Stacey Pearson founded The Pelican Project in 2024 to further her mission of empowering child protection advocates. She funds the project through outside donations and the sales of her fine art photography at Stacey Pearson Photography – turning her passions into actionable philanthropy.

The Pelican Project’s mission and namesake are only fitting. For centuries, the pelican has represented charity, sacrifice, and protection of the young. According to ancient legend, mother and father pelicans wounded themselves to feed or revive their chicks with their own blood, and this imagery is commonly found in the stained glass and sculptures of both Protestant and Roman Catholic churches. The pelican’s nurturing and protective nature enthralled the European settlers of Stacey Pearson’s home state of Louisiana, and the state adopted the “pelican in her piety” image for its seal in 1902.