The Jupiter Courier included the following article in its 8/2/18 issue. Our thanks to the newspaper for spreading the word about the program and our effort to find the next CHANGEmaker. To apply, click here
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Our application process is now open and will close November 4, 2018. To apply, CLICK HERE or on the image below. We look forward to reviewing your application. Don’t forget to connect with us on Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram to stay up-to-date!
The Palm Beach County School District profiles four student-finalist teams from the 2018 finals.
Ava Goldstone, a senior at Pine Crest School appears on WPTV to discuss her efforts to help build a barrier-free playground in Delray Beach.
WEST PALM BEACH, Fla. (March 12, 2018) – More than 400 parents, students, local business leaders and supporters attended the third annual Palm Beach Philanthropy Tank event on Sunday at the A. W. Dreyfoos School of the Arts. Eight highly innovative, student-designed community betterment ideas were selected from over 50 applications to advance to this final round. Students from those eight teams pitched their ideas live on-stage to a panel of four Palm Beach-based Philanthropist-Investors. A total of $100,000 in prize money was awarded to the finalists to implement their programs over the next year. Each team of student-finalists also receives a year of mentoring from their Philanthropist-Investor. Sally Lou Loveman was the evening’s emcee, and kept the energy upbeat throughout the night including during the Philanthropist-Investors deliberation break when the enthusiastic crowd donated more than $18,500 to support the project. Loveman is the former audience producer for “The Oprah Winfrey Show” and “Oprah’s Lifeclass” for OWN.
“Year after year, Palm Beach Philanthropy Tank attracts a diverse group of incredibly talented students from around Palm Beach County with meaningful community service projects, and this year was no exception. In just a matter of weeks, these students went from submitting their proposals, to practicing their pitches, to standing on stage in front of hundreds of excited supporters and our team of Philanthropist-Investors,” said Evan C. Deoul, AB Bernstein’s Senior Managing Director, co-founder of Palm Beach Philanthropy Tank with Michael L. Kohner, Managing Director of Andersen Tax. “And we have to thank our generous audience, which donated $18,500 during the 20 minutes our investors were deliberating. We look forward to continuing this program for years to come and watching these students make an impact in our community,” said Kohner.
The four judge panel, which serves as both the Philanthropist-Investors and as mentors, was comprised of four Palm Beach residents: Jim Karp, John Scarpa, Christine Stiller and Rick Stone. Together, they agreed to fund up to $15,000 to each idea and one year of mentoring to support the ideas that will combat issues we face in Palm Beach County. The students that received funding will now work closely with their investor to develop a business plan and strategy for success.
To be considered for a spot in the finals, applicants were required to submit a description of their project that addressed community impact, program feasibility, solution creativity, sustainability and team strengths. The 2018 finalists received the following funding towards their projects:
Palm Beach Philanthropy Tank was developed by Advisors for Philanthropic Impact (API), a group comprised of trust and estate attorneys, CPAs, financial advisors, life insurance professionals, and non-profit leaders, all who are Chartered Advisors in Philanthropy (CAP©). Applicants were required to submit a description of their project that included community impact, program feasibility, solution creativity, sustainability and team strength. The type of social issues addressed by the selected students hunger, homelessness, medical care, education for underprivileged students, education for emotionally and/or physically challenged youth, and public health and welfare.
Annual Sponsors for Palm Beach Philanthropy Tank include AB Bernstein, Braman Motorcars, Gunster, Lennar Foundation, Otis Elevator, and Quantum Foundation. Event Sponsors include Publix Super Market Charities and Burlingame Consultants Group, Harvey and Virginia Kimmel, Ronnie and Susan Pertnoy, David and Beth Swirnow Family Fund, Leibowitz Realty Group, PNC Wealth Management, UBS. Partners of the program include API, the Community Foundation for Palm Beach and Martin Counties, the Education Foundation of Palm Beach County and the Maltz Jupiter Theatre, and Palm Beach Atlantic University.
For more information and to follow the finalists’ journeys, visit www.philanthropytank.org.
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WEST PALM BEACH, Fla. (January 22, 2018) – After reviewing numerous applications, the finalists for Palm Beach Philanthropy Tank are ready to be announced. This year, eight innovative, socially meaningful ideas that positively impact our community have been selected for the Philanthropy Tank Finals in March. The “Shark Tank”-style competition is for students enrolled in grades 7-12 in Palm Beach County. The program empowers and equips students to develop and execute high-impact sustainable community betterment projects. To date, past winners have impacted the lives of more than 7,500 people. The third-year finalists will “pitch” their ideas in front of a live audience and a panel of four local Philanthropist-Investors. Each idea can receive a maximum of $15,000, and 12 months of one-to-one mentoring.
