2011 Annual Meeting Agenda

October 26-27, Public Policy Pre-conference “Policy Battles in the States: How Donors Can Make a Difference”
For more information on this event click here.
 

Thursday, October 27

8:00 a.m. – Noon  K-12 Site Visit: How Excellent Schools are Driving K-12 Reform in Arizona

On this K-12 site visit, we had the opportunity to explore two of Arizona’s highest-performing, distinctive, and fastest-growing charter school networks. BASIS Schools’ demanding program uses an accelerated AP-driven curriculum; students take a minimum of eight AP courses and at least six AP exams during high school. BASIS is demonstrating that American students are capable of competing academically with the best in the world, thanks to a rigorous curriculum, student accountability, and excellent teachers. Great Hearts Academies employ a classical liberal arts model that relies on character development to increase achievement. At Great Hearts, K–12 students develop an appreciation for the true, the good, and the beautiful—and 100 percent go on to college. Neither school charges tuition; both are public charter schools achieving outstanding results and attracting more students each year, which many argue is a catalyst for reforming public education. Learn more about these schools’ ambitious plans to expand their reach to low- and middle-income families and their effects on the educational landscape of Arizona —and the nation.

• Michael Block, co-founder, BASIS Schools, Inc.
• Clint Bolick, director, Scharf-Norton Center for Constitutional Litigation, Goldwater Institute
• Dan Scoggin, CEO, Great Hearts Academies
• Eileen B. Sigmund, president and CEO, Arizona Charter Schools Association (Moderator)

11:00 a.m.–11:45 a.m. Newcomer Orientation

• Steven Moore, executive director, M.J. Murdock Charitable Trust

Noon – 1:15 p.m.  Welcome Luncheon

1:15 p.m. – 1:30 p.m.  Welcome & Opening Comments

• Adam Meyerson, The Philanthropy Roundtable

1:30 p.m. – 2:45 p.m.  Opening Plenary Session: Solving America’s Greatest Challenges

From economic stagnation to wars around the world, and from political gridlock to environmental restoration, America faces a wide range of pressing challenges. Philanthropists strive to meet these challenges head-on, but there is healthy and vigorous debate about exactly how to do so. During this opening plenary session, Arthur Brooks of the American Enterprise Institute and Robert Gallucci of the John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation will debate what America’s greatest challenges are, and how donors’ independent giving can best address them.

• Arthur C. Brooks, president, AEI
• Robert L. Gallucci, president, John D. & Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation
• Paul Brest, president, William and Flora Hewlett Foundation (Moderator)

2:45 p.m. – 3:15 p.m.  Break

3:15 p.m. – 4:30 p.m.  Afternoon General Sessions

1. Four Innovative Ideas That Are Revitalizing Urban Catholic Schools Nationwide

For decades, Catholic schools have served a range of families and communities with a rigorous, values-based education. Today, many Catholic schools are on the ropes—and many are finding solutions and ideas from outside Catholic education to serve, and even save, parochial schools. Business leaders, entrepreneurs, education reformers, and philanthropists are bringing a fresh perspective to the table and using a wealth of practical knowledge to help Catholic schools improve their operations, marketing, finances, academics, enrollment and collaboration with other schools. Join us as we examine recent efforts in several cities that are helping to revitalize Catholic schools, including initiatives to build independently-governed schools in southern California, activate parents and students in school choice advocacy in New Jersey, partner with public, charter, and non-Catholic private schools in Philadelphia, and use technology to develop cost-saving and achievement-driven operating models in San Francisco.

