The Purpose Prize
Nudging America toward realization of its “experience dividend”
By Trudy Whitman
It’s a hard nut, but one that clearly needs to be cracked. Here’s the problem as identified by Civic Ventures, a not-for-profit think tank based in San Fransisco: The first of 77 million baby boomers just turned 60. They lead the largest, healthiest, and best-educated population of Americans ever to cross this threshold. For the most part, they are eager to serve humanity. But stereotypical perceptions about aging too frequently marginalize older activists, not only to their detriment but also to the disadvantage of a country with many urgent needs. When projected into the future (AARP estimates that the 50-plus population will double in the next 35 years), this waste of talent is even more shameful.
Civic Ventures was founded in the late 1990s to help America “realize an experience dividend.” Through a variety of programs, research, and media outreach, the organization has helped foster a new take on aging. Its programs include Experience Corps, which operate in 14 cities where older Americans are matched with urban schools to serve as mentors and tutors; The Next Chapter, which works with community groups across the country to assist people in the second half of life find pathways to significant service; and Still Working, a documentary project that profiles some of these vibrant, vital individuals.
The most recent addition to the Civic Ventures portfolio is the Purpose Prize, a three-year initiative of investment in social entrepreneurs over the age of 60 through funding, networking opportunities, and nuts-and-bolts project assistance. Beginning this year, Civic Ventures will award five $100,000 grants to individuals who are using their creativity and experience to solve social problems on the local, regional, or national level.
After the vetting of 15 finalists by 21 judges, the 2006 winners of the first Purpose Prizes will be announced on September 7, at a ceremony in the San Francisco Bay area. The judges represent the academic, philanthropic, business, government, and arts and entertainment sectors, and some (Gloria Steinem, Sidney Poitier, David Gergen, Cokie Roberts) are household names. The Purpose Prize is a $9-million effort, funded by Atlantic Philanthropies and the John Templeton Foundation.
Jim Emerman is the executive vice president of Civic Ventures. He left his previous position – COO of the American Society on Aging – to head the Purpose Prize program.
Why, after a decade of quiet philanthropy, did Civic Ventures decide to make a splash by awarding large grants and soliciting celebrity judges? “Changing public perception is a big task,” Mr. Emerman says, “and we were looking for a way to elevate the stories of older people who are making incredible contributions to solving some of our biggest problems.”
His point is that money talks. Cash awards for innovation, such as the MacArthur “Genius” Fellowships and the Goldman Environmental Awards, turn heads. “Cash-prize programs,” says Emerman, “raise the visibility of the recipients in an important way. They indicate that these people are worth serious investment.”
He notes that until the introduction of the Purpose Prize there was nothing comparable to the MacArthur Fellowships. “[We wanted to recognize] people who are largely working under the radar in the second half of their lives and using incredible creativity – entrepreneurial genius, if you will – to tackle big problems in their community, or in their nation. We believe that by creating such a program and aligning it with prestigious individuals [the judges] who represent creativity in this stage of life, we will be able to change the way society views older adults.”
Emerman stresses that the Purpose Prize is not a lifetime-achievement award; the 15 finalists announced in June, each of whom will receive at least $10,000, were chosen for what they have accomplished or envisioned as social leaders after the age of 60.
Nominations for the 2006 Purpose Prize were accepted between December 1, 2005, and February 28, 2006; the organization received more than 1,200 nominations (self-nomination was allowed).
An early analysis of the contenders indicated representation from all 50 states; an average nominee age of 69, with 75 percent under age 72; a large number of candidates focused on solving education issues (28 percent) and providing services for older adults (23 percent); and an impressive pool of nominators, including former cabinet secretaries, presidential advisors, corporation presidents, and not-for-profit executives.
Advised about the award’s basic criteria, the judges were given dossiers on the 15 finalists. That quest, says Emerman, was to find people who demonstrate that “they still have the spark of creativity and innovation” and “show promise based on what they’ve done so far … [since] this is the story of many people, not just five people, we looked for diversity that reflects different ways people arrive at the work they are doing.”
“The number and caliber of nominees was phenomenal,” says Marc Freedman, founder and president of Civic Ventures and author of Prime Time: How Baby Boomers Will Revolutionize Retirement and Transform America. “The response to the Purpose Prize confirms our belief that this new phase of life, between midlife and true old age, will be a time when tens of thousands of baby boomers combine a search for meaning with decades of leadership and a deep desire to change the world. The potential for the common good is staggering.”
Freedman was graduated from Swarthmore College with a degree in sociology and anthropology, then earned an MBA from Yale University’s School of Management. His focus on retired Americans grew out of his work with a non-profit organization that develops policies and designs programs for young people. He saw the older generation as a natural support system for the young, and wrote a paper on the subject in 1992. Subsequently he discovered that he and John Gardner, the late philanthropist and government leader, had the same idea about tapping the rich resource of retired Americans. Together, Freedman and Gardner started Experience Corps – a tutoring and mentoring program.
Recognizing the need for ongoing support for social innovation, Civic Ventures plans to offer its Purpose winners much more than congratulations and a check.
A fund for innovation will ensure that additional resources are available for finalists to carry out their work. Other forms of aid, such as legal advice, fundraising and accounting assistance, and help with grassroots community building, will also be available. In addition, the system of social activists that the group hopes to build will be facilitated. Regular summits at which panel discussions, workshops, and cultural celebrations are coordinated will foster the exchange of ideas.
Civic Ventures wants to build a network of socially engaged leaders who will redefine what used to be known as the retirement years. “Our hope is that the Purpose Prize participants will want to be part of a network of social innovators in the second half of life,” Emerman says. “Our job is to provide the resource-sharing possibilities so that can happen.”
With efforts by groups like Civic Ventures and initiatives like the Purpose Prize, common phrases that have become euphemisms for retirement – gone fishin’, out to pasture – may finally be deposited in a growing heap of anachronisms.
Purpose Prize finalists were announced on June 26. The five winners will be announced in September.
For more information about the Purpose Prize, visit its website, www.leadwithexperience.org.
