Nominations are now open for the Simon-Devos Prize for Philanthropic Leadership to honor a living philanthropist who has shown exemplary leadership.
On February 1, 2024, Philanthropy Roundtable opened nominations for its 2024 Simon-DeVos Prize for Philanthropic Leadership. Each year, the Prize honors a living philanthropist who has shown exemplary leadership through charitable giving with a $200,000 award payable to the winner’s charitable organization of choice.
Sponsored by the William E. Simon Foundation and the DeVos Family Foundation, the Prize highlights the values proven to strengthen communities and improve individual lives. Specifically, the Prize seeks to advance the principles of personal responsibility, resourcefulness, volunteerism, scholarship, individual freedom, faith in God, and helping people help themselves.
"Each year, the Simon-DeVos Prize recognizes exceptional philanthropic leaders who are making a difference in their communities and helping people achieve the American dream," said Christie Herrera, president and CEO of Philanthropy Roundtable. "We are so grateful to the Simon and DeVos families for their generous support of the Prize, which allows us to highlight the power of philanthropy in achieving results."
The 2023 Simon-DeVos Prize recipients were Laura and Jeff Sandefer, founders of Acton Academy, a cutting-edge, global network of K-12 schools that encourage students to be “curious, independent, lifelong learners,” and the Acton Children’s Business Fair, which supports young entrepreneurs from hundreds of communities across the globe. In 2009, Laura and Jeff Sandefer founded Acton Academy with the core belief that each child is a genius with a gift that can improve society.
The network of schools, which blends a one room schoolhouse, the Socratic Method, and 21st-century technology, has since expanded to 325 affiliates globally and over 18,000 applications from parents who want to launch a campus. In addition, the Acton Children’s Business Fair, which hosts businesses created and launched by children, has helped over 87,000 young entrepreneurs in over 425 cities and 21 countries.
Past winners include entrepreneurs and philanthropists Ken Griffin, Paul Singer, Bernie Marcus, and John and Susan Sobrato, among others.
Nominations for the Simon-DeVos Prize can be submitted online via Philanthropy Roundtable’s website until March 1, 2024. A selection committee will review the nominations, and the Prize will be presented at the Roundtable’s Annual Meeting in October before a large audience of donors.
