The Philanthropy Workshop Audio Library

Matthew Barzun's book The Power of Giving Away Power explores the idea of Constellation theory as a new framework for effective leadership. In this recording, he shares what this framework is, what it means in practice, and how it can be useful for philanthropists and other social leaders.--BiographyMatthew BarzunMatthew Barzun has always been fascinated about how we can stand out and fit in at the same time. He helped countries do both when he served as US ambassador to the United Kingdom and to Sweden. He helped citizens do both as National Finance Chair for Barack Obama by pioneering new ways for people to have a stronger voice in politics. And he helped tech consumers do both as an entrepreneur when he helped build CNET Networks in the early 90's. Barzun was raised on the East Coast, started his career on the West Coast, and settled in the middle in Louisville, Kentucky with his wife, Brooke, and their three children.

The global refugee system needs transforming in order to meet the demands of the 21st century and to empower displaced people as humans, rather than seeing them as victims. Listen to the story of Bahati, a refugee in Kenya for 25 years and now an advocate for the innovative Labour Mobility Project, which is supported by Refuge Point as a new legal pathway to safety.About Refuge PointUsing private funds, RefugePoint was founded in 2005 to identify refugees who fall through the cracks of humanitarian aid. Initially providing life-saving care to HIV+ refugees in Nairobi, Kenya, the agency grew quickly, adding a range of services to support those with the most urgent needs. Over time, RefugePoint developed a unique, full-service response model for assisting urban refugees and facilitating their self-reliance.--BiographiesBahati ErnestineBahati Ernestine is a Continuing Care Assistant at Glen Haven Manor (GHM) Canada working with a team of healthcare providers to care for residents. Bahati is also a Research Associate at the University of Oxford's Refugee-Led Research Hub (RLRH). At the RLRH, Bahati supports the Academic and research pillars. Previously, Bahati has served as a UNV with the UNHCR Nairobi Branch Office as the Youth Activities Coordinator. She also worked as a nurse at Kenyatta National Hospital in Nairobi during the COVID 19 pandemic. Bahati has a Nursing degree from Moi University in Eldoret Kenya, a certificate in Project Management in Global Health from the University of Washington, and a certificate in the Kenyan Sign Language from the University of Nairobi. Bahati is a former Rwandan refugee currently residing in Nova Scotia, Canada.Sasha ChanoffSasha Chanoff is the founder and executive director of RefugePoint, a humanitarian organization that finds lasting solutions for the world's most at risk refugees. He co-authored a new book titled From Crisis to Calling: Finding Your Moral Center in the Toughest Decisions with a foreword by David Gergen.Sasha is a recipient of the Charles Bronfman Humanitarian Prize, the Harvard Center for Public Leadership Gleitsman International Activist Award, and is an Obama Administration White House Champion of Change. He serves on the steering committee of New England International Donors and is an advisor to the Good Lie Fund, the philanthropic arm of the Warner Bros. film The Good Lie about the resettlement of the Sudanese Lost Boys.Sasha has appeared on 60 Minutes and in other national media outlets, and has received social entrepreneur fellowships from the Draper Richards Kaplan Foundation, Ashoka, and Echoing Green. His book is about defining moral decision points in leadership, and is based on a life and death dilemma Sasha faced during a US rescue operation into the Congo to evacuate massacre survivors. The story is a featured video on the Women in the World / NYT website. Sasha has also told this story on the TEDx stage, for NPR's Moth Radio Hour, and in other forums. He lives in Somerville, Massachusetts with his wife and two children.

