The Philanthropist Party

is different.

Run Purple. Put Values First.

Any Party. Any Election. Any Race. Any Country.

Purple Dot Verified™

Purple Dot Verified™ is process-based, not ideology-based. You can ActBlue or WinRed and still Run Purple.

A Purple Dot simply means the person completed an assessment, published a public values statement, signed a pledge, and passed a basic review. The policy quiz is intentionally quick and easy: 20 questions. A Purple Dot is free.

Political quiz grid

Support a Purple Dot Verified™ Candidate

Featured applicants and candidates seeking early-stage support. Candidate detail pages include assessment placement and public record details.

Jane Smith Purple Dot Verified™

Jane Smith

Town Council
Manchester, New Hampshire
Independent • USA

Seeking $5,000
Raised $2,350

Miguel Santos Purple Dot Verified™

Miguel Santos

Municipal Assembly
Lisbon, Portugal
Independent • Portugal

Seeking $5,000
Raised $1,220

Sarah Patel Purple Dot Verified™

Sarah Patel

Library Trustee
Toronto, Ontario
Nonpartisan • Canada

Seeking $500
Raised $125

Hannah Weber Purple Dot Verified™

Hannah Weber

City Council
Hamburg, Germany
Local Independent • Germany

Seeking $5,000
Raised $890

Aarav Mehta Purple Dot Certified™

Aarav Mehta

District Council
Pune, India
Independent • India

Seeking $50,000
Raised $7,900

Camila Rocha Purple Dot Verified™

Camila Rocha

Community Board
São Paulo, Brazil
Independent • Brazil

Seeking $500
Raised $240

How It Works

1. Take the Assessment

Answer 20 simple questions to create a public values snapshot.

2. Publish a Values Statement

Candidates state where they stand and can update their record over time.

3. Take the Purple Dot Pledge™

Sign a clear public pledge with an embedded signature pad.

4. Apply for Support

Applicants may request $500, $5,000, $50,000, or $500,000.

Wear The Dot™

A simple purple sticker can become a conversation starter on name tags, campaign tables, events, and community meetings.

Wear The Dot™

Ask people where they stand. Invite them to take the pledge.

The History of TPP

This work builds on years of Philanthropist-branded events, donor conversations, and values-based evaluation concepts.

August 1999

Eric Melin writes an 85-page business plan for “ValueSystem.com” at the height of the dot-com boom covering ideas later associated with values-based investing, socially responsible investing, triple bottom line investing, green investing, ESG, and the later philanthropist.org / philanthropist.run concepts.

April 2006

Seven founders from BU, BC, UVM, UPENN, MIT, and Harvard Business School meet in Boston for a kickoff Founder’s Meeting specific to philanthropist.org.

September 2008

Eric Melin sponsors the Harvard Democrat vs. Harvard Republican Debate Club teams in a Red vs. Blue Paintball Match to attempt to create the perfect “purple dot.”

December 2010

Philanthropist.org hosts its first Annual Philanthropist Party fundraiser with over 200 world leaders at Harvard’s Peabody Museum of Archaeology and Ethnology.

February 2011

Philanthropist.org completes the first of several Field Studies: mission-trips overseas as well as early prototypes for a technology platform.

February 2020

Philanthropist.org completes a year-long fundraising effort to secure capital and major gifts to support full-time operations and staff up offices. Then COVID changes the operating plan.

January 2024

Post-COVID, philanthropist.org, Inc. is restructured to separate philanthropist.site from philanthropist.org, philanthropist.run, and other brands.

Future Milestone

Add confirmed future milestone here.

Future Milestone

Add confirmed future milestone here.

Future Milestone

Add confirmed future milestone here.

Future Milestone

Add confirmed future milestone here.