September 19, 2023 This Bespoke Funding Intermediary Focuses Donors on a Dozen Highly Vetted Global Grantees September 19, 2023/ Wendy Paris 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.Read More
August 31, 2023 Global Lack of Access to Eye Care Exacts a Great Cost. But This Organization Is Stepping Up August 31, 2023/ Liz Longley Philanthropy has been slow to recognize the importance of vision care, despite its centrality to global life. There have been exceptions, though. The NGO Orbis International is one focus for funder support.Read More
August 25, 2023 Gates Remains Among the Few in Philanthropy to Drive Research for an HIV Vaccine August 25, 2023/ Paul Karon Philanthropy makes up only a small fraction of spending on research and support for people with HIV, still a major threat around the world. In the push for a vaccine, Gates and Gilead are leading the pack.Read More
July 27, 2023 This Women’s Donor Collective Invites its Members to “Experience Philanthropy Differently” July 27, 2023/ Michelle Dominguez Celebrating 10 years, the Maverick Collective has moved over $100 million to women and girls’ health and reproductive rights globally. Its unique approach asks donors to learn from the people on the ground.Read More
July 19, 2023 A Global Philanthropic Competition to Save the Lives of Mothers and Babies July 19, 2023/ Connie Matthiessen Lever for Change recently announced finalists in its Maternal & Infant Health Award grants competition. Can this approach, which supports community-based health programs, move the needle on a global problem?Read More
July 13, 2023 Type 1 Diabetes Is an Overlooked Global Threat. This Health Funder Has Made it a Top Priority July 13, 2023/ Liz Longley Among non-communicable diseases, diabetes has a particularly low profile as a global health concern. The Helmsley Charitable Trust has made it a central focus, including two recent commitments to the WHO. Read More
May 17, 2023 Can an Aging Population Stay Healthy? Two Global Funders Hope to Unlock the Secrets of Resilience May 17, 2023/ Liz Longley Humans are living longer, but in our later years, we become more vulnerable to injury and age-related diseases. Wellcome Leap and the Singapore-based Temasek Trust are funding a new program to extend “healthspans.”Read More
May 05, 2023 How the India Philanthropy Alliance Engages a Growing Donor Base May 05, 2023/ Ade Adeniji 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.Read More
May 01, 2023 How Christy Turlington Burns Uses Awareness and Advocacy to Put Mothers First May 01, 2023/ Liz Longley We checked in with the model and social entrepreneur about Every Mother Counts, a public philanthropy she founded that uses advocacy, awareness building and grantmaking to center mothers in maternal health work.Read More
April 19, 2023 Beyond Borders: A Regional Look at MacKenzie Scott’s Global Giving April 19, 2023/ Liz Longley 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.Read More
April 11, 2023 Inside This Abortion Care Backer’s Move to an “Anti-Colonialist” Decision-Making Model April 11, 2023/ Dawn Wolfe As it seeks to expand abortion and contraception access, Ipas is making major changes to its organizational model, in part to bolster a global abortion ecosystem it sees as limited by top-down funding.Read More
April 05, 2023 Research Is Critical for Effective Aid. So Why Aren't Researchers from the Global South Getting Funded? April 05, 2023/ Isabella Cordua, Guest Contributor 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.Read More
April 04, 2023 Bloomberg’s Commitment to Curb Tobacco Use Now Totals $1.5 Billion. Here’s the Latest Move April 04, 2023/ Liz Longley Since 2005, Bloomberg Philanthropies has been pouring funding into efforts to reduce tobacco use, with a global reach. Here, we recap the program’s focus so far, including a closer look at a recent $420 million pledge.Read More
March 16, 2023 How Effective is Effective Altruism? A Deep Dive Into Two of Open Philanthropy’s EA-Inspired Programs March 16, 2023/ Liz Longley Effective altruism has had a rough year, but remains a major force within philanthropy. We take a closer look at two of this EA-driven outfit’s programs: farm animal welfare and biosecurity and pandemic preparedness.Read More
March 10, 2023 These Health Research Funders Are Facing Down the Next Pandemic Threat — Whatever It May Be March 10, 2023/ Paul Karon The Gates Foundation, Novo Nordisk Foundation and Open Philanthropy are collaborating under a partnership called Pandemic Antiviral Discovery, funding research to develop treatments that may be needed for future pandemics.Read More
February 06, 2023 Think the Gates Foundation Is Too Influential? It May Get a Lot Bigger — Or Never Go Away February 06, 2023/ Michael Kavate The largest foundation in the U.S. will soon spend $9 billion a year. But a look at the numbers suggests that’s still far from enough to fulfill its pledge to spend down, if that’s actually the plan.Read More
January 31, 2023 With Big Backing From MacKenzie Scott and More, Co-Impact Targets Global Gender Inequality January 31, 2023/ Liz Longley 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.Read More
January 24, 2023 How a Boston-area Funder is Continuing the Legacy of a Champion of Global Health January 24, 2023/ Paul Karon The Cummings Foundation is mainly focused on Massachusetts, but is extending its sizable support for healthcare in Rwanda. A new $52 million gift carries on the legacy of global health legend Paul Farmer.Read More
January 05, 2023 MacKenzie Scott Is Funding to Empower People Globally. Here’s What We Know About Her Priorities January 05, 2023/ Liz Longley and Tate Williams 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.Read More
January 05, 2023 Bill Gates' Perpetuity Problem January 05, 2023/ Philip Rojc Bill Gates says he wants to spend down in 25 years, but that’s hard to square with the foundation he’s built — a technocratic global health juggernaut that, in an earlier era, would almost certainly have been intended for perpetuity.Read More