In their new book, Patience Marime-Ball and Ruth Shaber share a simple but often overlooked investment strategy to earning higher returns: including women as financial decision-makers within your organization or team. Here they share why they wrote the book, why it is important, and some of key findings.--BiographiesPatience Marime-BallPatience has more than two decades of investment experience across capital markets – debt and equity financing, large scale infrastructure, distressed assets, as well as venture stage opportunities. She has made major contributions to the gender lens investing field, including conceptualizing and building IFC's Banking on Women Investment Platform (current portfolio of approx. $2.7 billion); co-development of the first ever Gender Bond issued on the Uridashi market; and co-structuring alongside Goldman Sachs of a $600M debt fund ( $1.7 billion in loans to women entrepreneurs deployed to-date). She is an early stage investor with Golden Seeds and was previously Vice President with Mizuho Bank.Patience is a member of As You Sow's Prison Free Funds and Racial Justice Initiative Advisory Committees. She is Vice Chair of the Board at the International Center for Research on Women, as well as an Advisor to Emerging Sun, and a Venture Partner with ATP. Patience holds a JD from the Pritzker School of Law and an MBA from Kellogg at Northwestern University.Ruth ShaberRuth Shaber MD is the founder and president of the Tara Health Foundation, which promotes health, well-being and opportunity for women and girls through innovative evidence-informed programs. Her philanthropic goals include advancing the field of gender lens impact investing. She started her career as an Obstetrician and Gynecology at the Kaiser Permanente South San Francisco Medical Center in 1990. From 1997 to 2003, she served as chief of Obstetrics and Gynecology and from 2001 to 2007 she served as the director of Women's Health for the Northern California division of Kaiser Permanente. She is also the founder of the Women's Health Research Institute in Kaiser Permanente's Northern California Region. Ruth was the Medical Director at the Kaiser Permanente Care Management Institute (CMI) from 2007 to 2012. She is a member of the board of directors at Jacaranda Health and on the National Medical Committee for Planned Parenthood Federation of America.Ruth received her B.A. from Yale University and her medical degree from the University of Pennsylvania. She served her residency in Obstetrics and Gynecology at the University of California in San Francisco.

In this conversation hosted and led by the Toronto Foundation, Andrew Chunilall and Senator Ratna Omidvar discuss some of the top trends, key areas of debate, and opportunities for progress in Canadian philanthropy in 2022.--BiographiesAndrew ChunilallAndrew joined Community Foundations Canada in 2013 and became CEO in 2017, following a six-year tenure as Vice-President of Finance for the London Community Foundation and his long-standing service as a finance and regulatory expert for Canada's philanthropic milieu. Now at the head of the community foundation movement, Andrew is working closely with the Community Foundations of Canada Leadership team, Board and foundations in Canada and abroad to help the philanthropic sector transform, innovate and meet the new challenges and opportunities of the 21st century. An increasingly active public speaker, Andrew is helping raise awareness for how the philanthropic sector's convening power, leadership and action around targets such as the Sustainable Development Goals can help Canadian communities reach their full potential.Outside of Community Foundations of Canada, Andrew has been highly active in the nonprofit community for 15 years, serving on numerous boards including Community Living London and Art for AIDS International. In 2014, he was appointed to the Board of the Southwest Local Health Integration Network by former Minister of Health, Deb Matthews. In 2015, he was among 250 selected emerging leaders to participate in the Governor General's Canadian Leadership Conference. He recently joined the Board of WINGS, the global network of grantmaker associations and philanthropic support organisations.With a background in education in economics and commerce, Andrew obtained his chartered accountant designation in 2002 and began his career at PricewaterhouseCoopers LLP as a manager in the Assurance and Advisory Group.Senator Ratna OmidvarRatna Omidvar is an internationally recognized voice on migration, diversity and inclusion. She came to Canada from Iran in 1981 and her own experiences of displacement, integration and citizen engagement have been the foundation of her work. In April 2016, Ms. Omidvar was appointed to the Senate of Canada as an independent senator representing Ontario. As a member of the Senate's Independent Senators Group she holds a leadership position as the Liaison Officer. Senator Omidvar is also the Chair of the Standing Senate Committee on Social Affairs, Science and Technology and served as Deputy Chair of the Special Senate Committee on the Charitable Sector.Senator Omidvar is a Director at the Samara Centre for Democracy, a Director at the Century Initiative, a Council Member at the World Refugee and Migration Council and Chair Emerita at the Toronto Region Immigrant Employment Council.Previously at Ryerson University, Senator Omidvar was a Distinguished Visiting Professor and founded the Global Diversity Exchange, a think-and-do tank on diversity, migration and inclusion. Prior to her appointments at Ryerson, Senator Omidvar was the President of Maytree, where she played a lead role in local, national and international efforts to promote the integration of immigrants.Senator Omidvar is co-author of Flight and Freedom: Stories of Escape to Canada (2015), an Open Book Toronto best book of 2015 and one of the Toronto Star's top five good reads from Word on the Street. She is also a contributor to The Harper Factor (2016) and co-editor of Five Good Ideas: Practical Strategies for Non-Profit Success (2011). Senator Omidvar received a Honorary Degree, Doctor of Laws, from Ryerson University in 2018 and from York University in 2012.Full bio available here: https://sencanada.ca/en/senators/omidvar-ratna/

