Marc Pollick, President and Founder
GBF Founder Marc
Pollick, cover of
Foundation News and
Commentary's
November/December
2000 issue
Pollick, cover of
Foundation News and
Commentary's
November/December
2000 issue
After graduating from the University of Chicago, Mr. Pollick subsequently
earned graduate degrees in Social Science, East European Jewish History,
and Holocaust Studies. He pursued his doctoral studies at Boston
University under the direction of Professor Elie Wiesel, winner of the 1986
Nobel Prize for Peace. He lectures often throughout the United States and
Israel, and has taught courses on The Holocaust at the high school and
university levels.
In 1982, Pollick was appointed Founding Executive Director of the Zachor
Institute for Holocaust Studies in Miami, Florida. One year later, he created
and hosted the cable TV series, “We Remember.” He has twice led student
groups to Holocaust sites in Eastern Europe, and in 1983, led the first-ever
group of children of Holocaust survivors on a “Journey of Conscience” to
Eastern Europe and Israel. In 1989, he served as a senior researcher for
the permanent exhibition of the United States Holocaust Memorial
Museum.
Prior to founding The Giving Back Fund in February 1997, Marc Pollick was
a consultant for the Elie Wiesel Foundation for Humanity, which he helped
to create, and the Assistant Director of the Center for Jewish Studies at
Harvard University.
Working with Wiesel, Mr. Pollick came to appreciate the unique power and
opportunity inherent in leveraging celebrity and wealth on behalf of
philanthropy. He formulated the idea for an organization that would work
with celebrities to use their fame for the common good, and in 1997 he
established The Giving Back Fund (GBF) to provide philanthropic
management and consulting to professional athletes and entertainers.
By concentrating on celebrities, Mr. Pollick sought to diversify the typical
donor base to include people of color, women, and young people, groups
often underrepresented in traditional philanthropy. The first athlete with
whom GBF consulted was Boston Celtic Captain Dee Brown, followed soon
after by BC legend and NFL Quarterback Doug Flutie.
Pollick contributes frequently to major periodicals on the topic of
philanthropy and writes a regular column on sports philanthropy for Street
and Smith’s Sports Business Journal.
Pollick was recently recognized for his achievements as a recipient of the
2004 University of Chicago Alumni Award for Public Service. Upon receiving
the award, Pollick commented, “For me, the University of Chicago was not
just a college. It was the impetus for a radical shift in my life’s direction.
Every assumption I had prior to arriving in Hyde Park was challenged—from
what is important in life, to what constitutes an educated person. As an
undergraduate, I discovered role models who would become lifelong
heroes—in the persons of Jonathan Kozol, Jesse Owens (who tutored me in
the long jump!), Rabbi Harold Kushner, and Elie Wiesel. I learned not only
how to think, but how to employ that thought process to produce significant
actions. I vividly remember coming to college as a freshman knowing that I
wanted to change the world but not having a clue where to start. Without a
doubt, the relationships I developed at UC and the influences I absorbed
have directly equipped and enabled me to fulfill my freshman goal of
wanting to make the world a bit better. I was profoundly altered by my UC
education—in the classroom, on the athletic field, and in the dorms. The
Giving Back Fund is the professional manifestation of that treasured
experience.”
earned graduate degrees in Social Science, East European Jewish History,
and Holocaust Studies. He pursued his doctoral studies at Boston
University under the direction of Professor Elie Wiesel, winner of the 1986
Nobel Prize for Peace. He lectures often throughout the United States and
Israel, and has taught courses on The Holocaust at the high school and
university levels.
In 1982, Pollick was appointed Founding Executive Director of the Zachor
Institute for Holocaust Studies in Miami, Florida. One year later, he created
and hosted the cable TV series, “We Remember.” He has twice led student
groups to Holocaust sites in Eastern Europe, and in 1983, led the first-ever
group of children of Holocaust survivors on a “Journey of Conscience” to
Eastern Europe and Israel. In 1989, he served as a senior researcher for
the permanent exhibition of the United States Holocaust Memorial
Museum.
Prior to founding The Giving Back Fund in February 1997, Marc Pollick was
a consultant for the Elie Wiesel Foundation for Humanity, which he helped
to create, and the Assistant Director of the Center for Jewish Studies at
Harvard University.
Working with Wiesel, Mr. Pollick came to appreciate the unique power and
opportunity inherent in leveraging celebrity and wealth on behalf of
philanthropy. He formulated the idea for an organization that would work
with celebrities to use their fame for the common good, and in 1997 he
established The Giving Back Fund (GBF) to provide philanthropic
management and consulting to professional athletes and entertainers.
By concentrating on celebrities, Mr. Pollick sought to diversify the typical
donor base to include people of color, women, and young people, groups
often underrepresented in traditional philanthropy. The first athlete with
whom GBF consulted was Boston Celtic Captain Dee Brown, followed soon
after by BC legend and NFL Quarterback Doug Flutie.
Pollick contributes frequently to major periodicals on the topic of
philanthropy and writes a regular column on sports philanthropy for Street
and Smith’s Sports Business Journal.
Pollick was recently recognized for his achievements as a recipient of the
2004 University of Chicago Alumni Award for Public Service. Upon receiving
the award, Pollick commented, “For me, the University of Chicago was not
just a college. It was the impetus for a radical shift in my life’s direction.
Every assumption I had prior to arriving in Hyde Park was challenged—from
what is important in life, to what constitutes an educated person. As an
undergraduate, I discovered role models who would become lifelong
heroes—in the persons of Jonathan Kozol, Jesse Owens (who tutored me in
the long jump!), Rabbi Harold Kushner, and Elie Wiesel. I learned not only
how to think, but how to employ that thought process to produce significant
actions. I vividly remember coming to college as a freshman knowing that I
wanted to change the world but not having a clue where to start. Without a
doubt, the relationships I developed at UC and the influences I absorbed
have directly equipped and enabled me to fulfill my freshman goal of
wanting to make the world a bit better. I was profoundly altered by my UC
education—in the classroom, on the athletic field, and in the dorms. The
Giving Back Fund is the professional manifestation of that treasured
experience.”