Prize celebrates leadership and innovation among organizations creating positive social impact.
Philadelphia, PA, April 7, 2014 –
The Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania announced today the winner of the third annual Barry & Marie Lipman Family Prize is Breakthrough, a global human rights group working to drive the culture change necessary to make violence against women unacceptable, in part by engaging men as leaders and partners. Chosen from over 150 organizations worldwide that devote themselves to social impact and building sustainable solutions for social and economic challenges, Breakthrough will receive $125,000 and official recognition at an award ceremony to be held April 24, 2014 at the University of Pennsylvania.
Along with Breakthrough the other Prize finalists are Kickstart, a social enterprise designed to lift millions out of poverty quickly and in a sustainable way, and Not For Sale, a non-profit that equips and empowers survivors of human trafficking and vulnerable individuals through services of stability and restoration. All three finalists will profit from synergistic opportunities with Wharton and Penn. These opportunities take the form of student projects and site visits to each of the finalists organizations (to be held at the end of May), educational offerings at Wharton’s Aresty Institute of Executive Education, and many occasions to network within the larger Penn and Wharton academic and alumni communities.
“Breakthrough’s efforts to leverage the global allure of pop culture, technology, and media as instruments of empowerment are not only innovative but inspirational,” said Penn President Amy Gutmann. “Their work to reduce violence against women exemplifies the founding spirit of the Barry and Marie Lipman Family Prize. It is an honor to work with an organization so deeply committed to the ideal of universal human rights.”
“The entire Breakthrough team is deeply honored to receive the Lipman Family Prize,” said Mallika Dutt, founder and president of Breakthrough. “We are energized by the opportunity to create game-changing new partnerships and engage broad new audiences to realize our mission. Together we will build the generation that makes violence against women and girls unacceptable.”
“Our Prize Committee was inspired and excited by the work of all of three finalists. Breakthrough is doing work that brings hope for positive change because it demands accountability,” said Umi Howard, Director of the Lipman Family Prize. “That’s a powerful message. Their approach to changing cultural norms through media is provocative and notable for its potential application across multiple social issues. ”
“Breakthrough is a stellar example of thoughtful and innovative leadership battling a global issue that carries enormous social impact: violence against women,” said Thomas S. Robertson, Dean of the Wharton School. “The group’s accomplishments, including its award-winning Bell Bajao! media strategy in India, and its Ring the Bell public awareness campaign around the world, are a testament to Breakthrough’s organizational strength and dedication to affecting real change in attitudes and behaviors. At Wharton, we celebrate the finalists, congratulate the principals of Breakthrough, and look forward to helping all of them to advance their laudable missions.”
About the 2014 Lipman Family Prize Winner:
Breakthrough is a unique human rights organization seeking to make violence and discrimination against women and girls unacceptable. Working out of centers in India and the U.S., Breakthrough uses the power of arts, media, pop culture, and community mobilization to inspire people to take bold action to build a world in which all people live up to their full potential.
Breakthrough creates groundbreaking multimedia campaigns that bring human rights issues into the
mainstream and make them relevant and urgent to individuals and communities worldwide. These,
along with their in-depth trainings of young people, government officials, and community groups,
have ignited a new Breakthrough Generation of leaders sparking change in the world around them.
Breakthrough’s current global campaign, Ring the Bell, calls on men worldwide to take concrete action to challenge violence against women. It is the worldwide expansion of our most internationally-lauded program to date, Bell Bajao (“Ring the Bell”) — recipient of a distinguished Cannes Silver Lion — which has inspired millions of men and boys in India and beyond to take a stand against domestic violence. Together with initiatives challenging early marriage and gender-biased sex selection, Breakthrough’s programs work to bring dignity, equality, and justice into homes and communities around the world
About the Lipman Family Prize:
Currently in its third year, the Lipman Family Prize has been made possible by an $8 million gift from Wharton alumnus Barry R. Lipman and his wife, Marie. Administered by the University of Pennsylvania through the Wharton School, the Lipman Family Prize is governed by an interdisciplinary Steering Committee comprised of faculty, and staff from across the University of Pennsylvania, with support, expertise and partnership from entities such as the Wharton Social Impact Initiative, the Center for High Impact Philanthropy, Wharton’s Center for Leadership and Change Management, the Netter Center for Community Partnerships, and the School of Social Policy and Practice. The selection of Prize finalists involves a group of student fellows that review initial submissions and conduct the due diligence process under staff guidance, and a Prize Committee that selects the finalists and chose the winner. Through this real-world work student fellows receive leadership development opportunities and educational exposure to the social sector and philanthropy.
For more information on the 2014 Lipman Family Prize, visit www.wharton.upenn.edu/lipmanfamilyprize.
About the Wharton School
The Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania—founded in 1881 as the first collegiate business school—is recognized globally for intellectual leadership and ongoing innovation across every major discipline of business education. The most comprehensive source of business knowledge in the world, Wharton bridges research and practice through its broad engagement with the global business community. The School has 5,000 undergraduate, MBA, executive MBA, and doctoral students; more than 9,000 annual participants in executive education programs; and an alumni network of 92,000 graduates.
