Mar 18, 2009
Emmanuel Gospel Center Acton Institute - Samaritan Award Winner (2004)
Examples of philanthropy’s results
The Acton Institute for the Study of Religion and Liberty is a non-profit educational and research organization named for Lord Acton (1834-1902), the great English historian and popular writer on political, social and theological issues.
The Acton Institute is the driving force behind the Samaritan Awards, an annual program that recognizes faith-based charities that receive little or no governmental support. The Samaritan Award is the flagship program for the Acton Institute’s Center for Effective Compassion. It is an honor given to America’s leading charities and provides valuable information for donors and philanthropists. The evaluation process is new and unique and assesses program, financial, administrative and stakeholder information.
The 2004 grand prizewinner of the Samaritan Award, which carries an award of $10,000, is the Network Savings and Training Program of Emmanuel Gospel Center (EGC). A national expert on urban ministry, EGC partnered with Enterprise Development International (EDI), a Christian ministry that operates micro enterprise initiatives. Through its innovative financial literacy program and partnership with other community organizations, the Emmanuel Gospel Center helps set up programs like Individual Development Accounts (IDAs) at local churches in Boston’s South End.
IDA programs teach low-income people how to manage their money, read credit reports, and get control of their lives. Participants are required to save $30 per week, which the program sponsor matches; monies are use for down payment on a house, small business capitalization, or post-secondary education.
The Acton Institute’s commitment to the formation of human dignity, freedom and creativity leads this ecumenical and nonpartisan dialogue.