Purpose Prize Awards $100K to Social Justice Innovators Over 60

Do you know someone over 60 who is changing the world? Check out the Purpose Prize, which is looking to award up to $100K to social innovators who are creating new ways to solve pressing social issues, ranging from education to health care to poverty and global warming. The deadline is March 5, 2009.

The Purpose Prize is a project of Civic Ventures, which has an impressive history of awarding lifetime achievement awards to people like Joe James, who is bringing the economic power of green technology to farmers in the rural south, and Barbara Cervone, who is empowering youth to tell their stories through the web.

“Unlike any other major national award or fellowship, the Purpose Prize challenges prevailing perceptions by investing significantly in individuals in encore careers who have demonstrated uncommon vision, determination and entrepreneurship in addressing social problems,” said Jennifer Coate of Civic Ventures.

Since 2006, the Purpose Prize has received approximately 1,200 applications a year. Ten people are awarded the prize yearly. Aside from online paid advertising, Civic Ventures’ Campaign team is using social media to reach new people and generate more applications this year. They have nearly 200 hundred fans on their Facebook pages and another 125 members on their LinkedIn group. They also plan to utilize Flickr to highlight photos of Purpose Prize winners making a difference in their communities, which will tie in nicely with their YouTube Channel. Coate said: “Another successful outlet is spreading the word through listservs, blogs, and organizational newsletters. Our social media strategy aims to complement our print and online advertising strategy. And we've found the last month before nominations is always the best time to get people's attention and spread the word.”

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