Panel, Conference Presentation, Fireside Chat
Women's Breakfast: Transformational Philanthropy
Milken InstituteMike, Wendy Kopp, Alexis, Precious, Margaret, Marissa Drew, Helena, Maria, Katie O'Reilly, Nancy Oseas
- Global education systems are anticipated to prioritize rising educational levels and the reduction of inequities to ensure collective welfare, with a projected annual channeling of 5,000 to 6,000 top graduates from finance, technology, medicine, and law into two-year teaching commitments in low-income communities through programs like Teach First and Teach for America.
- Long-term improvements in educational outcomes are expected in communities receiving steady talent streams, with London's disadvantaged children projected to outperform the average U.K. child, while the Teach for All network is set to expand beyond its current 35 countries to share global solutions.
- Human capital is estimated to constitute 75% to 90% of societal real assets, with future economic growth driven by knowledge acquisition, medical longevity, and strategic immigration; however, STEM education is projected to become a universal necessity within 10 years as 90% of jobs will require STEM components.
- A $100,000 philanthropic commitment over three years at Imperial College aims to reduce women's STEM dropout rates and fund related companies, addressing the specific challenge of mobilizing the 50% female population and filling the 73 million unfilled U.S. jobs requiring adequate skills.
- Sub-Saharan Africa is expected to drive global economic growth through a demographic dividend from its youth population (44% aged 15–29), supported by increasing life expectancy, women's leadership in healthcare, and the continued global leadership of countries like Rwanda in gender equality.
- Bioscience is projected to continue accounting for approximately 50% of global economic growth over the past two centuries, with the U.K. maintaining its leading position through five top-20 global universities, while the Faster Cures Foundation targets accelerating research to address the 9,950 untreated diseases out of 10,000 known.
- Significant capital gaps remain in the venture ecosystem, where women-led STEM innovation is often overlooked despite women's success in large public firms, with only one in every $23 in U.S. small business loans directed to women-owned enterprises despite their 30% market share.
- Financial institutions and initiatives like the 30% Club, Girls Effect, and Milken Institute's Women Financial Scholars Program are expected to expand efforts to shift gender diversity from a women's issue to a business imperative, mobilize capital for women-owned businesses, and train scholars from underprivileged areas.
- Future strategies prioritize adolescence as a critical transition period where targeted support is needed to prevent dropout and translate discussions on girls and women into tangible assets regarding education, health, and economic opportunity.