Who We Are

The PERIOD. Mission

PERIOD. is a global youth-fueled nonprofit that strives to eradicate period poverty and stigma through service, education, and advocacy. Through the distribution of menstrual products, promotion of youth leadership, and championing of menstrual equity in policy, PERIOD. aims to center those disproportionately affected by period poverty and support local efforts for menstrual equity.

At PERIOD. we believe:

That menstruation is an integral part of reproductive health
Our mission to eradicate period poverty and period stigma is fundamentally based on honoring menstruator's autonomy and trusting them to manage their periods and bodies in the way they choose.

PERIOD. is committed to:

Lifting up and centering youth voices working in the menstrual equity movement
Working to eradicate period poverty through immediate service
Working to eradicate systemic period poverty through destigmatizing periods with education and policy
Supporting a diverse community of youth advocates to help amplify menstrual equity policies
Utilizing asset-based and equitable programming and language in our work
Working to ensure the menstrual movement is a welcoming one, for all people who want to end period poverty.

About Us

PERIOD. annually distributes millions of menstrual products for free to people in need, and helps support a network of hundreds of PERIOD. chapters, youth-led organizations and product distribution partners. Period poverty must be solved with systemic solutions, and through the creation and distribution of menstrual health education, PERIOD. works to destigmatize menstruation and promote menstrual literacy. PERIOD. proudly advocates for menstrual equity policies such as a repeal of the luxury tax on menstrual items and mandating period products in schools. Activating a grassroots network of thousands of advocates, PERIOD. will help solve period poverty in our lifetime.

PERIOD. was founded in 2014 by Nadya Okamoto and Vincent Forand, two high school students in Portland, Oregon. Since then, the organization has grown to hundreds of volunteer chapters around the nation and world. In 2020, grew in staff capacity and Board governance, hiring a new Executive Director and senior leadership team, including a Youth Advisory Council.