AgeWell Pittsburgh is Grand Prize Winner of 2017 Collaboration Prize
Collaboration among three Pittsburgh-based community organizations wins $150,000 grand prize
PHOENIX — AgeWell Pittsburgh is the winner of the 2017 Collaboration Prize — a national award designed to spotlight exceptional permanent models of collaboration among nonprofit organizations. The nonprofit partnership that supports older adults and their caregivers in leading healthy and independent lives will receive the grand prize of $150,000.
“Winning the 2017 Collaboration Prize not only provides these great agencies with national validation but also shows the role permanent collaboration can play to help nonprofits improve outcomes for the communities we serve,” said Jeff Finkelstein, president and CEO of the Jewish Federation of Greater Pittsburgh.
AgeWell Pittsburgh is the central outreach and coordinating umbrella for activities and programs for seniors provided by three Pittsburgh-based community benefit organizations: the Jewish Association on Aging (JAA), Jewish Family & Children’s Service (JF&CS) and the Jewish Community Center of Greater Pittsburgh (JCC). The Jewish Federation of Greater Pittsburgh also facilitates the collaboration, and the Jewish Healthcare Foundation, United Way of Southwestern Pennsylvania and Jewish Federation help to fund the effort.
Formed 14 years ago, AgeWell serves 8,000 seniors and thousands of family members. The nonprofit collaboration offers more than 20 different services, such as home-delivered meals, transportation assistance and social opportunities across the three collaborating agencies.
“The AgeWell Pittsburgh collaboration has strengthened each of our agencies by helping us to focus on what we do best, and in turn our clients have clearly reaped the benefits through improved outcomes. As we collectively continue to refine our business strategy, we see similar collaborations starting across the country modeled on our Pittsburgh experience – what a great way to share our successes,” said Deborah Winn-Horvitz, president and CEO of the JAA.
Currently, 96 percent of the 8,000 seniors enrolled in AgeWell Pittsburgh services are able to live independently because of the assistance they receive. These outcomes have motivated nonprofits in other communities to replicate this model and benefit from the structure and spirit of ongoing collaboration.
“As a result of our collaboration, we were able to reduce duplication of services and capitalize on efficiencies in service delivery. We’ve also been able to improve our senior care and identify programmatic changes to better serve members of our community,” said Sue Berman Kress, volunteer chairman of the AgeWell Pittsburgh Advisory Committee.
AgeWell Pittsburgh was recognized for how the innovative collaboration enhances individual services – and stretches community investment further – by ensuring that the collective network of services for seniors are aligned to meet the needs of the community.
“Through this collaboration, AgeWell Pittsburgh has been able to turn Pittsburgh’s aging population into a vital asset by keeping our seniors healthy, independent and fully engaged in this great city,” said Jordan Golin, president and CEO of JF&CS.
The Collaboration Prize recognized the challenges the collaborating organizations faced when creating AgeWell Pittsburgh in overcoming different organizational cultures among the agencies.
“It is very affirming to have a national organization outside our region validate the impact of the collaboration and its ultimate impact to improve the long-term health outcomes of older adults,” said Brian Schreiber, president and CEO of the JCC.
For interviews with spokespersons from AgeWell Pittsburgh or from the 2017 Collaboration Prize, please contact Sangeetha Sarma at 301-395-5227 or ssarma@vancomm.com. For more information about the 2017 Collaboration Prize and all eight finalists, please visit www.thecollaborationprize.org. For information about AgeWell Pittsburgh, please visit www.agewellpgh.org.
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About the 2017 Collaboration Prize
The 2017 Collaboration Prize helps raise awareness of collaboration as a powerful and strategic way for nonprofits to increase their impact.
A selection panel comprising major supporters of nonprofit collaboration reviewed more than 350 applications from qualified nonprofits for the 2017 Prize. After identifying eight finalists that will each receive $10,000, the judges ultimately selected AgeWell Pittsburgh to take home the grand prize.
To be considered for the Prize, collaborations needed to be between two or more nonprofits, have a formal written agreement and be in operation for at least 18 months. For a full list of requirements and to learn more about the Prize, please visit www.thecollaborationprize.org.
A legacy of the Prize is the Nonprofit Collaboration Database, a resource of effective collaboration models among nonprofits. The database currently contains information on more than 650 collaborations, including the new models from the 2017 Prize process. Nonprofits and other interested organizations can access the easily searchable database at www.grantspace.org/collaboration.