We live in a time of challenge and divisiveness driven by interconnected and existential threats. The war and conflict landscape is changing due to the pandemic, climate change, resource scarcity, digital technologies, disinformation as well as racial and economic injustices. We can now count more autocracies than democracies and distrust in government and institutions has eroded the basic social contract. And yet, many of us are responding to this challenging time feeling a deep sense of urgency and responsibility to act and put new resources to work. At a time when the stakes are so high, how can we sustain the gains made by the human rights movement? And as social investors, how can we collectively adopt approaches and mindsets that lead us toward peaceful, just, inclusive societies with human rights at the center?Hosted by Article3.org and TPW, listen to an intimate conversation with the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights and former President of Chile, Michelle Bachelet. Speaking exactly one month before Article3.org's Human Rights Day on Peace, Security and the Future of Conflict, the High Commissioner will share her story and speak to the human rights challenges facing the world and the role philanthropy has to play in addressing them. You can read the High Commissioner's full bio here.

In a conversation examining the implications of cryptocurrency on society, explore what TPW board member Bo Shao calls “not a once in a lifetime issue, but once in a millennium."  Bo and cryptocurrency expert Jason Kam help provide a candid overview of the current landscape, challenges, and opportunities. 

Join us for a spotlight Talk with Ai-jen Poo, Co-Founder and Executive Director of the National Domestic Workers Alliance, and Ali Noorani, President & CEO of the National Immigration Forum. In this talk, we will learn how advocacy and community organizing bring systemic change for a population of domestic workers often overlooked or ignored by people in power.Domestic workers, most of whom are women and many of whom have a migratory background, face severe human rights violations and systemic barriers to having their voices heard. This conversation will include clear transferrable learnings related to the question of how community engagement and grassroots activism forms part of a systems change approach. This session is relevant for any member interested in movement-building, grass-roots organizing, advocacy, gender, and racial equity.

All of us will someday face the challenges and fears associated with living with a serious illness, either for ourselves or a loved one. Palliative care is a new team-based medical specialty that focuses on providing relief from the symptoms and stress of a serious illness and improving quality of life for patients and families. This interactive session engaged leading experts to introduce palliative care and outline its benefits, and helped us examine the profound cultural obstacles to providing access this holistic approach to serious illness care.

It's been called "The Philanthropist's Dilemma" and the "Now or Forever" question: Do I spend down or form a foundation in perpetuity?This question of course comes with many others: is this really a binary decision? How should I find my own path? How do I take into account the size of my giving, my philanthropic strategy, my co-decision makers and my life plans?Join us in conversation with Peter Smitham, Chair of Atlantic Philanthropies, to learn how philanthropists can approach decision-making around whether to spend down or to give in perpetuity. The session will last 60 minutes.Peter Smitham was a founder of Permira (formerly Schroder Ventures), a global private equity firm where he fulfilled different roles for 30 years until 2015, including managing partner and chairman. Previously he had worked in the electronics industry, including a successful start-up in the 1970s. In 2000 Peter decided to “go plural” and include strategic philanthropy, social impact investing and emerging market private equity to his developed market private equity career with Permira. Since then he has served on the boards of MSI Reproductive Choices (formerly Marie Stopes), New Philanthropy Capital, and Population Services International. In 2004 he joined the Board of Atlantic Philanthropies - a multibillion-dollar organisation with a limited life spend down philosophy created and funded by Chuck Feeney. Peter served as the Board Chair of Atlantic Philanthropies from 2011-2020. In 2004 Peter and wife Lynne founded their family foundation, The Kiawah Trust, which focuses on improving the lives of disadvantaged adolescent girls in India.

