Generous U was a national contest to increase awareness and involvement of students on college campuses about the importance and impact of philanthropy and philanthropic values. To this end, student groups competed for the $10,000 Sillerman Prize and the Generous U title. A committee at the Sillerman Center judged videos and proposals that undergraduate and graduate students submitted through their eligible colleges or universities. Although Generous U has been discontinued, we have elected to keep this webpage active so that you may learn about student work to practice philanthropy on college and university campuses.
Generous U
2017
Winner:
Eagle Endowment for Public and Community Service, American University
First Runner-Up (Second Place):
Student Philanthropy Council, University of Rhode Island
Second Runners-Up (Tie for Third Place):
Tisch Council for Philanthropic Leadership, Tufts University
GlobeMed, University of California, Los Angeles
2016
Winner:
Allow Good, University of Chicago and Northwestern University
Runners Up:
Effective Altruists, University of California, Berkeley
Student Philanthropy Council, University of Rhode Island
Honorable Mentions:
Student Foundation, Oklahoma State University
Presidential Ambassadors, Towson University
Dance Marathon, Loras College
2015
Winner:
Students Supporting Students Campaign Committee, School of Social Work, Rutgers University
Runners Up:
Student Philanthropy Council, University of Rhode Island
Mr. Wash. U., Washington University in St. Louis
Honorable Mentions:
Student Alumni Ambassadors, University of Miami
Presidential Ambassadors, Towson University
2014
Winner:
The Chicago Youth Philanthropy Group, University of Chicago
Staff Pick:
GlobeMed, Massachusetts Institute of Technology
Runners Up:
Berea Patrons, Berea College in Kentucky
Dance Marathon, University of Florida
Honorable Mentions:
Do Good Challenge, University of Maryland at College Park
Community Action Volunteers in Education, California State University Chico
Troy Camp, University of Southern California
Students Supporting Students Campaign Committee, Rutgers University, School of Social Work
2013
Winner:
K-State Proud, submitted by Kansas State University
Runners Up:
Pediatric AIDS Coalition, UCLA
Students of AMF Support Network, University of Pennsylvania
Sooners Helping Sooners, University of Oklahoma
Honorable Mentions:
Applause for a Cause, Northwestern University
Swipes for the Homeless, UCLA
Brothers For _____, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill
University of Iowa Dance Marathon, Iowa City
Global Micro Finance Brigades, Indiana University
2012
Winner: Darnell Wilson, Northern Kentucky University, Norse in Need
A junior at Northern Kentucky University (NKU) took the third annual Sillerman Prize for Innovations in Philanthropy on College Campuses this year. Darnell Wilson conceived of “Norse in Need” to help fellow students in need of emergency aid to boost student retention. Developing this fund through small student donations, the project is designed to supply mini-grants of up to $250 to help students facing a possible disruption of studies. The student-managed project casts a wide net for student contributions as small as $5.00 to build up the stock of resources that supply this pool of emergency aid which will be used to get a student over a hump.
2011
Winner: The Piglet Project: A new take on student philanthropy
The Piglet Project, submitted by a team of six undergraduate students from Babson College, starts with the distribution of piggy banks to every freshman undergraduate during a required first-year seminar class. This motivational approach to philanthropy early on in a young adult's college career promotes the habit of regular giving throughout four years of college. But the "DNA" of the piggy marketing plan, presented with props and costumes, stole the oral competition and demonstrated how the addition of the "fun factor" increases the uptake in participation. Events continue throughout the four years with special events and "holidays" (National Pig Day) where piggy banks are decorated, "piggy round ups" to round up change, and small premiums to increase awareness about one's own personal philanthropy. The mascot, a Phil Anthropig, parade floats and a general esprit de corps captivated the audience.
2010
Winner: The winner was a mixed team of undergraduates, Heller and IBS students who presented their plan called The National Student Philanthropic Front: Building the Trajectory of a Giver. A group of judges made up of university officials and two outside philanthropists selected the application to receive the very first cash award from this new competition. Julian Olidort, a junior at Brandeis; Charles Francis, a Heller MPP student; Yuki Haselawa, an IBS student; and Robin Lichtenstein, a junior, will split the $5,000 cash award.
Runners Up: Judges also awarded a runner-up prize of $1,500 to a team of six for its submission, Give! A Plan for Fostering Philanthropy on College Campuses. The team, which included members of BOLLI and BNC as well as students from Heller's MS and MBA programs, won accolades for its diversity.