Students who want to create change and make an impact in their community will have an opportunity to do just that with the recent partnership between Philanthropy Tank and the School District of Palm Beach County, which establishes Philanthropy Tank clubs in high schools across the county.
Founded in 2015, the nonprofit empowers and equips student “CHANGEmakers” to develop and execute sustainable initiatives and solutions to solve problems in their communities. Philanthropists fund student initiatives, investing in their community projects.
Philanthropy Tank CEO Amy Brand said the new partnership “allows us access to consistently reach the students” and the goal for the first year is to get five programs up and running in the high schools, which are currently in the works.
Nathan Goldin founded the first Philanthropy Tank Club at A. W. Dreyfoos School of the Arts in West Palm Beach. The 17-year-old senior was eager to start the club after participating in an internship with Philanthropy Tank last summer focused on the business side of nonprofit organizations, he said.
“During that time, my commitment to the growth of both my program and Philanthropy Tank deepened. After spending lots of time with the leadership team of Philanthropy Tank and discussing potential areas of growth into schools, we decided that Dreyfoos was the perfect place to start the first club and I would be a fitting president,” Goldin said.
The goals of the Philanthropy Tank Club are to spread awareness about Philanthropy Tank and establish it as a permanent presence on campus, while also inspiring students to take initiative by starting their own programs, he said.
“We see the club as an opportunity to put the students’ best foot forward by working with them to create the best ideas and presentations for their real project applications. The club is meant to be a creative space for brainstorming and bouncing off ideas — a forum for students to develop problem-solving skills in a leadership setting,” Goldin said.
He has been involved with Philanthropy Tank since 2022, when he was awarded $11,000 for his program, “Sharing the Arts,” which mentors underserved elementary students in the arts, he said.
Maya Behura is a 16-year-old junior at American Heritage who started Endgame Education through Philanthropy Tank in 2022. Endgame Education is a student-led chess instruction organization teaching chess and its various benefits to elementary and middle school students.
“With a team of volunteer high school instructors, Endgame Education instills a love for chess and the many benefits chess provides, such as improving memory, concentration and sportsmanship, through free online lessons and online/in-person workshops,” Behura said.
She said she’s interested in starting a club at her school, although there are no concrete plans yet.
“It would be a great thing to do in the future. Right now, a few schools either have a Philanthropy Tank club or are planning to start one, and it’s making a great impact,” she said.
Dr. Jeraline Johnson, director of Choice and Career Options for the School District of Palm Beach County, said the partnership gives students the opportunity to “develop concepts for worthy causes, prepare the projects to be presented to potential supporters, and to conduct presentations to gain funding to support their projects.”
“We want the community to know that within the School District of Palm Beach County, we are offering students the opportunity to learn how to develop a worthy concept and/or project, build it, pitch it and obtain funding to implement it. It’s all about allowing our students to take the skills learned in the classroom, particularly within our Choice and Career programs, and be able to put the skills into action. Being able to partner with community organizations in the process is an added bonus,” she said.
In addition to the new partnership, Philanthropy Tank is also getting ready for its first conference, CHANGEmakers Summit, on April 6 at Keiser University in West Palm Beach. The conference is free and is open to all students in eighth through 12th grades. To register, visit eventbrite.com.
Another new partnership collaboration for Philanthropy Tank is with Leadership Palm Beach County, which selected the nonprofit to be one of its class programs this year in which they will work on a project together, Brand said.
Lastly, Philanthropy Tank will open applications for its 10th anniversary year on April 8.
Visit philanthropytank.org.