Former President of Ireland Mary Robinson speaks to what she has learned throughout her career, and how social investors can step up as leaders in the current moment.FEATURINGMary Robinson | Former President of IrelandFran Perrin | TPW Member

Leading thinkers and practitioners in the European philanthropy space share their perspective on what an invitation to "Think Again" means for the sector. Each speaker will discuss principles and practices they want to leave behind and which they want to take forward, chartering a new direction for 2021 and beyond.FEATURINGDerek Bardowell | Journalist, Author & Philanthropy AdvisorSwatee Deepak | Global Fund for Children & Stars Foundation

Article3.org in partnership with The Philanthropy Workshop is pleased to launch A Virtual Salon Series: Rights Sandwiched-In, where we will steward an intimate 60-minute program of learning and strategic discussion around a timely human rights topic and the role of philanthropy. 

Join us with TPW Board Chair Lisa Wolverton in conversation with Halla Tómasdóttir, CEO of The B Team, and Leslie Johnston, CEO of Laudes Foundation, for a conversation on the future of capitalism, business, and leadership. Lisa, Halla, and Leslie will explore questions including:How have the events of 2020 changed your understanding of leadership?You have said that 2020 has to mark the end of "business as usual" and the start of a "new social contract". Could you explain what you mean by this?What can we learn from our response to the 2008 financial crisis, and what is different about this moment?Is there a "future of capitalism" – or do we need a more radical rethink of our socioeconomic systems and the way that we distribute wealth and power? What is the role of social investors and philanthropists in your vision for a better, kinder world?Some of Halla's recent work has included reflections on the current moment, The B Team strategy, A call for compassionate leadership, and a recently published article We Need a Reset, Not a Restart of business as usual.

Join us for a conversation on globalisation, development and systemic risk post-COVID 19 with Professor Ian Goldin of Oxford University. Professor Goldin is the author of multiple books including The Butterfly Defect: How Globalization Creates Systemic Risks, and What to Do About It, and has also served as the Vice-President of the World Bank, Founding Director of the Oxford Martin School and an advisor to Nelson Mandela.We will explore questions including:What is systemic risk, and how can we mitigate it in our globalised systems?How has the response to COVID-19 been shaped by the norms and assumptions of free-market capitalism? What impact has this had?We have seen a rise in nationalism in many countries following the COVID-19 pandemic. What impact could this have in our efforts to mitigate systemic risk?What can we learn from our response to the 2008 financial crisis, and what is different about this moment?Is there a "future of capitalism" - or do we need a more radical rethink of our socioeconomic systems, and the way that we distribute wealth and power? What is the role of social investors and philanthropists in building better socioeconomic systems?

Article3.org in partnership with The Philanthropy Workshop is pleased to launch A Virtual Salon Series: Rights Sandwiched-In, where we will steward an intimate 60-minute program of learning and strategic discussion around a timely human rights topic and the role of philanthropy. 

Join us with Professor Stephan Chambers, Director of the Marshall Institute at the London School of Economics (LSE), Amma Mensah, founder and executive director of Beyond the Classroom (BTC), and Yane Amos, Co-Founder of The Amos Bursary, for a conversation on the future of education in light of COVID-19 and the global movement for racial justice. Stephan and Amma will speak from a range of perspectives including the potential of online education to reduce or exacerbate inequality and will speak to the role of social investors in supporting what works.

As protests continue to roil the nation, small businesses across the U.S. face three overlapping challenges: a pandemic, an economic crisis, and the explosive response to yet more killings of black people by police. Before the response to George Floyd's death, the situation for small businesses — particularly minority-owned small businesses — was already dire and the urgency to respond to the clear economic devastation of COVID-19 is only becoming more serious. In effort to directly address these critical needs in the state of California, the California Small Enterprise Task Force (CASE) is working to mobilize $1 billion to provide low-interest debt financing to the small businesses that are essential to local economies and livelihoods. Join this 60-minute session as we look at the state of California and specifically the new California Small Business Rebuilding Fund launched by the CASE Task Force as a case study for how a committed and diverse group of stakeholders can collaborate and design new solutions quickly — and how this model can be leveraged and replicated elsewhere.  The session will be an opportunity to hear from a small group of partners who are creating new structures, building bridges between existing institutions, and moving capital quickly and responsibly to rebuild and shape a more inclusive recovery. Speakers include:Nicole Taylor, President & CEO, Silicon Valley Community FoundationLuz Urrutia, CEO, Opportunity FundSusan Mac Cormac, Corporate Partner at Morrison & FoersterElliott Donnelley, TPW Board Member & Founding General Partner of the White Sand Investor GroupFor those who would like to learn more before this session, please check out the following articles about the fund as it's being built.LA Times | Bay Area group raising $1 billion for small businesses hurt by virus, theft, curfewsSF Chronicle | High-powered Bay Area group aims to outdo DC in coronavirus help for small business

