Philoptima™ has been granted trademark protection by the United States Patent and Trademark Office.  As such, the name is protected from infringement by other parties and may not be used as to the words or the logo image without the written approval of the company.

The Philoptima™ website, under development for more than a year, recently moved to a "beta" or test model status.  The site offers grantmakers, donors, and foundations a new way to discover best methods and detailed logic models by using competitive prizes to attract researchers, consultants, and experts to propose solutions to a wide range of social issues in the fields of education, health, public safety, governmental oversight, and the environment.

Testing will continue in beta form through the end of 2008.

Please report any "Bugs" or suggestions for improvement using the feedback link.

Leave it to Google, the internet hot shot, to come up with a striking new way to conduct its philanthropic work.  The founders of Google, Larry Page and Sergey Brin, have started a new hybrid philanthropy and they gave it about $1 billion as seed money to help it carry out a wide-ranging mandate to tackle poverty, disease, and global warming.

However, this is like no other philantropic venture that we have seen and we like it so much we think we will copy it here at Philoptima.  The mandate itself is not particularly revolutionary even though it is attempting to confront some gargantuan problems.  The real innovation is the way it is structured. Google.org is referred to as a "double-breasted" hybrid organization because it is like a coin with two sides. It will operate two separate but coordinated entities.  One entity is a for-profit, tax paying organization, and the second is a nonprofit grantmaking charity funded at least partly by the earnings of the first entity.

Not only is it uniquely designed to perform effectively and efficiently, it was seeded with a really big startup endowment.  $1 billion pales in comparison to the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, but it is big enough money to keep it in the top handful of foundations in the United States.

By organizing as a hybrid, Google is required to pay taxes on earnings by the for-profit component.  Gifts to the nonprofit component, however, are tax exempt and deductible.  Functionally, the for-profit status will greatly increase the range and flexibility of the two entities working together. The for-profit side can create and sell products, sell stock, borrow funds, etc. just like any company.  It can hire lobbyists to pressure Congress while the normal private foundation cannot.  But the nonprofit component can retain and grow assets tax free and accumulate wealth subject to the requirement that it donate 5% each year to charities or as internal expenditures that qualify as tax exempt spending. 

Great idea, Larry and Sergey!  Something new under the sun, again.

Philoptima™ advises foundations and other Prize Makers on the design of innovative programs with real impact. If you operate a foundation or philanthropy and need experienced consultation on systems design, evaluation, strategies, law & regulation, or best methods, Philoptima can help.

Dr. Byron Harrell discussed the status of the public charter school movement in New Orleans with members of the Philanthropy Roundtable on October 7th at a seminar on educational funding options.  Topics included school leadership, governance issues in charter schools, the new back office model of a charter school cooperative, and charter authorizing. 

On October 2, 2008, Dr. Byron Harrell presented a model approach to strategic philanthropy he dubbed "Concept Mapping" at the board retreat of a large grantmaking foundation in Virginia.  Mr. Ford Weber of Virgina LISC, an attendee, said "Coming from an experienced foundation executive, Dr. Harrell's message to donors is an urgent call for strategic focus and clarity in grantmaking which should be high on our list if we are to stay relevant in our communities for the long haul."

Harrell spoke on the importance of good governance and a clear mission linked to measurable goals, strategies, objectives, actions steps, and budgets if grantmakers want to achieve lasting systemic improvement in their communities.

A new Foundation Evaluation Policy has been added to the product list on Philoptima.  This policy helps a funder set high expectations as a learning organization.  It clarifies for program officers and the staff that the foundation is interested in understanding what works and in learning from its mistakes.  A policy eliminates the constant policy-level debate about what and how a grantee program is to be evaluated and what resources will be devoted to evaluation.  It makes accountability part of the corporate culture and imbeds a higher-level of thinking about both grantee and foundation performance.