Philanthropy can bring people together and build connections. This is essential as some of the biggest challenges the world faces today, require collaboration across the East and the West, and across governments, businesses, non-governmental organisations, universities, and philanthropic organisations. The more collaboration, the faster the progress. One such example is C40 Cities, which Mike Bloomberg is President of the Board of, in which a network of mayors of nearly 100 world-leading cities including Singapore collaborate to deliver urgent action to confront the climate crisis. This coalition helps leaders share ideas and highlights policies that work so that they can be spread around the world and the coalition also allows cities to “speak” with a unified voice. Philanthropy can arm people with the tools they need.
While the world possesses the science and tools to solve for problems that it faces in education, climate, and communicable diseases; many countries lack the political will and some others lack the public resources to effect change. For example, while many countries are seeking to shift away from coal to clean energy, some are lacking the support and funds needed to make the upfront investments in clean power. This is where philanthropic funds can come in to drive and support the innovation needed. Bloomberg Philanthropies, for example, is assisting Indonesia to identify solar panel installation sites and developing business models that makes such projects viable for both public and private investments.
Philanthropy can also empower communities to push for change. Bloomberg Philanthropies has helped economies transition from coal and been able to effect this change by finding reasons for people to act in their own interests, guiding them and working with these various stakeholders to create the change that needs to happen.