In This Newsletter

Global Conference Highlights
Program Updates
Reports and Resources
CSP and Our Partners in the News

Thanks to all who attended the Milken Institute Global Conference. Whether you were in person or virtual, the thought-provoking discussion, coupled with opportunities to build trust across sectors and among peers, were unmatched. It’s because of this unique ability to convene that we advance progress toward innovative solutions a little more, mostly by having hard conversations in a measured, meaningful environment. If you missed or want to review them, all the sessions are available to stream on our website.

Our spring newsletter recaps highlights from the conference and the programmatic work we do in collaboration with our partners. As always, follow us on LinkedIn and Twitter, and keep an eye on our Giving Compass blog and the Milken–Motsepe Prize Portal for real-time updates and information. Our team is here to help foster connection and collaboration, making philanthropic investment more strategic and impactful.

Global Conference Highlights

BeyGOOD Executive Director Ivy McGregor and CSP Senior Director Cara Altimus at the Philanthropic Investors Forum

The second annual Philanthropic Investors Forum brought nearly 100 high-impact social investors for a day of private sessions to learn, share, and move the needle on the issues they care most deeply about. Contact us to learn more about this unique pre-Global Conference convening.

MI Philanthropy EVP Melissa Stevens and will.i.am at the CSP community dinner

will.i.am—visionary, futurist, tech entrepreneur, musician, philanthropist founder and president of the i.am/Angel Foundation, and the co-founder and CEO of FYI—joined CSP for a dinner that brought together our community of philanthropists, social impact leaders, and change-makers to reflect on the opportunity for philanthropy to guide our dynamic world toward a better future. During the discussion, will.i.am stressed the importance of investing in young people; science, technology, engineering, art, and mathematics education; creative collaboration; resource accessibility and inclusion; and tech’s potential to help achieve equity for all.

Otaigo Elisha, Founder & COO, NovFeed and Diana Orembe, Founder & CEO, NovFeed at the Milken Institute Global Conference

And the winner of the $1 million Grand Prize for the Milken–Motsepe Prize in AgriTech is... NovFeed! Based in Tanzania, the biotech company created proprietary technology to upcycle organic waste into nutritious, sustainable, and traceable plant-based protein ingredients and concentrated natural biofertilizers for the food system. Learn more about the second- and third-place winners, Karpolax and IRRI-AfricaRice, and the Bonus Prize winners, COOL LION and Kuronga. You can also stream the winner’s announcement.

Philanthropy around the world takes many different shapes. This CSP Global Conference panel covered philanthropy’s regional and cultural trends and how this vital asset class can bring a more equitable world to life. Leaders from various parts of the world discussed the importance of working closely with communities, opportunities to utilize impact investing, approaches like “moonshot philanthropy” to drive progress, and the passion of the next generation to achieve long-term goals.

Philanthropic capital accounts for nearly half of science funding to academic and nonprofit research institutions. CSP’s panel, “Seeding Science for Impactful Discoveries: Philanthropy’s Role in Driving Research Forward,” brought together individual philanthropists and leaders of philanthropic organizations to discuss how their dollars have been agents of discovery and development. Speakers discussed the importance of disruption, the need for collaboration across adjacent diseases, changing the incentive structure in research institutions, and many more insights to seed science for impact.

Connecting profits and purpose has become a strategic priority for leaders in corporate philanthropy. CSP convened four major corporate philanthropy players to discuss their perspectives on the dynamic landscape and trajectory they see for corporations moving forward. The discussion foreshadowed a positive future where profit and purpose align for the betterment of society.

Program Updates

• In collaboration with CSP, Tambourine is launching a new grant program to fund fundamental and discovery-focused research on amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS). The Milken Institute is now accepting applications for two-year research projects that seek to advance the understanding of ALS to ultimately improve diagnosis, treatment, management, prevention, and cures. Read and share our Request for Proposals.

• In 2023, CSP launched a new initiative on corporate philanthropy in partnership with the Visa Foundation. This collaboration aims to understand the issues leaders in corporate philanthropy are managing, how the ecosystem is evolving, the new challenges facing corporate philanthropies, and the solutions emerging to address those challenges. The initiative also establishes a network of senior-level peers leading corporate foundations who can share lessons learned and insights at the strategic level on an ongoing basis.

• On March 30, World Bipolar Day, Breakthrough Discoveries for Thriving with Bipolar Disorder (BD²) announced its first grants, totaling $15 million, to support the genetic sequencing of 30,000 people with bipolar disorder worldwide and a brain omics platform to generate a bipolar disorder brain atlas. Sign up for Thrive Updates to be the first to hear about our upcoming Discovery and Integrated Network grant announcements.

Reports and Resources

• How did the Milken–Motsepe Prize program decide on an AgriTech innovation prize competition? Our latest report, co-authored with the World Food Programme, describes the AgriTech landscape in Africa, reviews the design of the Milken–Motsepe Prize in AgriTech, and documents key learnings to encourage investment and collaboration to develop the sector and equitably increase food security for all.

• Who are the finalists and winners of the Milken–Motsepe Prize in AgriTech? Learn more about who they are, what inspired them, and what they hoped to gain from the experience.

CSP and Our Partners in the News

• Emily Musil Church, PhD, senior director, spoke with CNBC Africa and Tech Financials regarding the Milken–Motsepe Prize in AgriTech winners announcement at the Global Conference. For full coverage of the announcement, please visit the Milken–Motsepe Prize newsroom page.

• Kara Whelply, senior associate, wrote a piece for Giving Compass about how to recession-proof philanthropy to weather times of economic uncertainty.

• Daniel Pham, PhD, director, wrote an article focusing on driving foundational progress in bipolar research and the work Breakthrough Discoveries for Thriving with Bipolar Disorder (BD²) is doing to uncover the genetic mysteries of the illness.

• Caitlyn Barrett, PhD, associate director, published an article discussing how systemic innovation can drive rare disease research, benefiting everyone. Read more to discover how philanthropy can be a major driver in the rare disease space.

• Sylvie Raver, PhD, director, wrote an article highlighting the successful year in review for misophonia, the milestones, and how philanthropy can mobilize a historically stalled and misunderstood field.

Collaboration is the key to accelerating philanthropic impact, especially considering the complexity of the challenges we face today. Deployed strategically, philanthropy can advance the thriving, more equitable world we know is possible. Thank you for reading and for your continued efforts to leave the world better than you found it.