Conference Presentation, Panel
Seeding Change: A New Dynamism in Philanthropy
Milken InstituteRichard Ditizio, Sir Tom Hunter, Dominika Kulczyk, David Panzirer, Belinda Tanoto, Dominique Cravicchio
- Mergers and acquisitions in the charitable sector are predicted to increase efficiency by reducing duplication and directing more funds toward causes.
- Donors are expected to adopt a business-like approach by selecting high-probability winners based on predetermined efficacy metrics and abandoning isolated initiatives if similar efforts exist elsewhere.
- Funding for pilot projects will be disbursed in 6, 12, 18, or 24-month intervals to evaluate progress, with a willingness to terminate underperforming initiatives more rigorously than commercial operations.
- Exit strategies determining when to cease funding will be established at the project's outset, emphasizing a "fail quick, fail cheap" philosophy similar to startup investing to learn and move on.
- Government adoption of pilot programs is anticipated to follow successful demonstrations of metrics, with foundations willing to assume disproportionate risks that governments avoid due to an intolerance for failure.
- A specific pilot addressing youth homelessness is predicted to catalyze significant policy changes in Scotland if sufficient government resources are secured.
- The development timeline for a potential Type 1 diabetes cure is projected to span 15 to 20 years from discovery to available therapy for children.
- Strategic focus will remain on improving care and primary prevention, supported by a clinical trial platform designed to screen 400,000 newborns for multiple disease groups.
- The success of the clinical trial platform is expected to attract other disease groups once a proof of concept is demonstrated.
- Deworming programs costing 50 cents annually per child are projected to have a greater impact on school attendance than initial assumptions regarding infrastructure or uniforms.
- Leveraging an ed tech company with 1.7 million users is expected to accelerate scaling to over 80% of districts in Indonesia.
- Collaboration with other donors is anticipated to facilitate education system reform, with forward-thinking district leaders expected to inspire broader regional improvement.
- Establishing proven concepts of success is predicted to generate a movement where others join the initiative.
- Documentary series are expected to drive viewer action, with specific examples cited of individuals traveling to Kenya within a week of viewing to engage with issues.
- Community infrastructure projects are expected to create a "domino effect" that transforms entire communities.
- Investment strategies aim to de-risk involvement for large companies by encouraging participation rather than seeking financial returns.
- Large corporations are noted to avoid projects perceived as easy cuts due to the financial requirement of repaying money with interest if terminated.
- The volume of program-related investments is expected to increase as organizational bandwidth and staff expand.
- Foundations are expected to empower young entrepreneurs with unique insights that traditional policymakers lack, providing necessary resources to articulate and implement their proposals.
- Acceptance of external advice to replace international development teams with the most effective charities is viewed as a potentially brilliant strategic move.
- Success in medical interventions is defined by achieving progress in FDA drug approval, payer reimbursement, or company manufacturing.
- Foundations are expected to grant permission for failure, prioritizing learning by doing over rigid spreadsheet analysis.