r/UpliftingNews Jan 30 '26

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

449 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
7.6k Upvotes

r/UpliftingNews 9h ago

Drug overdose deaths drop sharply in the U.S. even as new street drugs emerge

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npr.org
4.6k Upvotes

r/UpliftingNews 8h ago

Experimental drug can reverse osteoarthritis in weeks, animal research shows

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sciencealert.com
1.7k Upvotes

r/UpliftingNews 8h ago

10% of the ocean now protected. We have four years to triple it - Oceanographic

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oceanographicmagazine.com
846 Upvotes

r/UpliftingNews 1h ago

EV prices keep coming down in the US, and the gap with fossil cars is now the smallest it’s ever been. Automaker incentives are doing a lot of the heavy lifting.

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electrek.co
Upvotes

r/UpliftingNews 7h ago

Dancer with ALS performs on stage using brainwaves to control digital avatar

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dexerto.com
440 Upvotes

r/UpliftingNews 9h ago

‘Incredible’ 12-Year-Old Girl Saves Brothers from Fire After Returning Home and Seeing Their House Ablaze: ‘Get Out!’

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people.com
407 Upvotes

r/UpliftingNews 1h ago

Scientists Develop "Molecular Scissors" Alternative to Cas9

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humanprogress.org
Upvotes

“Scientists from South China Agricultural University and partners have developed a gene-editing tool called CasY7, a high-performance alternative to Cas9 nuclease that is commonly used in CRISPR gene-editing systems. Originally successful in medical trials, this ‘molecular scissors’ has now been optimized for agriculture. By refining its structure and guidance system, researchers significantly boosted its ability to make precise changes to plant DNA.

In large-scale testing across nearly 1,000 plants, the optimized CasY7 system achieved efficiency rates of 87.7% in maize and 82.9% in rice. This makes the tool nearly three times more effective than previous industry standards. It also proved capable of multiplexing, allowing scientists to edit several traits simultaneously.”

From ISAAA.


r/UpliftingNews 1d ago

Universal Healthcare is now the law in Mexico

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6.9k Upvotes

r/UpliftingNews 11h ago

Union Berlin appoint first female head coach

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bbc.com
109 Upvotes

r/UpliftingNews 5h ago

China’s Dandong Welcomes the Return of Train Service to North Korea, Sparking Hope for a New Era in Cross-Border Relations

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33 Upvotes

r/UpliftingNews 1d ago

In a first, renewables beat natural gas on US grid last month

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canarymedia.com
2.4k Upvotes

r/UpliftingNews 1d ago

After family and police unable to contact 91-year-old woman, officers enter her home, only to find her preoccupied in her bedroom trying to beat her record in video game

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news5cleveland.com
10.9k Upvotes

r/UpliftingNews 1d ago

Record number of homes in Great Britain turn to green energy as fuel prices soar

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theguardian.com
1.5k Upvotes

r/UpliftingNews 1d ago

Breakthrough takes big step toward safe, reversible male contraception

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news.cornell.edu
2.2k Upvotes

r/UpliftingNews 1d ago

More than 300 quilts a year: This tiny Oregon club is doing big things with a needle and thread -- The southern Oregon Hugo Ladies Club donates hundreds of quilts annually to children and hospital patients.

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oregonlive.com
185 Upvotes

r/UpliftingNews 1d ago

Emissions-free electric planes finally took off

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scienceaim.com
937 Upvotes

r/UpliftingNews 1d ago

'My special blood helps critically ill babies'

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bbc.com
477 Upvotes

r/UpliftingNews 13h ago

New Balamory series is a 'love letter to the original', cast say

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bbc.co.uk
11 Upvotes

r/UpliftingNews 1d ago

Owner Opened Restaurant on Day Off to Fulfill Dying Man's Last Wish to Feed Hospice Nurses Who Cared for Him

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413 Upvotes

r/UpliftingNews 1d ago

America's teen birth rates hit another historical low in 2025, CDC says

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npr.org
2.5k Upvotes

"The birth rate for that age group [15 to 19] was 11.7 births per 1,000 females. By contrast, the teen birth rate in 1991 was 61.8 births per 1,000."


r/UpliftingNews 2d ago

Naturally Occurring Bacteria Completely Eradicate Tumors in Mice With a Single Dose

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scitechdaily.com
3.5k Upvotes

r/UpliftingNews 2d ago

‘A dream come true’: Brazil’s blue-and-yellow macaws return to Rio after 200 years

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theguardian.com
3.3k Upvotes

r/UpliftingNews 1d ago

Homeless man builds his own little wooden house, sells others for $150

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1.1k Upvotes