Inside Town & Country's 2020 Philanthropy Summit
This year's Town & Country Philanthropy Summit might have looked a little different—instead of appearing on stage at Hearst Tower in New York, panelists spoke from their homes around the country, while thousands of viewers joined in remotely. Inspired by Town & Country’s Summer 2020 Philanthropy Issue, the four-day virtual event featured intimate conversations with some of the world's leading humanitarians about racial justice, education, crisis philanthropy, and more.
“Town & Country has a long commitment to philanthropy. For nearly 175 years the magazine has covered a world in which giving back is an essential part of living well," said T&C Editor in Chief Stellene Volandes. "But that doesn’t mean we’re stuck in the past. Our annual philanthropy issue and summit consistently cover what it means to be on the cutting edge of modern-day giving, and are known for gathering the greatest minds in politics, business, and the arts, for high level discourse for how to change in an ever-changing world.”
Below, take a look at the videos and highlights from each panel.
Day One: The 24-Hour Philanthropy Cycle
The summit kicked off with a conversation between Darren Walker, the president of the Ford Foundation, who wrote the opening essay for our Summer Philanthropy Issue (you can read that here)—and Ava DuVernay, filmmaker and founder of ARRAY, who also spoke at T&C's 2019 summit about her Netflix series When They See Us, about the exonerated men once known as the Central Park Five. Their conversation started with a simple, but difficult question: "When the world changes, so does giving. What does it mean to be a philanthropist during a crisis?"
They spoke about Black philanthropists in America, how philanthropy needs to evolve, and what we can all do next. “If the 20th Century on philanthropy was about ‘what are we giving back?,’ the 21st Century has to be about ‘what are we willing to give up?" said Walker. "To ensure that we live in a fair, and just society where opportunity and ideals—the very ideals that were included in our founding documents—are realized. That is the challenge for philanthropy in this century.”
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Day Two: The Cost of a Conscience
The second day of programming featured a powerful dialogue between Robert F. Smith, founder, chairman, and CEO of Vista Equity Partners, and Van Jones, CEO of the REFORM Alliance, TV host, and author. They spoke about criminal justice reform, racism toward Black youth in America, and Smith's hope for college students. Smith, who with a self-made fortune of roughly $5 billion, is the United States' wealthiest African American, famously pledged to pay off the student loan debt of the entire 2019 graduating class of Morehouse College.
But Smith wants his gift to inspire these students to give back even more. “I want one quarter of them to actually go and become a teacher back in their communities, teach stem, math, science," he said. "I would like one quarter of them to become chemical engineers... I want a quarter of them actually to become lawyers...and I want a quarter of them to be politicians to go and influence the policies that go and make that happy. I want all of them to be happy and go liberate people’s spirits as a general rule as a way of paying it forward.”
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Day Three: Extracurricular Activities
When Matthew and Camila Alves McConaughey started the Just Keep Livin' Foundation in 2008, they had no idea what it would become: a nationwide program that offers a comprehensive nutrition, wellness, fitness, and community service curriculum, employing 84 teachers in 37 high schools and serving almost 3,000 students, the majority from families that fall below the poverty line.
The McConaugheys spoke with Jennifer Childress, Area Development Director for the United Negro College Fund Los Angeles, and were joined by Just Keep Livin’ alumna Maria Gutierrez-Watson and foundation program director Leon Clayborne. The group talked about the importance of gratitude, how individuals can make a difference in their community, and the work of the Just Keep Livin' Foundation.
“I think for all of us, especially at these times, where we’re all wondering, 'what can I do?' the place to start is looking in a mirror. Because if you try to take it all on, it’s overwhelming," said Matthew. "My family was raised this way, and we believe it at the foundation, that the more you give thanks, the more you’re going to create in your life to be thankful for. And this is at the end of every curriculum we have: the students gather around the circle and they say out loud something they’re thankful for in front of everybody. And that gratitude circle is really the glue, the foundation, of our program.”
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Day Four Part One: Pivoting With Purpose
The final day of programming featured two panels. The day kicked off with a conversation between philanthropist, entrepreneur, author, and producer Bethenney Frankel and journalist, author, and advocate Gretchen Carlson. They discussed how global emergencies can reset philanthropic priorities in an instant, asking “How do we stay nimble in times of need?”
"It’s like double-dutch. You learn, you feel it out, and then you get your people and go all in," said Frankel, whose emergency assistance organization BStrong leapt into action to get critical N95 masks to healthcare workers fighting the Covid-19 pandemic. "You have to be accountable for how money is spent. You have to know how to distribute every last dime in an accountable way. And that’s serious business."
Carlson, who, through her organization Lift Our Voices, is leading the campaign to bring the reckonings of #MeToo to the workplace and to end the secrecy and shame of NDAs and forced arbitration, agreed. "As a woman in business, you have to be nimble and able to pivot at any time. Through it all, it’s this personal passion that keeps you going."
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Part Two: Activism Across the Generational Divide
The final panel of the summit was moderated by Town & Country editor in chief Stellene Volandes. She was joined by music executive, philanthropist, and founder of SB projects Scooter Braun, and Emma Gonzalez, a gun control advocate and survivor of the Marjory Stoneman-Douglas High School shooting. Gonzalez was a co-founder of the historic #MarchForOurLives protest, the largest student demonstration in American history.
Braun and Gonzalez spoke about their generation's different approaches to giving back and how while their philanthropy may look different, they know there is power in numbers. “Philanthropy starts with early education. And as adults, we need to break down the narrative about what we've been taught. And we can’t do that without being honest. We need to stop walking into conversations with so much anger that we can’t hear each other," said Braun.
Gonzalez said that when being a young activist, "It’s important to think before you do things, and react in a smart way. Think about if an interview is worth your time. Or if it’s the right person to talk to. But at first you have to say yes—until you have the luxury to say no."
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Thank you to the sponsors of the 2020 Town & Country Philanthropy Summit: Citi Private Bank, CTIA Wireless Foundation, NewYork-Presbyterian, Chantecaille, Gulfstream, and Switzerland Tourism. For more information on the 2020 summit, visit www.tandcphilantropy.com
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