(WASHINGTON, April 30, 2008)—Independent Sector will honor Robert Greenstein, founder and executive director of the Center on Budget and Policy Priorities, with the 2008 John W. Gardner Leadership Award.

The award recognizes his work to promote rigorous analysis of budget and tax policies in order to help lawmakers, the media, and the public understand the tradeoffs among policy choices at the national and state levels, particularly how those decisions will affect low- and moderate-income people. Under his leadership, the Center also has improved the ability of hundreds of nonprofit organizations to engage in budget and policy debates so they can better serve their communities. The award will be presented at the 2008 Independent Sector Annual Conference in Philadelphia, November 9-11.

Since he founded the Center in 1981, Mr. Greenstein has played a defining role in how people think about critical budget and tax policies. He has led the Center’s pioneering work to provide timely, accurate, and balanced examinations of the effects of fiscal decisions on the economy and the federal budget, especially over the long term.

Under his leadership, the Center has focused on programs that assist economically vulnerable Americans in areas such as health care reform, housing assistance, and Social Security. Its research has publicized the fiscal and human impact of proposed budget policies, in the process helping the nation address fiscal responsibility, reduce poverty, and expand opportunity. Mr. Greenstein has also spearheaded the development of two national outreach campaigns that help improve the quality of individuals’ lives: the Earned Income Tax Credit campaign, which helps low-income working families with children apply for the EITC and Child Tax Credit, and the Start Healthy, Stay Healthy campaign, which helps enroll eligible children in Medicaid and other health insurance programs.

“His expertise on the federal budget, particularly his ability to illustrate how budget decisions impact the lives of low-income Americans, has enhanced the ability of nonprofits and government to provide assistance effectively and efficiently to those who need it,” said Brian Gallagher, president and CEO of United Way of America and chair of Independent Sector.

Mr. Greenstein’s work at the Center continues a career of protecting and improving programs for people in need. As Administrator of the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Food and Nutrition Service in 1979 and 1980, he directed the Food Stamp Program, which provides millions of children and low-income people with access to food, a healthy diet, and nutrition education.

“John Gardner was committed to strengthening institutions, causes, and programs that created opportunities for people to succeed in life,” said William S. White, president and CEO of the Charles Stewart Mott Foundation and chair of the John W. Gardner Leadership Award Committee. “By building the Center into an outstanding source of analysis on the impact of budget decisions, Bob has contributed immensely to fulfilling John Gardner’s vision for American society.”

Over the course of 27 years, Mr. Greenstein has broadened the scope of the Center’s work to include helping other organizations conduct rigorous research and analysis on budget priorities and public programs. Since 1993 the Center has coordinated the State Fiscal Analysis Initiative, which strengthens the capacity of the nonprofit community to advance responsible state budget and tax policies that address important needs. A network of nonprofit organizations in 29 states, the initiative has influenced decisions on a range of budget issues and has been a driving force behind states’ increasing passage of a state-level Earned Income Tax Credit, now enacted in 23 states plus the District of Columbia. The impact of Mr. Greenstein’s work has also been felt overseas. In 1997 the Center created the International Budget Project, which has helped civil society organizations in more than 85 countries, including new democracies (such as South Africa and the former Soviet republics) and developing countries, conduct budget analysis to make their financial systems more open and responsive to the needs of society.

“Through the Center, Bob has helped hundreds of nonprofit organizations and thousands of individuals better understand the impact of federal budget priorities,” said Diana Aviv, president and CEO of Independent Sector. “His ability to translate complex fiscal policy analysis into accessible, understandable information has enabled many in our nonprofit community to be more effective in working with government to improve and enrich lives.”

Based in Washington, D.C., the Center is one of the nation’s premier policy organizations working at the federal and state levels on fiscal policy and public programs, with a particular focus on programs and policies affecting low- and moderate-income Americans. Its analysis is used by policymakers and nonprofit organizations across the political spectrum. Learn more about the Center's work at www.cbpp.org.

The award is named after John Gardner, the founding chair of Independent Sector. An advisor to six presidents and recipient of the Presidential Medal of Freedom, Mr. Gardner was an active and distinguished participant in America’s educational, philanthropic, and political life, and his many achievements demonstrate the ideals this award celebrates. The award includes a gift of $10,000 and a replica of an original bust of John Gardner by the late sculptor Frederick Hart.

###

Independent Sector is a nonprofit, nonpartisan coalition of approximately 550 charities, foundations, and corporate giving programs, collectively representing tens of thousands of charitable groups in every state across the nation. Its mission is to advance the common good by leading, strengthening, and mobilizing the nonprofit and philanthropic community.