About the Exponent Award
The Meyer Foundation believes that strong and effective executive leaders are essential to the success of our grantees, the health of our communities, and the visibility and influence of Greater Washington's nonprofit sector. For more than sixty-five years, the Meyer Foundation has identified visionary and talented nonprofit leaders and has supported their work by providing management assistance and capacity-building support.
The Meyer Foundation's Exponent Award, created in 2006, recognizes strong and effective nonprofit leaders with a track record of accomplishment who have the potential for future growth and development. It is intended for executives who may be in danger of burnout or who would benefit from a leadership development grant to take their skills and organization to a new level. Organizations of award recipients receive a grant of $100,000 over two years to be used for leadership development.
Since its creation, the Exponent Awards have generated more than $2 million in new funding for the nonprofits headed by these award recipients, and have have allowed leaders to invest in their teams and restore themselves professionally and physically. In addition, the awards have helped raise the visibility on the issue of nonprofit leadership burnout nationally. Regionally, the Exponent Awards created an opportunity for the Foundation to shine a light on entrepreneurial and well-run small and mid-size nonprofits that are doing important work.
Learn about the Exponent Award nomination process.
The Meyer Foundation created the Exponent Awards in 2006 as a response to its national study, Daring to Lead 2006, which revealed that three out of four nonprofit executive directors of small and mid-sized organizations were likely to leave their jobs due to a number of factors.
An independent evaluation of the Exponent Awards confirmed the program has significantly increased the visibility of its recipients and generated more than $2 million in additional funding for their organizations.
Download the Daring to Lead 2006 report.