The Philanthropy Challenge

“Could you be the next Bill Gates?” philanthropists ask LSE students

3rd March, 2010

Two of the UK's leading philanthropists will address students on how to spend money in ways that improve the world as part of a unique contest devised by the Institute for Philanthropy and LSE IDEAS, the centre for international affairs at the London School of Economics and Political Science.

The Philanthropy Challenge

For the first time, students at one of the world's best universities will - over the course of three seminars - learn many of the same skills in strategic philanthropy that are taught to participants in The Philanthropy Workshop, the Institute for Philanthropy's international education programme for wealthy individuals.

The Philanthropy Challenge: Could you be the next Bill Gates? will invite competing teams of students to work out how, if they were philanthropists, they could make a practical and permanent difference to any of the planet's most pressing international problems. It will be launched with a public panel discussion on Wednesday 10 March, at the Sheikh Zayed Theatre, during which students will hear from two of the UK's most successful executives and philanthropists. They will be addressed by Dame Stephanie Shirley, the Government's Ambassador for Philanthropy, who started technology group Xansa from her dining-room and built it into a FTSE 250 company; and by Nicholas Ferguson, chairman of the Institute for Philanthropy and private equity firm SVG Capital. There will also be addresses from Professor Arne Westad of LSE IDEAS on the intersection between philanthropy and global politics, and Dr. Salvatore LaSpada, the Chief Executive of the Institute for Philanthropy, who advised the Rockefeller family on their giving and who directs The Philanthropy Workshop.

Three seminars, an academic paper and a grant for an NGO

The panel discussion will be followed later in the year by three seminars, to be led by the Institute's Chief Executive Dr. Salvatore LaSpada. Here, teams of students will develop projects as to how, with a sum of money provided, they can make a permanent difference in today's global society. The winning team's projects entry will be published as an academic paper by LSE, and a sum of money will be made as a grant to a non-governmental organisation selected by the winners.

Professor Arne Westad, co-director of LSE IDEAS, said: ‘This is a novel and extremely imaginative challenge which we think will stimulate our students and push their thinking in new directions. Whoever wins will have to understand not only some of the complexities of international relations and government but also the philosophy and strategy of targeted giving that that the Institute for Philanthropy is promoting.'

The world's finest young entrepreneurial minds

Dr Salvatore LaSpada, chief executive of the Institute for Philanthropy, said: ‘Given LSE's international renown, this is an excellent opportunity for us to work with some of the finest young entrepreneurial minds from around the world, several of whom we hope will form the next generation of engaged and strategic philanthropists."

The panel discussion, attendance of which is free of charge and open to all members of the public, will take place at 6.30pm on Wednesday10 March in the Sheikh Zayed Theatre at LSE's New Academic Building, 54 Lincoln's Inn Fields.

For more information on The Philanthropy Challenge, please contact:

Musa Okwonga, Press Director, Institute for Philanthropy 020 7240 0262: musa@instituteforphilanthropy.org

Warwick Smith, Head of Press, LSE 020 7955 7060; w.smith@lse.ac.uk