Join us with Willy Foote, Founder and CEO of Root Capital, and Raj Panjabi, Founder and CEO of Last Mile Health, for a conversation on the economic impact of COVID-19 in low- and middle-income countries. Across the world, preserving livelihoods must coexist alongside the global health response, where many communities face seemingly impossible choices.The learnings will be anchored specifically in Last Mile Health's key learnings from the successful Ebola health response in West Africa, and in the context of Root's Capital's COVID rapid response strategy to grow agricultural businesses. In this session we will ask, how might we think about multi-sector and multi-stakeholder collaboration to help mitigate both the health and economic fallout from COVID-19?

Join us for a conversation with Kris Archie and Sara Lyons to explore leadership, positionality, and power in transformative spaces. The Circle on Philanthropy and Aboriginal Peoples in Canada (The Circle) seeks to change philanthropy and is a membership organization that connects settler-led foundations and Indigenous communities to drive learning, innovation, relationship-building, co-creation, and activation. The Circle frequently explores and models new ways of doing and building relationships. As the Indigenous CEO and non-Indigenous Co-Chair, Kris and Sara are brought together in the work of disruption, discomfort, and dreaming into the future. This webinar will explore philanthropy from an Indigenous world-view, explore the role of white leaders in using their power, and share insights on how the current context of COVID-19 and global anti-racist movements is an opportunity to shift practice and power. 

Drawing on his extensive career in risk analysis, crisis management, disaster recovery, peacekeeping and social development, Nigel Fisher will present a wide-ranging overview of international development issues, future directions and the kinds of strategic choices that may confront philanthropists and others engaged in addressing some of the world's development challenges.Nigel will cover questions including:What does the future look like? How are we thinking about the climate crisis, COVID-10, globalisation, inequity and poverty?What is good governance? What is democracy?Humanitarian solutions don't solve humanitarian problems. So what does?What are strategic choices for investment for a social investor?

TPW is pleased to host this webinar in partnership with Co-Impact.COVID-19 has forced a pivot to alternative ways of providing healthcare while limiting exposure to the virus. With this has come a quick adoption of telemedicine--a tool involving remote health-related services such as monitoring, advice and education between doctors and patients online over a secure connection.Project ECHO (Extension for Community Healthcare Outcomes) takes telemedicine one step further. It moves knowledge instead of people so that millions of patients in dozens of countries across six continents can get the care they need.Project ECHO is an innovative telementoring program designed to create virtual communities of learners by bringing together healthcare providers and subject matter experts using videoconference technology, brief lecture presentations, and case-based learning, fostering an “all learn, all teach” approach. Participants are engaged in the bi-directional virtual knowledge network by sharing clinical challenges and learning from experts and peers. Project ECHO has been recognized globally as a successful tool to improve patient care outcomes. As the world responds to the rapidly evolving COVID-19 pandemic, Project ECHO's global partner network is uniquely positioned to provide a timely and effective platform to support and scale efforts to prepare for and respond to the spread of the virus, especially in vulnerable countries and regions. The ECHO Institute is working to coordinate and support the rapid development and implementation of ECHO telementoring programs worldwide, leveraging their existing network of ECHO hubs to rapidly disseminate information on COVID-19 preparedness and response in collaboration with local experts and community stakeholders. Join us for a conversation with Dr. Sanjeev Arora to understand how Project ECHO is taking health systems change to global scale.

