AARP Eye Center
The Purpose Prize recognizes outstanding social-impact achievements by people age 50+ 
Today, Encore.org announced that AARP will begin operating The Purpose Prize which for the past 10 years has awarded six-figure cash prizes to people age 60 and above for significant positive social-impact work.
Since 2005, The Purpose Prize has generated nearly 100,000 nominations and produced more than 500 winners and fellows. Among many other plaudits, the prize has been likened to a “MacArthur Genius Grant award for retirees” by The Wall Street Journal.
We’re excited to integrate The Purpose Prize into the AARP landscape. We look forward to building on all the good work already done by Encore.org in ways that result in The Purpose Prize becoming an even greater force for positive social change and shorthand for what success looks like for people age 50 and up.” —AARP CEO Jo Ann Jenkins, who has served as a Purpose Prize jurist.
In addition to enjoying a long history of collaboration, AARP and Encore.org share a common mission to reframe the way society looks at aging, the organizations said. In 2011 AARP adopted the intergenerational tutoring and mentoring program Experience Corps, initially launched by Encore.org, expanding the scale of the program via AARP’s nationwide network. In Massachusetts, the Experience Corps affiliate is Generations Incorporated. That same year, AARP sponsored the first Purpose Prize award focused on intergenerational innovation.
Going forward, the prize will recognize outstanding social-impact achievements by people age 50 and above, the organizations said.
Under the direction of AARP, The Purpose Prize has the potential to take its message of later life creativity and innovation to every corner of the globe—painting a vision of life at age 50 and above as a time when everyone has the chance to become a change maker. — Encore.org CEO and founder Marc Freedman
Encore.org and AARP are working in close partnership to ensure a smooth program transition. For news on the nomination process, please follow AARP and Encore.org social media channels.
In Massachusetts, the Encore Boston Network is the local arm of Encore.org. Follow them on Twitter at @EncoreBoston and Facebook at facebook.com/encorebostonnetwork.
About Encore.org
Encore.org is a national nonprofit that is building a movement to tap the skills and experience of those in midlife and beyond to improve communities and the world. To learn more about the history and the future of The Purpose Prize, visit www.encore.org/prize.
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