MOST RECENT
Deborah Santana is a lifelong activist and donor, including work at the Milagro Foundation with former husband Carlos Santana, and her own charitable fund Do A Little. Santana talks with IP about her past work and future plans.
Backed by the Ford Foundation, Laudes Foundation and Open Society Foundations, the Labora Fund is working to advance workers’ rights in Brazil, where nearly half of the labor force is made up of informal workers.
Housing has become a huge philanthropic priority, globally and domestically, and one of the largest charities in the space is Habitat for Humanity. We take a look at its latest global program targeting slums, barrios and favelas.
High-dollar philanthropic prizes are increasingly popular, but just how hard is it to land one? And how does winning impact recipients? Repeat winner Kaushik Kappagantulu recounts his experience.
Reflecting sector-wide trends, philanthropies threw their weight behind two collaborative global development efforts, seeking to bolster citizen engagement and shift power to those close to the ground.
Founded by a private equity veteran, Focusing Philanthropy brings a venture-capital-informed approach to the role of philanthropic go-between, routing donor dollars to a carefully curated set of nonprofits.
As the number of Indian Americans soars — along with their philanthropic potential — this network has been ramping up its efforts to mobilize support for poverty reduction and development back in the mother country.
Though most of Scott’s giving so far has taken place in the U.S., her global philanthropy is also expansive. Three regions in particular have received lots of attention: Sub-Saharan Africa, Latin America and South Asia.
Despite their insight into affected populations, humanitarian researchers from the Global South remain vastly under-resourced next to their Global North peers. Guest author Isabella Cordua outlines what funders can do to fix that.
Opinions on the “big bets” school of philanthropy vary, but guest contributor James Chen is all in. In this piece, he argues that wealthy donors should go big on high-risk, early-stage ideas.
Co-Impact seeks to improve health, education and economic outcomes for women across the Global South by tackling underlying forces at play. Here’s why the philanthropic collaborative has been a big draw for funders.
GiveDirectly, a leader in the push to give unconditional cash donations to those in need, has grown significantly since the pandemic hit. Part of that growth is a result of some huge gifts from MacKenzie Scott.
At the end of the year, we gained a lot of new data about what MacKenzie Scott is funding, including a growing international portfolio. Here’s what we’re learning based on the latest donations and a new database.
Another update from America’s most exciting mega-donor shows an ever-evolving set of focus areas, which now include charter schools and lots of global giving. One question we still have: How does it all fit together?
Entrepreneurship among women is on the rise globally, but lack of digital financial tools is holding many of them back. Some heavy hitters are rallying around an effort to bring about greater digital financial equity.
Philanthropy was more active than usual in last week’s United Nations General Assembly, as the secretary general called for a “rescue mission” to get Sustainable Development Goals on track. Here’s a rundown of the big pledges.
Efforts such as Bill Gates’ support for a Green Revolution in Africa are frequently criticized as neo-colonialism. That may be overstating things, but parachuting in with big money and big ideas remains common in global giving.
IP reports from Africa on Buffett’s $435 million investment and lofty ambitions for transforming agriculture in Rwanda and beyond. The push includes a new university, a large irrigation project, and close government partnership.
Open Philanthropy and GiveWell are bringing their close-knit effective altruist partnership to bear on the problem of unsafe water. Here’s how they’re helping provide community chlorine dispensers to several African countries.
Philanthropist Wendy Schmidt makes a case for greater funder support for agroecology, which draws upon Indigenous knowledge to create resilient food systems that safeguard biodiversity.
One area of focus to emerge in MacKenzie Scott and Dan Jewett’s global giving is civil society and human rights work in Brazil. A series of donations makes it clear the country is a priority. Here’s why and where the money is going.
Sovereign debt has a big impact on the ability of nations in the Global South to ensure basic human rights and protections, especially post-COVID. A pooled fund with some huge backers is looking to make a difference.
At long last, our two-time winner for Philanthropist of the Year has dropped another Medium post—this time with the names of grantees included. Here are some key takeaways.
Guest contributor Lauren Baker argues that when it comes to complex challenges like transforming food systems, rethinking predominant assumptions about evidence should be a priority for funders.
It’s finally happened. The Gates Foundation has four new trustees, three of whom are newcomers. Here’s a bit about each of them, and what this new arrangement may tell us about the world’s largest foundation.
Since 1986, the LEGO Foundation has been supporting children based on a core belief in the “power of play.” When the pandemic hit, the funder had to reconfigure its giving to meet new, urgent needs.
Civil war has created a humanitarian crisis in Ethiopia, killing thousands, including hundreds from starvation. A U.K.-based charity recently formed a $30 million partnership of three funders to support nutrition over five years.
Founded by Matt Damon and Gary White 12 years ago, Water.org is a leading provider of micro-loans to expand water access and work toward fulfilling the U.N.’s SDG 6. But in an already complex space, COVID has shaken things up.
The Mastercard Foundation is a big-time funder in Africa, committing $1.3 billion there to fight COVID and another $1.3 billion to support students. Its new $55 million partnership with the University of Rwanda furthers that work.
There are enormous shortfalls in funding to advance the U.N. Sustainable Development Goals. As part of its commitment to impact investing, MacArthur Foundation seeded a $1.1 billion fund for the cause.