We are joined by Dr. Githinji Gitahi, CEO of Amref Health Africa, for a discussion on how to strengthen health systems in Africa, using Kenya as a national case study. We will look at how Amref works in partnership with the public, private, and social sector to increase sustainable health access to communities through solutions in human resources for health, health services delivery, and investments in health. With an eye to entrepreneurial and sustainable approaches, and amid the backdrop of a protracted COVID-19 crisis, a powerful economic and health impact case is to be made for investing in community health system strengthening.Amref Health Africa, is the leading health development international NGO in Africa, headquartered in Africa since 1957. It reaches more than 12 million beneficiaries annually over through 150 health projects in 35 countries of Africa.A passionate advocate for pro-poor Universal Health Coverage, Dr. Githinji Gitahi joined Amref Health Africa as the Global Chief Executive Officer in June 2015. Until his appointment to Amref Health Africa, Dr. Gitahi was the Vice President and Regional Director for Africa, Smile Train International. Prior to that, Dr. Gitahi was Managing Director for Monitor Publications in Uganda as well as General Manager for Marketing and Circulation in East Africa for the Nation Media Group. Dr. Gitahi is Co-Chair of the UHC2030 Steering Committee, a global World Bank and World Health Organization (WHO) initiative for Universal Health Coverage (UHC). He is a member of the Governing Board of the Africa Centres for Disease Control and prevention (Africa CDC), a specialized technical institution under the African Union. He serves as a member of the Africa Union's COVID19 Response Committee. He is a member of the Board of Directors of The Standard Group in Kenya, and was recently appointed as a member of the Board of Trustees of Safaricom Foundation.Dr. Gitahi Bachelor's Degree in Medicine from the University of Nairobi; a Master's degree in Business Administration, majoring in Marketing, from United States International University and has a Certificate for Strategic Perspectives for Nonprofit Management from Harvard University. In 2018, Dr. Githinji received a presidential commendation, ‘Moran of the Order of the Burning Spear' (MBS) in recognition of outstanding contribution to the health sector in his continuing work at the helm of Amref Health Africa.

How can we build a vision for the future in a time of such uncertainty? Join us for a discussion on what we can learn from different disciplines seeking to model a "New Normal" for society post COVID-19. As part of this conversation, we will learn about theories of contagion and how they apply not just to modelling diseases, but also to viral online information, financial systems, human behaviour and social change.We will hear from:Epidemiologist at the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine (LSHTM) and author of The Rules of Contagion: Why Things Spread and Why They Stop, Dr Adam Kucharski. The London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine is a world-leading centre for research and postgraduate education in public and global health.Founder and Managing Partner of Merian Ventures, Alexsis de Raadt St. James. Merian Ventures funds female founders and co-founders in cyber, AI, ML and consumer-facing technologies.Director of the Oxford Internet Institute and author of Pax Technica: How the Internet of Things May Set Us Free or Lock Us Up, Professor Philip Howard. The Oxford Internet Institute is a multidisciplinary research and teaching department of the University of Oxford, dedicated to the social science of the Internet.

TPW member Lynne Smitham will facilitate a discussion on the impact of COVID-19 on women and girls and on social sector resiliency in the Global South, using India as a case study. We will hear from leaders of organizations working to address gender-based violence and healthcare delivery in rural and urban India. Lynne will be joined by:Neera Nundy, Co-Founder of Dasra;Suparna Gupta, Founder Director of Aangan; andSundeep Kapila, Co-Founder and CEO of Swasth.

The coronavirus pandemic has overwhelmed even countries with advanced health care systems, stable politics and resilient economies. For countries affected by conflict and crisis, the potential impact of the disease is truly terrifying.New analysis by the IRC shows that South Sudan has just four ventilators for a population of 10.9 million people. In Moria refugee camp in Greece, the population density is 8.5x higher than on the stricken Diamond Princess cruise ship. In Yemen, the world's largest humanitarian crisis, 18 million people do not have access to proper hygiene, water and sanitation, and a ceasefire was violated just two days after it was signed. Half of Venezuela's doctors have left the country since the beginning of the economic crisis, and 90% of hospitals face shortages of medicine and critical supplies.These societies face a double emergency as COVID-19's health effects are coupled with escalations in conflict and political and economic instability provoked by the outbreak. IRC's analysis shows that immediate action to prevent the spread of the disease is imperative.Join us for a conversation with President and CEO of the International Rescue Committee (IRC) and former British Foreign Secretary David Miliband on what the international community can do to mitigate the impact of coronavirus in fragile countries and refugee camps."Should we fail," Miliband says, "not only will the most vulnerable pay the price today for the inaction of the international community, the consequences will be felt across the globe for years, if not decades, to come."

