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About the Carnegie Medals of Philanthropy

 
Additional Reading

• Trusts and Institutions

• Mission Statement

• The Gospel Of Wealth

• bibliographic notes

 
The Andrew Carnegie Medals of Philanthropy were inaugurated on December 10, 2001 by the more than 20 Carnegie institutions that he established during his lifetime all over the world.

This award, created at the centennial observance of Andrew Carnegie’s official career as a philanthropist, is given every two years to one or more individuals who, like Andrew Carnegie have dedicated their private wealth to public good and who have a sustained an impressive career as a philanthropist.

 The Criteria
  • A vision of philanthropy that reflects the ideals and breadth of Andrew Carnegie, the man it celebrates
  • The work of the philanthropist has a sustainable track record
  • The impact his or her philanthropy has had on a field, the nation or internationally
 The Award Process

More than twenty institutions begun by Andrew Carnegie during his lifetime and which continue with the work he had the vision to endow have the responsibility for judging awardees and honoring those chosen for the Carnegie Medal of Philanthropy. Nominations are made by the Carnegie family of institutions. The three members of the steering committee who organized the Centennial celebration and who launched the medal are permanent members of the selection committee — Carnegie Corporation of New York, Carnegie Institute of Washington and the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace. Two of the other 20 institutions will rotate each year.

Carnegie Corporation of New York took the lead in organizing the 2001 awards ceremony, the Carnegie Institution of Washington coordinated the 2003 awards ceremony, and the United Kingdom Trusts coordinated the 2005 ceremony in Scotland.

 The Award

Each recipient receives a bust of Andrew Carnegie — an original work of art cast in bronze and created specially for the award — and a bronze medal.

The 2001 awards ceremony celebrated one of the most important financial transactions of the 20th century, when J.P. Morgan purchased U.S. Steel for $480 million (the equivalent of $10.6 billion today) from Andrew Carnegie, who then devoted the rest of his life to philanthropy on a level not then seen in America or anywhere else. By his death, Mr. Carnegie had given away 90 percent of his fortune.
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