Ford, Rockefeller, Atlantic, Pershing Square, Bloomberg and Open Society Named in Forbes' Big Bet Philanthropy

Wednesday, November 30, 2016

Ford, Rockefeller, Atlantic, Pershing Square, Bloomberg and Open Society Named in Forbes' Big Bet Philanthropy

For the superrich and the biggest U.S. charitable foundations, donating to universities, hospitals and cultural institutions is the norm.

Less common are donations targeted at “social change”–alleviating poverty, increasing employment and the like, though such donations are on the rise. Philanthropy consulting firm Bridgespan Group researched social-change gifts of $25 million or more that were announced last year.

Ten outside experts ranked them based on six categories: ambition, clarity of desired results, whether the bet offers a clear role for philanthropy to “move the needle,” whether the strategies are logical and realistic, the extent to which learning and improvement are built into the grant, and the strength of the relationship between the donor and the recipient organization...