5.14.2008 - 08:00am ET

(CSRwire) PHOENIX, AZ - May 14, 2008 – The Lodestar Foundation, an organization dedicated to maximizing the growth and impact of philanthropy by efficiently and effectively leveraging philanthropic resources, today announced The Collaboration Prize to recognize nonprofit collaborations that achieve exceptional impact and significantly eliminate duplication of efforts. The annual Prize was created and is funded by The Lodestar Foundation in association with the Arizona-Indiana-Michigan (AIM) Alliance.

Designed to inspire cooperation among nonprofits, The Prize will be awarded to one collaboration that demonstrates through quantifiable evidence that it has achieved exceptional impact and significantly eliminated the duplication of efforts through programmatic collaborations, administrative consolidation or other joint activities. The collaboration must be composed of two or more organizations that each would otherwise compete for clients, financial resources and staff.

"A core mission for the Lodestar Foundation is to create financial and programmatic efficiencies among nonprofits - making sure philanthropic dollars achieve their maximum impact," said Jerry Hirsch, The Lodestar Foundation Chairman. "The Collaboration Prize is an excellent way to reach this goal. We hope to uncover the most successful techniques and business models that will heighten the productivity and effectiveness of the nonprofit world."

The Prize recipient will be chosen by a Final Selection Panel, which will be chaired by Sterling Speirn, president and CEO of the W.K. Kellogg Foundation, and will include representatives of both the nonprofit and business worlds, as well as representatives of AIM. All submissions will be reviewed for eligibility by La Piana Associates, the nation's leading management and consulting firm dedicated to helping nonprofits and foundations become stronger and more effective through collaboration.

"has the power to change the way nonprofit organizations function - optimizing human and financial resources to more efficiently conduct business," said Speirn. "I'm privileged to chair the Final Selection Panel for The Collaboration Prize - rewarding nonprofits that are working together in innovative ways and encouraging others to do the same."

Finalists and Grand Prize Details

The Final Selection Panel will recognize up to eight finalists and The Prize recipient will be announced in March 2009 during the Spring Forum on Nonprofit Effectiveness, held by the Lodestar Center for Philanthropy and Nonprofit Innovation at Arizona State University. The $250,000 prize must be used for charitable purposes, such as enhancing the winning collaboration’s continued service to its constituents or clients.

The most outstanding models will be compiled for study and use as blueprints by academics, nonprofit leaders and grantmakers in order to advance the practice of nonprofit collaboration.

Eligibility and Nomination Details

Eligible collaborations must be among two or more nonprofit organizations that each would otherwise be competitors. The collaboration must have begun at least 18 months prior to nomination and must have been in existence no longer than eight years prior to the date of nomination.

Nominations for The Collaboration Prize will be accepted from June 1, 2008 until 5 p.m. EDT on July 21, 2008. Nominations may be submitted by an individual who is familiar with the collaboration, but is not an employee of any entities involved in the collaboration. Board members may complete nominations in support of organizations they serve.

Please visit www.thecollaborationprize.org for a full list of eligibility requirements, nomination forms, general information and answers to frequently asked questions.

About The Lodestar Foundation

The Lodestar Foundation is a grantmaking organization devoted to maximizing the growth and impact of philanthropy by efficiently and effectively leveraging philanthropic resources. Based in Phoenix, Arizona, the Foundation funds nationally and internationally to organizations that support its mission. The Lodestar Foundation was established in 1999 as a support foundation of the Arizona Community Foundation. Please visit www.lodestarfoundation.org for more information.

About AIM

The Arizona-Indiana-Michigan (AIM) Alliance is a collaboration composed of The Lodestar Center for Philanthropy and Nonprofit Innovation at Arizona State University, the Center on Philanthropy at Indiana University, and the Johnson Center for Philanthropy and Nonprofit Leadership at Grand Valley State University (Michigan). The work of the AIM Alliance started in 2003 and is dedicated to furthering the sector by improving nonprofit management practice, generating and sharing scholarly and practical knowledge, increasing communication and collaborating on research.

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