Generation Justice Awarded First Ever Gregor G. Peterson Prize in Venture Philanthropy
For Immediate Release
December 5, 2019
Generation Justice Wins National Philanthropy Prize
(PHOENIX, Arizona) – Owing to its extraordinary success in helping children escape Arizona’s broken foster care system and get into the loving arms of families, Phoenix-based Gen Justice today was named the first winner of the Gregor G. Peterson Prize in Venture Philanthropy. Founded in 2017 by a single mother of four adopted children, Gen Justice was selected by the Peterson family from a pool of nearly 60 nonprofit prize nominees nationally.
The award will be presented during today’s luncheon of the American Legislative Exchange Council’s (ALEC) 2019 States and National Policy Summit being held in Scottsdale. ALEC member and Arizona state representative Anthony Kern nominated Gen Justice for the Prize as did supporters Cheryl & Rupe Reinstadler of Oregon. U.S. Secretary of Education Betsy DeVos will be the keynote speaker at the ALEC luncheon where the award is presented.
“For 500,000 reasons, we’re thankful for the Peterson Prize…and every one of those reasons has a first and last name,” said Darcy Olsen, Gen Justice founder, upon accepting the award.
Gen Justice is fighting to mend the broken child protection system on behalf of the roughly 500,000 child victims of violence in foster care and to bring a permanent end to innocent children enduring violence, molestation, and abandonment.
“Gen Justice is an early-stage nonprofit that has demonstrated local results that can be replicated on a mass scale. In an era of political discord, freeing kids from abuse is something that unites all of us as Americans,” said Eric Peterson, son of the Prize’s namesake, Greg Peterson, in announcing the news.
The $250,000 prize honors Greg Peterson’s core principles in business—including teamwork, innovation, and an entrepreneurial spirit—and applies these values to the charitable sector. Peterson was a pioneer in the field of venture capital from the San Francisco Bay Area.
The work of Gen Justice led to the passage of new laws in Arizona that make it faster and easier to adopt older kids, removed barriers to special education for foster children, and created greater protections for newborns of parents battling substance abuse. Gen Justice now seeks to scale these reforms nationally.
For further information about the Peterson Prize, please visit the official website found here: https://www.petersonventureprize.com/. Hoplin Jackson Charitable Advisors coordinated the nomination process: https://hoplinjackson.com/.
