Playwrights, poets, and athletes gathered at One World Trade Center—a site commemorating the power of hope, restoration, and coming together—to share messages about the importance of investing towards a better future during the TIME100 Philanthropy Impact Dinner on Thursday. The TIME100 Philanthropy list highlights 100 leaders dedicated to giving, and the inaugural event took place during what some refer to as a “generosity crisis,” as charitable giving by Americans is decreasing. The federal government is also tightening its wallet, with broad cancellations of federal funding for foreign aid and other programs.
The decline in giving comes alongside elevated rates of global inequality. Nearly three-quarters of Americans say that they believe their children will be worse off financially than their parents. The inaugural event saw honorees acknowledge these tensions, while highlighting the causes that matter to them and trying to motivate others toward action.
Several honorees who gave toasts during the dinner spoke about how the pandemic spurred them to take charitable action and the issues of inequality that were exacerbated by it. They included Citadel CEO Ken Griffin, food and lifestyle entrepreneur Ayesha Curry, Andrew W. Mellon Foundation president Elizabeth Alexander, Pulitzer Prize-winning playwright and artist Lin-Manuel Miranda, CEO of Crescent Enterprises and the UAE’s special envoy for business and philanthropy Badr Jafar, former U.S. ambassador to Switzerland and co-chair of the Gill Foundation
Source: https://time.com/7286656/impact-dinner-leaders-shaping-future-philanthropy/