• Timothy R. Busch, CEO, Busch Firm
• Scott Hamilton, managing partner, Seton Education Partners
• Christine Healey, executive director, International Education Foundation
• Michael O’Neill, CEO, Preferred Unlimited
• Michael Hartmann, director of research and evaluation, Lynde and Harry Bradley Foundation (Moderator)

2. How Universities Can Promote Entrepreneurship

Numerous challenges in American history have been solved by bursts of creative invention by entrepreneurs. To cite just two examples: the refinement of petroleum solved the challenge posed by the decline of whale populations, and the catalytic converter reduced toxic elements in car exhaust. Two leaders believe that in the 21st century, one of the best places to look for these creative advancements is the American university, where entrepreneurial know-how can combine with ground-breaking research. Michael M. Crow believes that entrepreneurship is central to the future of higher education and promotes it across Arizona State University, not just in its business school. Carl J. Schramm will describe how the Kauffman Foundation is promoting entrepreneurship on campuses across the country, through initiatives such as Launch Pad, the Kauffman Campuses, and the iBridge Network.

• Michael M. Crow, president, Arizona State University
• Carl J. Schramm, president and chief executive officer, Ewing Marion Kauffman Foundation
• Barbara Barrett, vice president, Craig & Barbara Barrett Foundation (Moderator)

3. Andrew Carnegie’s Philanthropic Legacy

This year, the Carnegie Corporation of New York turns 100. Its current president, Vartan Gregorian, will reflect on what today’s donors can learn from Andrew Carnegie’s life, his writings, and his extraordinary giving. From his childhood as an immigrant worker in a cotton factory and his lifelong love of reading to his views on government and his business achievements, Andrew Carnegie’s desire to “help those who will help themselves” and his belief that “the man who dies rich dies disgraced” have shaped the way America’s greatest philanthropists dispose of their wealth. Mr. Gregorian will also discuss how the institutions Carnegie helped to create—the public library, the science-based medical school, pensions for college professors, the Anti-Imperialist League, and Carnegie Hall—can be models for philanthropists today.

• Vartan Gregorian, president, Carnegie Corporation of New York
• James Piereson, president, William E. Simon Foundation (Introducer)

4:30 p.m. – 6:00 p.m.  Break

6:00 p.m. – 7:00 p.m.  Welcome Reception

7:00 p.m. – 8:30 p.m.  Dinner with Keynote Speaker - Unlimited Partnership: Peter and Carolyn Lynch’s Principles of Philanthropic
Investment            

“Invest in what you know” is perhaps the most famous principle of legendary investor Peter Lynch. He and his wife, Carolyn, apply the same principle to their philanthropy. The Lynches focus their philanthropic efforts in the Boston area. Thomas J. Tierney will interview Mr. and Mrs. Lynch about their investing principles and philanthropic partnership.

• Peter Lynch and Carolyn Lynch, trustees, Lynch Foundation
• Daniel S. Peters, president, Lovett and Ruth Peters Foundation (Emcee)
• Virginia Vander Hart, foundation executive director, DeVos Foundations (Invocation)
• Thomas J. Tierney, chairman and co-founder, Bridgespan Group (Interviewer)

8:30 p.m. – 10:00 p.m.  ACR Reception

Friday, October 28

7:45 a.m. – 8:45 a.m.  Breakfast Roundtable Discussions

• Advancing Marriage: A Solution to Financial Security
  • Tom McCallie, Maclellan Foundation
  • Chuck Stetson, Main Street Foundation
• All in the Family: Generational Succession At Family Foundations
  • Lyall Swim, GFC Foundation
• American’s Forgotten Talent Pool: Helping Low-Income “Strivers” Succeed in College
  • Cynthia Rivera Weissblum, Edwin Gould Foundation
• Entrepreneurship as a Philanthropic Investment: Reinvigorating Economic Growth and Job Creation
  • Amy Stursberg, Blackstone Charitable Foundation
• Funding Small Intellectual Magazines
  • Fred Clark, Casillas Foundation
• Giving Crime Victims a Voice
  • Steve Twist, Services Group of America
• How to Make an Impact With Your State and Local Elected Officials
  • Bob Weiss, Meadows Foundation
• Improving Math Education
  • Kassie Davis, CME Group Foundation
• Is A Graduate Degree in Philanthropy Worth It?
  • Mason Rummel, James Graham Brown Foundation
• Lobbying vs. Educating Your Member of Congress
  • Kyle Hybl, El Pomar Foundation
• Mistakes in Philanthropy: How to Share and Learn
  • Russ Hall, Legacy Works
• Sustaining Evangelical Schools
  • Jason Zylstra, DeVos Foundations
• Understanding Needs in Your Community
  • Paul Penley, Excellence in Giving
• Women and War: Challenges Facing America’s Returning Female Soldiers
  • Annie Dickerson, Paul E. Singer Foundation