A Case Study of Subnational Coordination in a Crisis: The U.S. National Governors Association and COVID-19Whether on climate change, migration, or humanitarian response, subnational coordination has become an increasingly important feature of responses to crisis across the world in the 21st century. Subnational (provincial, state and municipal) governments are described by McKinsey as "crisis nerve centers" - highly agile, coordinated bodies that can bring together stakeholders and mobilize civil society in support of central government - or in some cases, to compensate for the lack of leadership from central government.Each country's experience of the COVID-19 pandemic has to some extent been shaped by this subnational response. This response has been shaped in turn by that country's history, political system and current political reality. While France's response has been coordinated strongly from Paris, the measures taken in the UK and particularly in Germany, Italy and Spain have been more decentralized, with varying degrees of success. In Turkey, one of the countries currently on the steepest upward curve of cases, the subnational response has evolved from "cooperation to competition to and finally confrontation." In China, local officials in Wuhan were blamed by Beijing for the crisis, and found little support from other regional governments.The response in the United States, which now has the highest number of cases in the world, is particularly unique. Since the earliest days of this mounting crisis, governors have helmed efforts to control the spread of the virus and safeguard public health. As infection rates rise and mitigation measures take their inevitable toll on the economy, the National Governors Association (NGA) has mobilized to provide its members with an unprecedented level of continuous assistance, with a focus on disseminating updated information from the federal government and virtually convening state officials to identify urgent needs and communicate effective practices. These efforts are being led by the NGA Center for Best Practices, a non-profit, 501c(3) devoted to identifying and sharing best practices in state public policy for the nation's governors.This webinar will look at the United States as a case study of subnational coordination in response to crisis. Join us for a discussion with Timothy Blute, Director of the NGA Center for Best Practices, and Tom Kalil, Chief Innovation Officer at Schmidt Futures, to learn more about this pivotal and unprecedented subnational coordination in response to the COVID-19 crisis. Please click here for a funding brief with more details on the NGA's COVID-19 response to date.

Join us for a special conversation with Nobel Laureate and Former President of Liberia, Ellen Johnson Sirleaf. President Sirleaf will speak about Liberia's response to the Ebola crisis, lessons to take forward in the current global health crisis, and the role of women in global leadership.Internationally known as “Africa's Iron Lady,” Nobel Laureate and Former President of Liberia Ellen Johnson Sirleaf is a leading promoter of freedom, peace, justice, women's empowerment, and democratic rule. As Africa's first democratically-elected female head of state, she has led Liberia through reconciliation and recovery following the nation's decade-long civil war, as well as the Ebola Crisis, winning international acclaim for achieving economic, social, and political change. Recognized as a global leader for women's empowerment, President Sirleaf was awarded the prestigious Nobel Prize for Peace in 2011. She is the recipient of The Presidential Medal of Freedom—the United States' highest civilian award—for her personal courage and unwavering commitment to expanding freedom and improving the lives of Africans. Her many honors also include the Grand Croix of the Légion d'Honneur, France's highest public distinction, and being named one of Forbes's “100 Most Powerful Women in the World.”President Sirleaf was elected President of the Republic of Liberia in 2005, two years after the nation's bloody civil war ended. Her historic inauguration as Africa's first democratically elected head of state took place on January 16, 2006. Prior to the election, she had served in the transitional government, where she chaired the Governance Reform Commission and led the country's anti-corruption reform. She won reelection in November 2011. Born Ellen Eugenia Johnson, President Sirleaf is the granddaughter of a traditional chief of renown in western Liberia and a market woman from the southeast. U.S. educated, she holds a master's in public administration (MPA) from Harvard University's Kennedy School of Government. She also earned a degree in accounting at Madison Business College in Wisconsin and received a diploma from the University of Colorado's Economics Institute. President Sirleaf has written widely on financial, development and human rights issues, and in 2008 she published her critically acclaimed memoir, This Child Will Be Great.

Join us to get up to speed on the international COVID-19 response, key challenges, and opportunities, and what we can do as social investors. This discussion will touch on how the urgency of this global pandemic invites a shift in due diligence processes, risk appetite, and grant and investment structure, as well as a need to address short-, medium-, and long-term impacts.We will be joined by expert members of TPW's COVID-19 braintrust:• Andrew Morris-Singer, Founder and Chair, Primary Care Progress• Corey Morris-Singer, Co-Founder, Primary Care Progress• English Sall, Board Member, Sall Family Foundation• Jeff Walker, Chairman, New Profit and Vice Chair, WHO/CHAP, African Community Health