Stan Polovets, chairman and co-founder of The Genesis Prize Foundation, shares his insights on building a thriving philanthropic foundation focused on social impact.
Nonprofit organizations face mounting operational pressures. According to Network Depot, 30% of nonprofit leaders struggle with recruiting and retaining quality staff. Yet The Genesis Prize Foundation, under Stan Polovets’ leadership, offers a blueprint for building stable, motivated teams through thoughtful management practices.
“Listen more, talk less,” Polovets says, reflecting on his decade leading The Genesis Prize Foundation. “Take the time to hear what others have to say. Their different perspectives are extremely valuable and helped me see things I might not have paid attention to.”
Polovets’ listening-first approach stems from his extensive corporate background, which includes leading multibillion-dollar energy portfolios and steering international organizations. His transition to nonprofit leadership brought fresh insights into team building and retention.
Since its 2013 launch, The Genesis Prize Foundation has pioneered an innovative philanthropic model in which laureates redirect their $1 million awards to charitable causes. This structure requires exceptional organizational flexibility, another cornerstone of Polovets’ management philosophy.
“Be persistent yet flexible,” he explains. “Lead teams through adversity by focusing on what’s important and staying true to the mission. Things constantly change, and being able to respond positively to unanticipated roadblocks helps the team find stability amid sometimes turbulent change and leads to positive results.”
This flexibility proved crucial in developing the foundation’s matching grants programs, which multiplied impact through strategic partnerships. “None of us can do this work alone,” Stan Polovets states. “Every year, we have partnered with individuals, organizations, and donors to achieve our goals. It truly is a ‘two heads are better than one’ approach.”
One Prize, Many Sources of Impact
The Genesis Prize is a story of ripple effects. What started with Michael Bloomberg’s 2014 investment in young social entrepreneurs grew into a decade of strategic philanthropy touching countless lives.
Each laureate added a unique chapter. Entertainment icon Michael Douglas advocated for more welcoming and inclusive Jewish communities. Musical legend Itzhak Perlman orchestrated support for access for those with disabilities, leading Stan Polovets to call him “a role model and a modern-day Jewish hero.”
In 2017, artist Anish Kapoor shone a spotlight on the refugee crisis. Stan Polovets stated, “We particularly admire how, in an age frequently characterized by cynicism and indifference, Anish continually advocates for the world’s disadvantaged — challenging all of us to do more to help wherever and whenever we can.”
Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg’s 2018 Lifetime Achievement Award led to funding numerous initiatives advancing women’s causes. Past Genesis Prize recipients unanimously selected Ginsburg for the honor.
Robert Kraft expanded the Genesis Prize’s reach, pledging an additional $20 million to establish a foundation to combat antisemitism. Kraft stated, “This award amplifies my ability to raise both awareness and additional funds to fight antisemitism, attempts to delegitimize Israel, and other forms of prejudices. It is important that we continue to support organizations that focus on combating prejudices by building bridges and uniting people of different backgrounds.”
Human rights champion Natan Sharansky was selected for the 2020 Genesis Prize for his tireless advocacy of political and religious freedoms. Following the Genesis Prize’s tradition of giving, Sharansky directed his $1 million award to assist vulnerable communities struggling with COVID-19’s impact in Israel and worldwide.
In a remarkable show of public engagement, 200,000 people from six continents participated in an online campaign selecting Steven Spielberg for the 2021 Genesis Prize. Spielberg asked The Genesis Prize Foundation to focus his award on programs promoting racial and economic justice across America, contributing an additional $1 million of his own money to the initiative.
In 2021, The Genesis Prize Foundation bestowed its second Lifetime Achievement Award posthumously on Rabbi Lord Jonathan Sacks, honoring his profound influence on global Jewry and his distinguished career promoting interfaith dialogue and teaching Jewish values.
The following year’s Genesis Prize laureate, Dr. Albert Bourla, chose to honor his Greek and Jewish roots, allocating his $1 million award to help build a Holocaust museum in his birthplace of Thessaloniki.
Marking its 10th year, the foundation celebrated Barbra Streisand’s diverse philanthropic vision — from climate advocacy to fighting disinformation — while also recognizing Jewish activists and organizations providing vital humanitarian aid to Ukraine during the ongoing conflict.
In 2024, the Genesis Prize honored organizations and activists working to release the hostages and support their families. The Genesis Foundation also helped fund a lawsuit by the families of the hostages against Hamas leadership in the International Criminal Court.
Stan Polovets on the Power of Partnership
The pattern of strategic giving exemplifies the Genesis Prize’s innovative approach to philanthropy. Each laureate’s decision to redirect their award has created a multiplier effect, turning individual recognition into collective action. The result: a decade of targeted investments in social change, with every honoree adding a new chapter to an expanding portfolio of impact.
Behind these achievements stands a leadership approach that prioritizes human connection, according to Stan Polovets. “Care for your team members,” he advises. “Respect their personal and professional goals, remind them that they are critical for the success of the enterprise and that I want what’s best for each of them.”
His emphasis on learning from setbacks strengthened these collaborations. “Every mistake is a learning and growth opportunity and helps make for better decisions in the future,” Polovets reflects. This mindset has helped the foundation adapt its grant-making strategies, resulting in successful partnerships with organizations like the Jewish Funders Network and Matan-United Way.
These partnerships yielded impressive results: grants to more than 230 nongovernmental organizations across 31 countries, touching tens of thousands of lives. The foundation’s matching grants programs generated millions in additional funding for causes ranging from disability inclusion to women’s empowerment.
Polovets credits organizational self-awareness for these achievements, noting, “Knowing my strengths and weaknesses, and being honest about them, has helped me size up situations, hire the right people to balance out my personality, and make difficult decisions.”
This approach has shaped The Genesis Prize Foundation’s responsive grant-making strategy. “Our vision is a strong and vibrant Jewish people, aware of its roots while looking to the future, a community flourishing in diversity yet united in appreciation of Jewish values and support for Israel,” Polovets explains.
A decade into its mission, The Genesis Prize Foundation exemplifies how collective action multiplies philanthropic impact. It continues to bring communities together to address pressing needs through strategic partnerships, innovative funding models, and clear metrics for success.
“We aim to bring the Jewish community together around its most critical issues,” Stan Polovets says. This commitment to unity and collaboration defines his leadership style and the Genesis Prize’s enduring contribution to philanthropic innovation.