Encore.org was founded on the belief that the aging of America isn’t as much a problem to be solved as it is an opportunity to be seized. Today, for the first time in U.S. history, people over 60 outnumber people under 18, raising fears of increasing generational conflict. Encore.org sees another path, a more-old-than-young society that works for all ages. By telling a new story about the assets of an aging society and lifting up intergenerational solutions to pressing social problems, Encore.org works to bridge divides and collaborate across generations to create a better future together.
Since pioneering the term “encore career,” Encore.org has helped to build a movement of people age 50 and up committed to using their experience to solve social problems. Through programs like Experience Corps, The Purpose Prize, Encore Fellowships, and the Gen2Gen campaign, Encore.org has demonstrated the power of experience and of intergenerational connection to change lives and strengthen communities. Moving forward, the organization will tackle three key barriers: narratives that pit one generation against another (“gen vs. gen”), age-segregated institutions, and a dearth of investment in intergenerational innovations. Changing demographics underscore the continued urgency of this work, which includes an inventive program portfolio, original research, strategic alliances, and the power of people’s own life stories.
American society is aging, with a potential for increasing challenges to support and care for elders, and for individual and social renewal.
Encore.org helps potential retirees pursue “encore careers” with positive social impact.
Marc Freedman sees encore careers keeping people engaged and healthy, and offsetting costs of an aging society.
Encore.org’s ultimate goal is to make a more-old-than-young society work for all ages. The organization works to bridge divides, combat loneliness, and make intergenerational connection and collaboration the new norm—the best strategy for achieving a better future for everyone.
Encore.org scales impact by investing in innovators, leveraging leaders and voices, and engaging new audiences. In 2020, Encore.org will launch a new fellowship to spark intergenerational innovation; build nonprofit capacity through Encore Fellowships; support diverse thought leaders; and host Gen2Gen Live, a multimedia event.
Founder and Co-CEO, Encore.org
Marc Freedman founded Civic Ventures – now called Encore.org – in 1998 to find caring, committed adults to help young people growing up in poverty. His belief that the vast and growing older population could serve as a critical resource for children led him to spearhead the development of Experience Corps, now a highly successful tutoring and mentoring program at AARP, helping 30,000 children in more than 20 cities. In the years since, Freedman founded The Purpose Prize, a $100,000 award for social innovators over 60, with his newest goal to get millions of boomers to pour their life experiences into “encore careers” that have positive social impact. Freedman also helped launch Encore Fellowships, a program that matches skilled professionals with social sector organizations in high-impact, paid assignments. Freedman's newest book is "How to Live Forever: The Enduring Power of Connecting the Generations"(PublicAffairs, 2018). Working at the intersection of longevity, intergenerational connection, and social justice, Encore.org seeks to establish a new definition of success in the second half of life, engaging millions of baby boomers as a vital workforce for change. Through an inventive program portfolio, original research, strategic alliances, and the power of people´s own life stories, Encore.org works to to realize the potential of longer lives and intergenerational connection to solve our most pressing social problems.
Like many people, at the start of 2020, I had big plans for the year ahead. In addition to family reunions and work trips, I intended to spend a few…
