Lodestar Foundation awards 2011 Collaboration Prize

Selected out of more than 800 applicants, the Adoption Coalition of Texas has been recognized for its outstanding nonprofit collaboration activities

The Lodestar Foundation, dedicated to maximizing the growth and impact of philanthropy, announced the Adoption Coalition of Texas as the grand prize winner of the 2011 Collaboration Prize. The Adoption Coalition focuses on increasing the number of adoptions among hard-to-place children.

This is the second installment of the $250,000 Collaboration Prize, a national award designed to identify and showcase models of collaboration among nonprofit organizations. The ASU Lodestar Center for Philanthropy and Nonprofit Innovation was a key partner in the selection process, reviewing applications along with fellow Arizona-Indiana-Michigan (AIM) Alliance schools, Indiana University and Grand Valley State University.

“The entire Collaboration Prize process reminds us all that true impact can be reached when nonprofits work together rather than compete with each other,” said Robert F. Ashcraft, executive director of the ASU Lodestar Center for Philanthropy and Nonprofit Innovation. “We are delighted to be one of the prize partners and look forward to identifying the lessons learned from the stories of these remarkable applicants, finalists and award-winner that can be shared and replicated everywhere."

After receiving a record-breaking 800 applications, the Final Selection Panel, composed of philanthropists and heads of major philanthropic foundations that actively support and utilize collaboration, identified eight finalists to each receive $12,500. The Adoption Coalition of Texas, which was founded by five nonprofit organizations and the State of Texas, was the finalist identified as the grand prize winner. An additional $150,000 was presented at an Award Luncheon in New York City April 8.

“The Collaboration Prize was established to celebrate nonprofit organizations that join forces to deliver substantive community or field impact – showcasing how collaboration is a strategy that can lead to greater social good,” said Jerry Hirsch, chairman of the Lodestar Foundation. “The Adoption Coalition of Texas has demonstrated that agencies working together, instead of competing, can effectively advance a shared goal, and in this case, help hard-to-place children and teens find permanent homes.”

“We work with one mission – to help kids of all ages and ethnicities get adopted,” said Bruce Thompson, executive director of Adoption Coalition of Texas. “It is an honor to be named the grand prize winner of the 2011 Collaboration Prize and we hope our example encourages others in the nonprofit sector to create new partnerships, share resources and establish joint programs, as collaboration has been extremely successful in our efforts to provide assistance to more kids, teens and families throughout the state of Texas, while also establishing our organization as a national expert on teen adoption.”