PORTLAND, Ore. – February 9, 2011 – Social Venture Partners Portland (SVPP) is introducing a nationally recognized encore fellowships program in the Portland/Vancouver metro area this month with support from the Hewlett-Packard Company to help people at the end of midlife careers in business transition to new jobs in the nonprofit sector.

The idea – piloted in the Silicon Valley by Civic Ventures, a think tank on boomers, work and social purpose – has received national media attention from The New York Times and National Public Radio and was hailed by Fast Company magazine as a “social enterprise of the year.”

SVPP’s Fellows Program Director Paul Speer is now recruiting additional local companies that would like to sponsor fellowships for their own retirees, visionary nonprofits that would like to host fellows and seasoned private-sector professionals in or near retirement who would like to be fellows.

“We’re thrilled to be making this connection between business talent and nonprofit need in a new way for Portland and Vancouver,” said Mark Holloway, SVPP Executive Director. “These fellows are going to amplify the positive community impact our Partnership is making significantly.”

HP provided generous support to the Silicon Valley pilot and is helping to expand the program nationally with its investment in Portland. Social Venture Partners Portland will run the program locally.

“HP is proud to be offering this exciting new program as one option for employees in transition to a new chapter of their career,” said Gabi Zedlmayer, Vice President, Office of Global Social innovation, HP. “Encore Fellowships build on the long HP tradition of encouraging social innovation and community engagement through the immense talents and commitment of our employees. These roles give fellows a chance to make a real difference in their communities and at the same time open up a pathway to a new career in the social-purpose sector.”

During the fellowship period (typically 1,000-plus hours during six to 12 months), Encore Fellows earn a stipend, learn about social-purpose work and develop a network of contacts and resources to help them build encore careers in the nonprofit sector.

In pioneering this launch, SVPP builds on a decade of successful leveraged investments in Portland-area nonprofit agencies. Using a “venture philanthropy” model, local individual investors – called Partners – traditionally give $5,000 per year and lend professional expertise to selected nonprofit agencies. The Partners have invested in 16 nonprofits in the past 10 years.

For more information, visit www.svpportland.org/about/fellows or contact Paul Speer at 503-222-0114 or paul@svpportland.org.

About Social Venture Partners Portland
Social Venture Partners Portland is a member-governed and member-funded nonprofit organization of engaged citizens committed to achieving measurable social change in the four-county area surrounding Portland, Ore. The Partners give time, money and expertise to strengthen innovative nonprofit organizations and develop strategic solutions to community problems. It is an affiliate of SVP International, a network of 25 organizations and 2,000 Partners following the “venture philanthropy” model of investing around the world. For more information, visit www.svpportland.org or contact Executive Director Mark Holloway at (503) 222-0114 or mark@svpportland.org.

About Civic Ventures and the Encore Fellowships Network
Civic Ventures is a San Francisco-based think tank on boomers, work and social purpose.
Civic Ventures created the Encore Fellowships Network, which provides information, tools and communities that make the design, launch and operation of an Encore Fellowships program as easy as possible. For more information about encore careers and Civic Ventures, visit www.encore.org or contact Stefanie Weiss at (240) 863-2103 or sweiss@civicventures.org. For more information about the Encore Fellowships Network, visit www.encore.org/fellowships or contact Leslye Louie at llouie@encorefellowships.net.