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Five Americans over 60 can Win $100,000 for Tackling
Social Issues
Sixty semi-finalists will also be honored for social
innovation
Dec. 19, 2005 - Five Americans over the age of 60
will be awarded $100,000 each for combining their passion, creativity,
experience and entrepreneurial skills to tackle issues of social
significance. Nominations are open for the Purpose Prize from Civic
Ventures. The nonprofit think tank and program incubator, which "works
to help America achieve the greatest return on experience," said sixty
semi-finalists ("60 at 60+") will also be honored for their social
innovations.
The Purpose Prize is part of a new national
initiative to inspire and encourage millions of Americans to use their
experience for the greater good as they reach the cusp of what once was
called "retirement."
The $9 million effort, funded by The Atlantic
Philanthropies and The John Templeton Foundation, includes a national
summit to convene experienced and aspiring social innovators from across
the country. A $1.5 million Fund for Innovation will provide grants to
help prize winners and finalists expand their community work and take
breakthrough ideas to scale.
Only applications received by the deadline of 11:59
p.m. Eastern Standard Time, February 28, 2006, will be considered.
Beginning January 1, the first of roughly 77
million baby boomers will turn 60. What will members of the largest,
healthiest and best-educated generation in American history do with this
next phase of their lives? The possibilities are endless, particularly
for a passionate generation that has always done things its own way.
"America is in the midst of a demographic
revolution," said Marc Freedman, founder and president of Civic Ventures
and author of Prime Time: How Baby Boomers will Revolutionize Retirement
and Transform America. "Whether they know it or not, the first of the
baby boomers to turn 60 are pioneers in a new stage spanning the decades
between middle and late life. They represent an extraordinary pool of
social and human capital.
"This initiative aims to tap this tremendous
potential and to provide these social entrepreneurs with the resources
and support they need to put their experience to use in solving critical
social problems," Freedman continued.
Purpose Prize winners will be selected by a jury,
including Sherry Lansing, recently retired president of Paramount
Pictures, and Harris Wofford, former U.S. Senator from Pennsylvania and
former CEO of the Corporation for National and Community Service.
Winners and semi-finalists will be announced at the organization's
summit in June 2006.
There are roughly 77 million baby boomers in the
United States, and 32 million of them are already age 50 or older. An
estimated 3.4 million of them will turn 60 in 2006 alone.
"We're looking for experienced social innovators,"
said Jim Emerman, executive vice president of Civic Ventures and
director of the Purpose Prize initiative. "Local or national, big or
small — these stories are out there. Our ideal candidates are unsung
heroes who are making a social contribution after midlife, and are ready
to take it to the next level."
Civic Ventures began accepting nominations,
including self nominations, for the prize today at
LeadWithExperience.org. The site also includes more information
about the Purpose Prize and a new online guide for journalists covering
the aging of the baby boom.
About Sources:
Civic Ventures is a think tank and incubator, generating ideas and
inventing programs to help society achieve the greatest return on
experience.
The Atlantic Philanthropies are dedicated to bringing about lasting
changes in the lives of disadvantaged and vulnerable people through
grant-making. Atlantic focuses on critical social problems related to
ageing, disadvantaged children and youth, population health, and
reconciliation and human rights. Programmes funded by Atlantic operate
in Australia, Bermuda, Northern Ireland, the Republic of Ireland, South
Africa, the United States and Viet Nam.
The John Templeton Foundation's focus on the human person is guided
by Sir John Templeton's unyielding optimism that there is much to learn
from examining scientifically the nature and benefits of such spiritual
principles as creativity, gratitude, altruism, and purpose. From
cutting-edge research that examines how young people can acquire a sense
of noble purpose in today's world to recognizing the contributions of
"purpose pioneers" through a prize program that honors innovative older
adults who improve their communities through their work and inspiring
vision, the Foundation's efforts aim to promote the benefits of purpose
throughout the lifespan.
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