Education
Featured beneficiary in the EDUCATION category for first quarter 2010:
Charity Navigator rating: 
Annual budget: $3.2 million
Point Foundation is the nation’s largest scholarship-granting organization for lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) students of merit. Individuals enrolled in either an undergraduate or graduate program, are eligible to apply.
Point Foundation (Point) provides financial support through multi-year scholarships, leadership training, mentoring and hope to LGBT students who are marginalized because of their sexual orientation, gender identity or gender expression. The organization provides its scholars with the financial ability to attend the nation’s foremost higher educational institutions and its donors and mentors with the rare satisfaction of directly investing their resources and time in future generations of leaders.
Point Foundation believes in rewarding these individuals who endure the daily harassment and abandonment of family, friends, educational institutions and communities with the opportunity of higher education. Through Point’s scholarship and community, the organization empowers its scholars and gives them the support and encouragement to excel both academically and personally.
LEARN MORE ABOUT POINT FOUNDATION
Point Foundation on YouTube (1)
Point Foundation on YouTube (2)
Point Foundation on Charity Navigator
About the selection process
Beginning on January 1, 2010, Foundation Beyond Belief will highlight ten charitable organizations per quarter -- one in each of ten categories. Among other considerations, beneficiaries will be chosen for efficiency, effectiveness, moderate size (annual budget <$10M), compatibility with humanist focus on mutual care of this world and this life, no direct promotion or proselytizing of a particular worldview, and geographical diversity.
The beneficiaries for the first quarter of 2010, including the organization on this page, were selected by the Foundation Board. Active members can help us choose future beneficiaries by researching and nominating charities and (beginning Jan 1) by discussing, debating, and advocating for the causes of their choice through our social network. Final decisions will be made by the Board, but collective member input will be among the most important considerations.
NOTE about Point's Charity Navigator rating: Although both the Overall rating and Capacity rating are high, Point Foundation's Efficiency rating has recently been lowered on Charity Navigator. I asked Michael Marino, Point's managing development director, what accounted for the change.
Michael noted that the economic downturn has caused a reduction in income and required a higher percentage of funds to go into fundraising. "Overall, Point strives to maintain an overhead cost that is in-line or better than what many watchdog groups and the Better Business Bureau recommend. In FY 2009, 72 percent of all monies raised went to support program expenses for the scholars. The remaining 28 percent covered our fundraising and administrative costs. Many watchdog groups use 25 percent in fundraising and admin expenses as their cut-off. The goal for the Better Business Bureau is 35 percent or less -- and despite the economy, we are still exceeding those expectations."
