In this Issue
Convenings
Reports and Resources
Program updates
CSP and Partners in the News
Philanthropy can change the world. Smart, strategic philanthropy can transform it into something better. At CSP, we have seen what’s possible when philanthropic partners listen, learn, and work together with communities they wish to support.
This year, in addition to convening leaders from different sectors as well as those with lived experiences and launching our prize competition portfolio we have published four Giving Smarter Guides and four white papers, launched a major roadmap focused on screening for Type 1 Diabetes, and are overseeing more than $12 million in new grants to biomedical research areas, including misophonia, bipolar disorder, and sarcoidosis. Altogether, since our inception six years ago, we have now influenced more than $1.5 billion in philanthropic capital.
As we look ahead to another year of managing a pandemic, we know that many other issue areas need to be addressed. And issue by issue, cause by cause, the progress we can make together will be more effective than anything we could ever do alone.
Thank you for reading this newsletter. Please follow us on LinkedIn and on our Giving Compass page for continued updates.
Convenings
This year, over videoconference and, at last, through a hybrid Global Conference, the Milken Institute Center for Strategic Philanthropy’s events and panels focused on the ways in which philanthropic capital can foster equity and create a better world. Missed any of the sessions? You can view them here.
Global Conference 2021 Philanthropy Sessions:
Africa 2050: Global Powerhouse of the Future
Taking the Long View: How Philanthropic Capital can be Patient
Breaking from the Status Quo: How Philanthropy Is Challenging Outdated Systems
Starting Local: Philanthropy Tackles Community Mental Health
Future of Health Summit 2021 Philanthropy Sessions:
Greater than the Sum of Our Parts: Promoting Scientific Collaboration
Lessons Learned: Examining the Philanthropic Response to COVID-19
Elevating New Voices in Mental Health
Reports and Resources
Neurotech: Neurotechnology offers enormous promise for people living with a broad range of diseases, but navigating investments in this area of research is especially complex. Success depends on biology, engineering, device regulation, and macro trends in the device market. This report, released in December 2021, breaks down the landscape and explores potential applications, opportunities, and barriers to help guide philanthropy’s pivotal role in moving the field forward.
Sarcoidosis: While somewhat rare, sarcoidosis, a condition where clusters of cells called granulomas form in parts of the body, can be debilitating. Together with the Ann Theodore Foundation, the Milken Institute released this Giving Smarter Guide alongside a dedicated grant program to help science understand and treat this difficult to diagnose disease. Our Giving Smarter Guide outlines the sarcoidosis research landscape and the areas where philanthropic investment can advance progress.
Program Updates
Milken-Motsepe Innovation Prize Program: In April, together with the Motsepe Foundation, the Milken Institute launched the Milken-Motsepe Prize in AgriTech, a $2 million prize competition focused on harnessing technology to increase economic value for farmers in Africa. Innovators from 105 countries across six continents have registered. The design round submission is now closed, and judges are in the process of selecting 25 finalists, which will be announced in February 2022. This is the inaugural prize in the Milken-Motsepe Innovation Prize program, a series of multi-year, multimillion-dollar prize competitions for technological solutions that accelerate progress towards the UN Sustainable Development Goals, with a spotlight on Africa. Learn more.
Misophonia Grant Program: In 2019, the Milken Institute, with support from The REAM Foundation, released a Giving Smarter Guide on misophonia, and a transformational medical research journey began. This year, this grant program has awarded seven additional research grants, totaling 20 research grants and over $7 million in research funding since the program’s inception. In April 2021, a consensus definition of the disease was published, bringing together experts from across the field. In October 2021, two Requests for Proposals went to the scientific community, initiating a fourth cycle of funding to help the world understand and diagnose the condition. Learn more.
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Melissa Stevens, executive director, and Cara Altimus, PhD, senior director, contributed to an article for the Lasker Foundation about philanthropy’s historic and future role in advancing biomedical research.
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Associate Quinton Banks, PhD, published an article on sarcoidosis focused on how donors can move the needle on diseases that are difficult to diagnose.
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Our grant programs to advance misophonia and sarcoidosis research are live.
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Melissa Stevens encourages attention to childhood mental health in this Giving Compass article.
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Melissa Stevens and Hilary McConnaughey, associate director weigh in on whether the philanthropic effects of 2020 were a watershed or anomaly moment for the field.
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CSP Senior Associate Erin Ross’ Giving Compass article for World Diabetes Day explains how roadmaps can help philanthropists take steps to advance screening for Type 1 Diabetes.