8:45 a.m. – 9:00 a.m.  Break

9:00 a.m. – 9:45 a.m.  Morning Plenary: Give Smart: Philanthropy that Gets Results

“Philanthropy’s natural state is underperformance,” write Thomas J. Tierney and Joel L. Fleishman in their new book Give Smart. For donors who want to excel, they argue that generosity is not enough—it needs to be informed by rigor, discipline, and strategy. At this session, Mr. Tierney will present six questions that every discerning philanthropist must answer: “What are my values and beliefs? What is ‘success’ and how can it be achieved? What am I accountable for? What will it take to get the job done? How do I work with my grantees? Am I getting better?” He will also lead a candid discussion of how to move charitable giving beyond the status quo. Complimentary copies of Give Smart will be provided to attendees.

• Thomas J. Tierney, chairman and co-founder, Bridgespan Group
• Adam Meyerson, president, The Philanthropy Roundtable (Emcee)

9:45 a.m. - 10:30 a.m.  Morning Plenary: The Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation as a Learning Organization

The Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, the world’s largest foundation, is continually asking questions about how it can do a better job achieving its grant-making objectives. The foundation has four stages in its giving: developing strategy, making grants, measuring progress, and adjusting strategy in light of what it learns. In this conversation led by Tom Tierney, Jeff Raikes will describe some of the Gates Foundation’s learning about what has worked and what hasn’t worked in its grant-making. He will also discuss how the foundation has adjusted its giving strategy for K–12 education, college access and completion, global health, and agricultural development, based on its evaluation and measurement of results.

• Jeff Raikes, chief executive officer, Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation
• Thomas J. Tierney, chairman and co-founder, Bridgespan Group (Moderator)

10:30 a.m. – 10:45 a.m.  Break

10:45 a.m. – Noon  Morning Breakout Sessions

1. The Leading Wedge: Re-shaping Professions to Strengthen Liberty

In 1982, with the support of a few far-sighted philanthropists, a group of students at Yale, Harvard, Chicago and Stanford Law formed the Federalist Society—an organization dedicated to ensuring that the principles of limited government and judicial restraint embodied in the Constitution were discussed in law schools. Nearly three decades later, the Federalist Society has left an enduring mark on the American legal order. Its 40,000 members include some of America’s most noted legal scholars and jurists, including the frequent participation of three sitting Justices of the Supreme Court. Can the Federalist Society model be applied to other professions? Speakers will address how the Federalist Society succeeded—and how donors behind three young organizations hope to build cohorts of liberty-minded professionals in medicine, business, and national security.

• Marilyn Fedak, founder, Marilyn G. Fedak Capitalism Project
• Sally C. Pipes, chair, Benjamin Rush Society
• Eugene B. Meyer, executive director, The Federalist Society
• Mitch Muncy, executive director, Alexander Hamilton Society

2. How Schools of Education Can Build Better Teachers

The quality of teachers is widely recognized as the single most important factor in K–12 student performance. But in a system where colleges have higher standards for football players than education majors and teacher candidates pour their time into academic research topics like “Play, Peer Culture, and Paper Airplanes”, are we really producing the most effective classroom instructors possible? Given that traditional schools of education produce nearly 80 percent of our nation’s new teachers each year, this question is vital to millions of children. Yet education schools have long been immune to reform and have suffered from a number of critical flaws, including low standards, esoteric coursework and nonexistent accountability systems. The good news is that several donor-led efforts are seeking to change this. These innovative initiatives are creating and equipping high-caliber teacher pipelines, assessing and ranking education schools based on demonstrable inputs and outcomes, and training teachers for value-added student gains by relying on best practices and data analysis. Come learn what’s hindering world-class teacher preparation in America, and what innovative ideas are working to produce real solutions.

