Sappi Fine Paper North America Announces Judges for 2009 Ideas that Matter Design Grant Program

Sappi Fine Paper North America today announced the lineup of 2009 judges for Ideas that Matter— an annual, innovative grant program that supports and transforms the creative ideas of designers into a powerful force for social good.

Each year, Sappi invites a team of some of the most highly-respected designers and philanthropists in the country to serve on an independent committee, to review Ideas that Matter entries and determine which projects will receive funding. With the understanding that good ideas can change the world, project concepts and design entries to Ideas that Matter are evaluated on creativity, potential effectiveness and practicality of the implementation plan.

This year, Sappi is thrilled to welcome: Gaby Brink of Tomorrow Partners, San Francisco; Tim Bruce of Lowercase, Chicago; Bill Grant of Grant Design Collaborative, Atlanta; Scott Santoro of Worksight, New York City and; Anne Willoughby of Willoughby Design, Kansas City, Mo., as judges.

Each judge is widely recognized as a design leader and has worked diligently creating design solutions for a variety of nonprofit organizations that they care about most including: The Chicago Volunteer Legal Services (Lowercase), The Cherokee County Arts Center (Grant Design Collaborative), The National Campaign Against Youth Violence (Tomorrow Partners) and Harvesters: The Community Food Project (Willoughby Design). In addition, Scott Santoro of Worksight was a 2007 Ideas that Matter grant recipient for his project for the New York Alliance Against Sexual Assault.

Bill Grant says, "Over the years, fellow designers have told me that serving as a judge for Ideas that Matter has been one of the most rewarding experiences they’ve had in the industry. It’s inspiring that Sappi Fine Paper North America is committed to this program despite the challenging economy. They really do believe that design can change the world and it will be an honor to support this unique and innovative grant program.”

Since 1999, Sappi's Ideas that Matter program has awarded $9 million worldwide in grants to support causes that range from youth centers and health care awareness to wildlife protection and sustainability. Individual designers, design firms, agencies, in-house corporate design departments, design instructors, individual design students and design student groups, who are performing pro bono work for a nonprofit organization can apply for an Ideas that Matter grant. Grant awards range from $5,000 to $50,000 per project and may be used to cover implementation and out-of-pocket costs.

Applications for this year's Ideas that Matter program must be postmarked by July 17, 2009 and the winners will be announced in fall 2009. For more information about Ideas that Matter, visit www.sappi.com/ideasthatmatterNA.

To obtain an entry form and for more information about Ideas that Matter, visit www.sappi.com/ideasthatmatterNA.com or call 800-882-4332. Applications for proposals must be postmarked by July 17, 2009.

About Sappi Fine Paper North America

Sappi Fine Paper North America is a leading North American producer of coated fine paper used in premium magazines, catalogues, books and high-end print advertising. Headquartered in Boston, Massachusetts, Sappi Fine Paper North America is known for innovation and quality. Its brand names, including McCoy, LOE, Opus, and Somerset, are some of the industry’s most widely recognized and specified. SFPNA is a division of Sappi Limited (NYSE, JSE, LSE), a global company headquartered in Johannesburg, South Africa, with manufacturing operations on four continents in nine countries, sales offices in 50 countries, and customers in over 100 countries around the world. Learn more about Sappi Fine Paper North America at: www.sappi.com/na.