Bob and Christine Stiller Received Most Outstanding Foundation of 2013 for Stiller Family Foundation

SAN DIEGO - April 9, 2013 - PRLog -- The Association of Fundraising Professionals recently honored Bob and Christine Stiller and their Stiller Family Foundation with its highest foundation award – the Most Outstanding Foundation Award of 2013.   The award was made at the Association’s international conference in San Diego on April 6, 2013.

The Most Outstanding Foundation Award is given annually by the Association of Fundraising Professionals (AFP) to honor a foundation that demonstrates outstanding commitment through financial support, innovation, encouragement and motivation of others to take leadership roles in philanthropy and national, international and/or community involvement.  

The AFP first bestowed the award in 1989 and has previously honored the John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation, the David and Lucile Packard Foundation,

the Susan G. Komen Breast Cancer Foundation, the Alfred P. Sloan Foundation and the John S. and James L. Knight Foundation, among many others.

As life-long philanthropists, Bob and Christine Stiller have provided decades of leadership, ideas and funding to make a difference in people’s lives.  The Stillers’ efforts have been channeled through both their own personal and foundational initiatives, as well as the corporate social responsibility programs of Green Mountain Coffee Roasters, the company Bob founded and led for many years.    Under Bob’s leadership, the company instilled in its employees the need to give back to the community by encouraging them to volunteer fifty-two hours of time to community causes, and regularly sending employees to coffee growing regions to meet their suppliers.  Green Mountain Coffee Roasters and the Stillers personally have been instrumental in the Fair Trade movement, and the company is the largest supplier of Fair Trade Coffee in the world. The company also contributes 5% of its pretax profits to socially and environmentally responsible initiatives focused on coffee growing communities as well as the communities where it does business throughout the United States.  In 2012, that amount approached $30 million.

The Stillers’ philanthropy culminated with the Stiller Family Foundation, bringing their children, Jules, David and Christian - already philanthropists in their own right - into a giving process focused on providing funding and opportunities to help people help themselves.  Inherent in its philosophy are the principles that have historically guided the Stillers’ philanthropy:  collaborating positively with others to achieve greater goals, realizing the potential that lies within every person and recognizing every individual’s capacity for success.  

The Foundation’s initiatives are primarily focused on people and communities in Vermont and Florida.  In Vermont, the Foundation supports local organizations and institutions including King Street Youth Center, Burlington City Arts, ReBuild Waterbury and Champlain College.  Champlain College, based in Burlington, has been one of the largest beneficiaries of the Foundation’s philanthropy, through grants of more than $10 million. The Foundation recently announced a major grant to provide funding for the creation of the Robert P. Stiller School of Business and the establishment of a permanent endowment to promote programs in Appreciative Inquiry and other positive psychology-based management approaches.  In addition, the Foundation, primarily through Christine Stiller, has provided leadership, advocacy and grants to Champlain’s Single Parents Program, which is designed to lift single parents out of generational cycles of poverty by providing access to a college degree and financial support for their families.  The Foundation has also established a scholarship program designed to assist Vermont “C” high school students who showed promise as they completed high school.  Through the Community Foundation of Palm Beach, the Stiller Family Foundation supports a number of initiatives in Florida including the United Way, Society of the Four Arts, the Norton Museum, the Weiss Gifted and Talented School, the Kravis Center, and Images and Voices of Hope.    The Foundation also contributes to several other causes across the country and around the world, including Seakeepers, Webster University in Saint Louis, the Central Asia Institute, the International Fair Trade Towns Project and Media That Matters.

"The Stillers are an amazing family, and the way they've used their foundation to create extraordinary philanthropic impact not just locally, but around the world, exemplifies what a family foundation should be all about," said Andrew Watt, FInstF, president and CEO of the Association of Fundraising Professionals. "The width and breadth of their support shows not only generosity, but a deep understanding of the issues, and we're honored to recognize the Stiller Family Foundation as our 2013 Outstanding Foundation."

“Receiving this award is an honor for myself, Christine and our family.  We thank the AFP and its members for their work, which is so important to the advancement of philanthropy, and for their recognition of the Stiller Family Foundation.  It is always  an inspiration to see, hear and understand the great works  so many, many do” said Bob Stiller.  “In this moment we are humbled by the realization that we are but one family among many who are striving to make a difference in the lives of others in communities worldwide.”

About the Stiller Family Foundation:

The Stiller Family Foundation is dedicated to helping people help themselves. The Foundation was established by the family of Bob and Christine Stiller and their three children, reflecting their shared passion for improving people’s lives in meaningful, sustainable ways. For more information on the Stiller Family Foundation please visit: http://www.stillerfamilyfoundation.org

About The Association of Fundraising Professionals (AFP)

Since 1960, the Association of Fundraising Professionals (AFP) has inspired global change-helping nonprofits and charities and supporting fundraising efforts that have generated more than $1 trillion.  AFP advances effective and ethical philanthropy by providing advocacy, research, education, mentoring, collaboration and technology opportunities for the world's largest network of professional fundraisers. AFP's nearly 30,000 members raise more than $115 billion annually, equivalent to more than one-third of charitable giving in North America, with millions more generated around the world. For more information, go to www.afpnet.org.