• Norman Atkins, co-founder and president, Relay Graduate School of Education
• Andrea S. Pursley, executive director, Sanford Education Project
• Kate Walsh, president, National Council for Teacher Quality
• Pete Geren, president, Sid W. Richardson Foundation (Moderator)

3. Four Models for Addressing Chronic Unemployment and Homelessness

Homelessness, hunger, and unemployment cry out for solutions. The most sustainable solutions, however, often depend on the homeless, hungry, and unemployed building self-reliance and in turn reclaiming their lives and restoring their positions in their families and their communities. Training programs can help people to accomplish this for themselves in a variety of ways. On this panel, representatives of four exemplary social service organizations will outline the best ways for private charity to help people to help themselves—from faith-based approaches and getting people off the streets to providing permanent housing and re-purposing unused food for job training.

• Barbara Elliott, president and founder, Center for Renewal and board member, Work Faith Connection
• Sister Mary Scullion, executive director and president, Project Home
• Jennifer Vigran, chief executive officer, Second Helpings
• Matt Minkevitch, executive director, The Road Home
• Betsy Bikoff, vice president and chief grant making officer, Richard M. Fairbanks Foundation (Moderator)

4. Super Committee, Tax Reform, Deficit Reduction: What You Need to Know Now

Nothing has dominated conversations about our country’s financial future quite like the congressional “Super  Committee”—the  12-member panel charged with reducing the federal deficit by $1.5 trillion over the next 10 years. Businesses, Wall Street, and American workers anxiously await proposals for how Congress will reduce the deficit. What recommendations did House and Senate Committees make to the Super Committee, and are they likely to be adopted? How deep will the spending cuts go? Will the committee’s final recommendations include tax provisions that could affect charitable incentives? What about comprehensive tax reform? Most importantly, how may these proposals affect philanthropy? Congressional and tax policy experts will explore these topics and what is at stake for the nonprofit sector as America continues to grapple with swelling deficits. Whether the Super Committee reaches consensus on deficit reduction or not, these discussions and debates will continue for the foreseeable future.

• J.D. Foster, Norman B. Ture senior fellow, Heritage Foundation
• Sue Santa, vice president for public policy, The Philanthropy Roundtable
• Sandra G. Swirski, executive director, Alliance for Charitable Reform (Moderator)

5.  Philanthropy’s Rx for American Health Care

Eighteen months after passage of the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (PPACA), we already are seeing major changes in the health sector. Doctors are moving from private, independent practices and joining larger health care systems; many employers are contemplating dropping coverage; states are facing major responsibilities to implement the law; and patients fear growing governmental limits and regulations to cutting edge treatments. How will PPACA’s provisions affect health care access, health care professionals, insurers, and the companies that develop pharmaceuticals and medical devices? What opportunities do these changes provide for philanthropic strategies and investments?

• John Goodman, president, National Center for Policy Analysis
• Melissa Stevens, director of strategic initiatives, FasterCures
• Grace-Marie Turner, president, Galen Institute
• Eugene W. Cochrane Jr., president, Duke Endowment (Moderator)

Noon – 12:15 p.m.  Break

12:15 p.m. – 2:00 p.m.  Award Luncheon: William E. Simon Prize for Philanthropic Leadership

For more than 40 years, Charles G. Koch has been at the forefront of strategic investment in ideas, think tanks, and academic research. He has, for instance, provided long-term support to several scholars who went on to win the Nobel Prize in Economics. The principles that govern Mr. Koch’s philanthropy are very simple: He wants to sustain and strengthen America as a land of freedom and prosperity. He wants to give others the same opportunity to succeed that he has had. Having benefited from the capitalist system, he wants others to prosper in the same way. Join us as we honor Mr. Koch with the William E. Simon Prize for Philanthropic Leadership.

