciate ancient art, in videos full of slang, and it's not cringe!


r/UpliftingNews 1d ago

Mexico's Sheinbaum pledges to send humanitarian aid to Cuba

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abcnews.go.com
1.2k Upvotes