It’s always lovely to see when people learn something in school and then actually put it to use. At the University of Notre Dame they have a class called Philanthropy: Society and the Common Good which has partnered with the Philanthropy Lab to evaluate local nonprofits.
The students worked in teams of five researching various nonprofits, conducting online research and going to site visits. They then awarded $83,000 to six local organizations. The organizations included: the food rescue organization Cultivate; Neighbor to Neighbor which fosters relationships among immigrant and non-immigrant populations; The Elkhart Education Foundation which offers free school supplies for teachers and others; Dismas House which houses ex-offenders with students; A Rosie Place for Children which is a respite care program for children with medical issues; and Imani Unidad which has risk counseling and HIV/STD prevention and education services.
It was a program and an outcome that should certainly be emulated in other locations.