• Charles G. Koch, chairman and CEO, Koch Industries
• Philip Anschutz, chairman, Anschutz Foundation (Introduction)
• J. Peter Simon, co-chairman, William E. Simon Foundation (Emcee)

2:00 p.m. - 2:15 p.m.  Break

2:15 p.m. - 3:15 p.m.  A Conversation on Investing and Philanthropy with Charles R. Schwab

Chuck Schwab has a vision. He wants to empower people to make good choices for themselves and their communities. In 1975, his firm, Charles Schwab, began offering discount brokerage services to consumers. Through its low brokerage fees, no-load mutual funds, no-fee retirement accounts, and other services, the firm became a pioneer in a revolution that democratized investing, making it accessible for all kinds of Americans and an essential part of Americans’ financial planning. Mr. Schwab is an advocate for financial education, practical investing know-how, and the power to build financial security that comes with those. In his family philanthropy, he believes that a high-quality education serving all types of learners is the bedrock for a vibrant and productive citizenry. During this conversation, Mr. Schwab will discuss his business, the global economy, investing for foundations, the growth of donor-advised funds, and his family’s giving.

• Charles R. Schwab, chairman of the board, The Charles Schwab Corporation
• Betsy Morris, former senior editor, Fortune (Moderator)

3:15 p.m. – 3:30 p.m.  Break

3:30 p.m. – 4:45 p.m.  Afternoon Breakout Sessions

1. Giving It All Away: Strategies from the Spend-down Experts

“Perpetuity” is often the default setting for private foundations. But many donors believe their charitable purposes are best served by “spending down” their foundations’ assets by a fixed date. For those who are considering the latter, this session will feature a how-to guide—from investment strategies and endowment guidance to how to keep talented staff and ensure that the final grants are used wisely—from two philanthropic leaders who have successfully spent down large foundations. James Piereson presided over the spending down of the John M. Olin foundation, and Gara LaMarche spent four years at the helm of the Atlantic Philanthropies, which is in the process of paying out its remaining $4 billion by 2017 in keeping with the wishes of Atlantic founder Chuck Feeney.

• James Piereson, president, William E. Simon Foundation
• Gara LaMarche, senior fellow, Robert F. Wagner School of Public Service, New York University, and former president, Atlantic Philanthropies
• Jeffrey J. Cain, president and executive director, Arthur N. Rupe Foundation (Moderator)

2. Lowering the Invisible Tax: Three Donor-funded Efforts to Reform Regulation

In 2010, the Federal Register totaled 81,405 pages—an increase of 19.9 percent over 2009. According to the Competitive Enterprise Institute, annual regulatory compliance costs are $1.7 trillion; among small business owners the compliance cost per employee is $10,585. Do the benefits of these hidden taxes outweigh the costs? Many donors think not—and are funding programs to wind back needless and costly regulations. Philip K. Howard, founder and chairman of Common Good, is working to organize structural overhaul of regulatory policy. At the Reason Foundation, director of government reform Leonard Gilroy coordinates intelligent deregulatory policies with state legislators. And William (“Chip”) Mellor is president and general counsel of the Institute for Justice, which litigates on behalf of citizens unfairly treated by regulatory policy. Come learn how these donor-financed efforts are advancing regulatory reform in an effort to encourage growth and increase prosperity.

• Philip K. Howard, founder and chair, Common Good
• William H. Mellor, president and general counsel, Institute for Justice
• Len Gilroy, director of government reform, Reason Foundation
• Kim O. Dennis, president, Searle Freedom Trust (Moderator)

3. What Sparked the School Choice Resurgence of 2011?

Surprise! 2011 has been a monumental year for education reform. This year alone, 36 states have either passed or are considering comprehensive legislation on school vouchers, tax credits, and other education reform measures. Of these, 12 states and the District of Columbia have implemented reforms to expand or create school choice programs. What accounts for this sheer volume of school-funding reform activity? And what role did philanthropy play? While some have said the reforms were a byproduct of the 2010 elections, others have pointed to the dramatic shift in strategy away from white papers and editorials and towards public awareness-building and sophisticated political advocacy. At this session, speakers from three states that exemplify the resurgence—Colorado, Arizona, and Indiana—will explain how they turned things around. What are the lessons for donors who want to advance school choice reforms in their states? Where did reforms fail, and what can we learn from these failures? As the school choice movement moves forward, how can it maintain momentum and guard its victories as it evolves and matures?

