Guggenheim executive chairman Alan Schwartz also chairs the Robin Hood Foundation, which addresses poverty in New York City. Robin Hood's board pays all overhead and fundraising expenses, so 100 percent of every donation goes directly to program delivery, and rigorous cost-benefit metrics are applied to determine the effectiveness of each grant.
In a panel that gathered several giants in the world of philanthropy, tennis great Andre Agassi spoke movingly of why he dedicated himself to transforming the lives of children that society has written off.
"There's a child out there that literally doesn't know where the poverty line is, but they definitely know they're beneath it. This child is living in circumstances that I can't even imagine. I don't know what he sees . . . maybe he sees a small apartment, maybe he sees bars on the window. I'm not sure what he thinks . . . maybe he thinks confusion or anger, or maybe he thinks hope. Maybe he feels that if he was given the chance, he could be competitive . . . Education is the only way to make systemic change in a child's life. It's by giving them the tools."
Agassi has done that, all right. His charter school academy, located in an underperforming school district in Las Vegas, recently celebrated its first graduating class — and every single one of those kids is headed to college.
Global Conference 2013
Former Prime Minister Tony Blair, philanthropist Bill Gates and Strive Masiyiwa of Econet Wireless discuss advancing prosperity in Africa.
