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New Office Depot Foundation Awards to Celebrate Nonprofit Innovation and Collaboration

National Program will be Presented in Partnership with GuideStar USA

New Office Depot Foundation Awards to Celebrate Nonprofit Innovation and Collaboration

National Program will be Presented in Partnership with GuideStar USA

Published 05-03-14

Submitted by Listen Learn Care Foundation

The independent nonprofits Office Depot Foundation and GuideStar USA today announced a new awards program to recognize exceptional innovation and collaboration by nonprofit organizations across the United States.

The Foundation – the primary charitable giving arm of Office Depot, Inc. (NYSE: ODP) – and GuideStar introduced the Office Depot Foundation Innovation Collaboration Inspiration Award at the conclusion of the 2014 Weekend in Boca Civil Society Leadership Symposium at Office Depot’s headquarters in Boca Raton, Fla.

The Office Depot Foundation Innovation Collaboration Inspiration Award – presented in partnership with GuideStar - will include a $50,000 first prize and two $25,000 second prizes, which will be presented for the first time at the next Weekend in Boca Symposium in 2015.  To be eligible for the awards, nonprofits must be a participant at either the Silver Level or Gold Level in the GuideStar Exchange, which provides opportunities for organizations to demonstrate their commitment to transparency. 

“The Office Depot Foundation believes strongly that the whole is greater than the sum of the parts,” says Mary Wong, president of the Foundation.  “One of our key strategic priorities is ‘building the capacity of nonprofit organizations through innovation and collaboration.’  We are extremely pleased to be able to partner with GuideStar to emphasize the vital roles that innovation and collaboration play in enhancing nonprofits’ abilities to accomplish their goals.”

Adds Lindsay J.K. Nichols, senior director of marketing and communications at GuideStar, “We share the Office Depot Foundation’s strong interest in encouraging nonprofit organizations to think creatively and act collaboratively.  By recognizing nonprofits that excel at innovation and collaboration, we believe we can advance the body of knowledge and draw attention to successful strategies that other organizations can use to make a demonstrable impact in their communities.”

The application period for the Office Depot Foundation Innovation Collaboration Inspiration Award will open this fall.  Applications will be submitted online and judged by a panel of experts being assembled jointly by GuideStar and the Office Depot Foundation.  The winners will be notified in the first quarter of the new year and invited to receive their awards at Weekend in Boca in 2015.

The award criteria will be determined by the judges in collaboration with GuideStar and the Office Depot Foundation and will be announced prior to the opening of the application period.  Programs initiated after January 1, 2010, will be eligible for consideration. 

Additional information about the Office Depot Foundation Innovation Collaboration Inspiration Award will be available in the months ahead at www.officedepotfoundation.org and www.guidestar.org

About the Office Depot Foundation
The Office Depot Foundation is an independent foundation − tax exempt under IRC Sec. 501(c)(3) − that serves as the independent charitable giving arm of Office Depot, Inc. In keeping with its mission, Listen Learn Care®, the Foundation supports a variety of programs that give children tools to succeed in school and in life; build the capacity of nonprofit organizations through collaboration and innovation; and help communities prepare for disasters, as well as recovering and rebuilding afterwards.  For more information, visit www.officedepotfoundation.org.

About GuideStar USA
GuideStar, www.guidestar.org, connects people and organizations with information on the programs, finances, and impact of more than 1.8 million IRS-recognized nonprofits. GuideStar serves a wide audience inside and outside the nonprofit sector, including individual donors, nonprofit leaders, grantmakers, government officials, academic researchers and the media.

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Listen Learn Care Foundation

Listen Learn Care Foundation

Compassionate. Creative. Committed.

As an independent, non-profit foundation, the Listen Learn Care Foundation (formerly the Office Depot Foundation) strives to make a difference to children, families and communities across the United States and around the world. In keeping with its mission, Listen Learn Care®, the Foundation supports a variety of programs that:

  • Give children tools to succeed in school and in life
  • Build the capacity of nonprofit organizations through collaboration and innovation
  • Help communities prepare for disasters, as well as recovering and rebuilding afterwards
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