• Alex Cranberg, chairman, Aspect Holdings LLC
• Lisa Graham Keegan, founder and president, Education Breakthrough Network
• Fred Klipsch, CEO, Klipsch Group, Inc.
• Matthew Ladner, senior advisor of policy and research, Foundation for Excellence in Education (Moderator)

4. How Donors Can Incentivize Change in Higher Education

Colleges and universities may seem impervious to reform. But thoughtful donors know differently. This panel will showcase three donors’ efforts to change the ways colleges do business—and enhance quality and accountability in the process. The Beazley Foundation, for example, has funded studies of what students are taught at Virginia universities in core subjects such as American history and English—with the intent of pressuring schools to improve their core teaching. Jack Miller, founder of the Quill office supply firm, has established dozens of campus centers for teaching of the principles of the Founding Fathers. And in the Lone Star State, donors have worked with state policymakers to propose far-reaching reform to teaching and budgets in the University of Texas system.

• Jeff Sandefer, co-founder and master teacher, Acton Foundation
• Richard Bray, president and CEO, Beazley Foundation
• Jack Miller, founder, Jack Miller Family Foundation
• Anne D. Neal, president, American Council of Trustees and Alumni (Moderator)

5. No Mere Sentiment: The Principled Basis for Free Enterprise

Many defenders of free enterprise argue from a practical perspective. Free markets simply work better, they reason, in delivering economic prosperity. But such arguments are ultimately vulnerable to moral critiques from opponents of capitalism, says Robert A. Sirico, president of the Acton Institute. Fr. Sirico urges the importance of a moral defense of capitalism as the economic component of the natural order of liberty. For him, free enterprise is based in the principle of human dignity and the dignity of man’s labor. Such an argument, Fr. Sirico says, is essential to the long-term survival of the free enterprise system.

• Rev. Robert A. Sirico, president, Acton Institute

4:45 p.m. - 6:00 p.m.  Break

6:00 p.m. – 7:00 p.m.  Reception

7:00 p.m. – 8:30 p.m.  Dinner with Keynote Speaker: Transforming the Classroom: Is a Free World-Class Education Possible?

Sometimes the best innovations are accidental. As an Ivy League graduate and hedge fund manager, Sal Khan began tutoring his cousin in math in 2004, first in person and then over the internet through short video tutorials posted on the website YouTube. As his family, friends, and steadily more of the general public gained the ability to revisit these lessons at their own pace and in their own time, demand for his instruction increased. His online lessons—now numbering 2,400 free digital tutorials covering everything from basic addition to advanced calculus, physics, chemistry, and biology—became an online sensation. In nearly eight years, Mr. Khan has delivered over 30 million lessons to students in more than 200 countries. This growth has helped him develop a vision to provide a free world-class education to anyone, anywhere, via Khan Academy. This nonprofit online academy has developed a carefully structured series of educational videos and interactive online software that together form complete curricula in math and other subjects. In this conversation led by Meg Whitman, Mr. Khan will discuss his unlikely expedition from part-time family tutor to full-time K–12 education pioneer. Learn why video tutorials and self-paced software are changing the way students learn, and how breakthroughs like Khan Academy will continue to revolutionize the traditional classroom and teacher model.

• Sal Khan, founder, Khan Academy
• Meg Whitman, former president and CEO, eBay (Introducer)
• Michael W. Grebe, president and CEO, Lynde and Harry Bradley Foundation (Emcee)

Saturday, October 29

8:00 a.m. – 9:00 a.m.  Networking Breakfasts

9:00 a.m. – 9:15 a.m.  Break

9:15 a.m. – 10:30 a.m.  Morning Breakout Sessions

1. Building Character through Youth Sports Programs

What are the common denominators of character-building youth sports programs? First of all, they emphasize excelling in a chosen sport. They also promote teamwork and good sportsmanship. Finally, they enrich young people’s lives with networks of community, from parents and mentors to teachers and coaches. From golf to football and from coaching to recess, America’s outstanding youth sports programs promote good citizenship. Kids who wish to play their best not only learn the rules of the game—they also learn the rules of life.

