Features

This supplement brings together the latest thinking about how big-bet philanthropy is changing the ways that the nonprofit sector is working to address major social problems.

 

Social change leaders can create more investment opportunities that can transform the world by following these guidelines.


 

Historic growth in wealth globally and the rise of new philanthropists threaten the relevance of institutional philanthropy—while creating new opportunities for impact and influence.

 

Perspectives

Big Bets Are Important. But So Is a Big Heart
By David Callahan
The founder and editor of Inside Philanthropy argues in favor of giving that addresses humanity’s most urgent needs.

 

Big Gift, Big Impact
By Andrew Youn & Matthew Forti
The cofounder and executive director of One Acre Fund and the managing director of One Acre Fund USA write about the role a big bet played in helping their organization expand its impact.
 

Renewing Common Purpose and Collective Action
By Kathy Calvin
The president and CEO of the United Nations Foundation reflects on the power of philanthropic collaboration.

 

Empowering Nonprofits
By Dan Cardinali
The president and CEO of Independent Sector elaborates on how big bets can help redistribute wealth and rebalance the power dynamic between donors and nonprofits.

 

Hacking the Bias in Big Bets
By Cheryl Dorsey
The president of Echoing Green explains how to get more big bets to organizations led by people of color.

 

Doing More With Big Bets
By Barbara Picower
The president and chair of the board of directors of the JPB Foundation describes what the organization learned from a “hub and network” approach to big-bet philanthropy.

 

Learning From Competition
By Rebecca Richards-Kortum
The director of the Rice 360° Institute for Global Health explains how participating in the MacArthur Foundation’s 100&Change competition helped transform her organization.

 

From Promising Model to Major Investment
By Nancy Roob & Mark Edwards
The head of Blue Meridian Partners and the cofounder of Upstream USA discuss their partnership in using a big bet to transform women’s healthcare nationwide.

 

Investing in Population-Level Change
By Jim Shelton
Five insights about social mobility and the role of big bet philanthropy.

Lists

Among the big donors were the National Fish and Wildlife Foundation, the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, and Bloomberg Philanthropies.

These five examples of large investments demonstrate the enormous impact they can have on the world’s most pressing problems.