The Rivers Givers Youth & Philanthropy program was established in the fall of 2002 thanks to the initiative of one student who proposed the idea. Now an independent, youth philanthropy program, Rivers Givers is responsible for identifying a broad range of non-profit organizations in the Greater Boston area that are committed to meeting the needs of children and youth. Student leadership and initiative are key to the program’s success.
Each year Rivers Givers follows a process for evaluating requests by community groups for funding which includes:
- Requests for Proposals (RFP’s) issued by facilitator
- Specialized training in the fundamentals of philanthropy
- Deliberations based on the guidelines learned in preparatory sessions
- Number of proposals narrowed down
- Site visits for remaining organizations
Upon completion of the site visits, Rivers Givers choose the organizations that they believe to be the most worthy. Input is received from representatives of the Middle School as well as the Upper School prior to the final decisions.