The hypothesis for the Permanent Endowment Program Research Project was that a guaranteed outcome that created perpetually multiplying, intergenerational endowment funding that was a multiple of gifts received would mitigate the endowment funding deficits of 501 (c) 3 non-profit organizations. Financial institutions capable of guaranteeing the intergenerational leveraged outcome had to be identified. Obtaining intergenerational multiplication of endowment funding through risk investing had been demonstrated to be ineffective through findings of research into the philanthropy of Stephen Girard.
Stephen Girard was America’s greatest patriot-philanthropist. If it were not for Stephen Girard America may not have prevailed in the War of 1812 and retained its independence from England. Stephen Girard was a merchant, a mariner, a banker, a philanthropist, a humanitarian and a patriot. He deported himself heroically on many occasions on behalf of the United States, the adopted country that he loved. Ironically, few Americans are aware of this French immigrant who saved our new nation from reverting to British colonial status and was the wealthiest American citizen when he died.