The Philanthropy Tank Finals event features four Philanthropist-Investors who judge the pitches and generously commit $25,000 each to fund these projects and give their time and expertise to the students through the ongoing mentoring as the ideas come to life. This year’s Philanthropist-Investors are all from the Town of Palm Beach: Jim Karp, John F. Scarpa, Christine Stiller and Rick Stone.
“This will be my second year as a Philanthropist-Investor, and this event is so meaningful that I’ve asked some of my good friends to join me.” said Christine Stiller. “I was amazed by last year’s students and thoroughly enjoyed assisting them in developing their projects. The passion that these students have for making a difference in the community is thrilling to witness.”
New this year to the finalist selection process was the Community Vote in which Palm Beach County residents could cast their votes to select one finalist student or team to advance to the Philanthropy Tank Finals. We received more than 1,600 votes from the community and we are proud to announce that Hurricane Helping Hands from American Heritage School of Boca Delray has been named the Community’s favorite. Hurricane Helping Hands aims to provide low-income seniors in Palm Beach County with hurricane safety kits.
To be considered for a spot in the finals, a detailed application was submitted that shared the project description, evidence for a need for the project in the community, completed project budget, identified current or potential partners and the impact the project will have in the community. Another new element to the application process required students to submit a short video which allowed the judges to gain a better understanding of the students and their projects. The types of social issues addressed by the selected students include environmental, education and youth development, health and human services and arts and culture initiatives. The finalists are:
The finalists will gather for an initial meeting with the Philanthropist-Investors and coaches on February 3 at Palm Beach Atlantic University and will have five weeks to prepare for the live event scheduled for March 11 at A.W. Dreyfoos School of the Arts. The teams will participate in pre-event workshops where they will receive coaching and professional support to craft and deliver a winning presentation. These workshops include pre-competition mentoring from their coaches, made up of volunteers from the local community and Advisors for Philanthropic Impact (API), and professional stage training from Julie Rowe, Director of Education for the Maltz Jupiter Theatre, and her team.
Annual sponsors for the second annual Palm Beach Philanthropy Tank event include AB Bernstein, Braman Motorcars, Gunster Law Firm, Otis Elevators, Lennar Foundation and Quantum Foundation. Partners of Palm Beach Philanthropy Tank include the Community Foundation for Palm Beach and Martin Counties, the Education Foundation of Palm Beach County and the Maltz Jupiter Theatre.
Developed by Advisors for Philanthropic Impact (API), the fundamental aims of Palm Beach Philanthropy Tank (PBPT) are to help shape students’ leadership paths and, through their creative solutions, address and improve social issues in our community. PBPT challenges, empowers and equips them to develop and execute high impact and sustainable solutions to these problems.
To learn more about Palm Beach Philanthropy Tank, visit philanthropytank.org.
Team Certified, a group of local teens from John I. Leonard High School, might be paving the way for something that will become a standard for all Palm Beach County schools. The group of students recently conducted training at Lake Worth Middle School to teach kids CPR, first-aid and basic medical treatment in case of emergency.
Over 100 people attended a groundbreaking event on November 18 for Boundless Dreams. Among the attendees were the Delray Beach Mayor Cary Glickstein, City Commissioner Mitch Katz, Director of Parks and Recreation Suzanne Fisher, Julia and Jeff Kadel — co-founders the of the Miracle League — as well as representatives from the Men’s and Women’s Impact 100, Palm Beach Philanthropy Tank, VoLo Foundation, and Ava Goldstone, a local teen who raised over $60,000 for the playground.
Palm Beach Philanthropy Tank is a competition open to Palm Beach County students in grades 7-12 to present a breakthrough community betterment project to a panel of philanthropist-investors. Watch January Reissman, Executive Director of PBPT and Jordan Borenstein, a year 2 winner, discuss the program on WPTV.
While most students enjoyed the day off from school on Labor Day, Princesses Against Cancer spent their day cheering up children at a local Children’s Hospital. View Article
WEST PALM BEACH, Fla. (CBS12) — January Reissman, Executive Director from Palm Beach Philanthropy Tank talks about how the competition open to Palm Beach County students in grades 7-12 presents a breakthrough community betterment project to a panel of philanthropist-investors.
The idea is to get these young philanthropists-in-the-making focused on societal issues we face here in Palm Beach County.
Take the proliferation of charitable “shark tank” events. At the TANK in Denver, local nonprofits compete for funding from business leaders, lenders, and investors. The Palm Beach Philanthropy Tank in Florida offers young people mentoring and funding for community projects. In Dallas, the recent OneUp the Pitch event hosted by the United Way and five chapters of the Young Presidents’ Organization allowed founders of five social enterprises to introduce their ventures to a packed audience and panel of celebrity judges distributing $100,000. Read Article