• Jim Thompson, Positive Coaching Alliance
• Joe Louis Barrow, chief executive officer, The First Tee
• Mark Merrill, CEO, Family First
• Jill Vialet, founder and CEO, Playworks.org
• Troy Fowler, Triad Foundation (Moderator)

  
2. Philanthropic Transparency: All, Nothing, or Something in Between?

Debate about transparency in philanthropy is frequently framed in terms of absolutes. Are you for or against? Is it a universal good unto itself? The reality, however, is not that simple or clear. This panel continues the conversation from last year’s annual meeting that addressed voluntary efforts by foundations to make information publicly available. This year we examine government-mandated transparency. Experts will discuss degrees of openness mandated by law and the reasons for such mandates. They will look at efforts by the government to expand its authority beyond those limits. What are the dangers that lurk behind these efforts? Why might the philanthropic sector not be well served if government succeeded in these goals? And, what can donors do about it?

• John E. Tyler III, vice president and corporate counsel, Ewing Marion Kauffman Foundation
• Suzanne Garment, visiting scholar, Center on Philanthropy, Indiana University
• Marcus S. Owens, partner, Caplin and Drysdale

3. New Energy in Climate Change Debate

In 1992, the United Nations convention on climate change in Rio de Janeiro opened the floodgates for research, international treaties, and policy debates about the science of global warming and the risks that are associated with greenhouse gas emissions. Nearly two decades later, countless efforts—in time, money, and policy—have produced few results. Philanthropic foundations in particular have invested hundreds of millions of dollars in fighting climate change and promoting sustainable energy—what lessons can be learned from their experiences? Can a new, pragmatic focus yield renewed engagement on climate change? Can new investments in energy alternatives sidestep the pitfalls of the past 20 years?

• Ted Nordhaus, founder and chairman, Breakthrough Institute
• Ron Bailey, science correspondent, Reason
• Robert Bryce, senior fellow, Manahattan Institute
• Gerry Ohrstrom, founder, Epicurus Fund (Moderator)

4. Instructing and Improving: Education Microfinance in the Third World

Instruction and improvement are at the core of education.  They are also at the core of Edify, which provides loan capital, curricula, and business and teacher training to Christian schools in developing countries, working through microfinance institutions as intermediaries in order to ensure that the support given is sustainable over the long term. Chris Crane will speak about the 160 pre-K–9 schools Edify currently supports in Ghana and the Dominican Republic—and its plans to help faith-based schools reach the poorest of the poor in even more countries, from Latin America to Africa.

• Chris Crane, president and chief executive officer, Edify

10:30 a.m. – 10:45 a.m.  Break

10:45 a.m. – 12:00 p.m.  Closing General Sessions

1. The Bestselling Book of All time                                                          

“It’s been banned; it’s been burned,” says Steve Green. “It’s been loved and hated. It’s the bestselling book of all time, the most translated book of all time, and, I think the most important book of all time.” He is referring, of course, to the Bible. Mr. Green is president of the family-owned Hobby Lobby retail chain, and he is also spearheading his family’s plans to build an international, non-sectarian museum and research center to house their massive collection of Biblical artifacts and manuscripts. This year—to commemorate the 400th anniversary of the King James Bible—the Green family unveiled “Passages,” a traveling exhibition that tells the story of Jewish, Catholic, and Protestant contributions to the Scriptures. At this session, Mr. Green will speak about his family’s ambitious plans to promote biblical scholarship and share the story of the Bible with a wide audience—and he will offer a sneak preview at some of the treasures of “Passages.”

• Steve Green, president, Hobby Lobby
• Sean Fieler, chairman, National Bible Association (Moderator)

2.  What I’ve Learned About Philanthropy

At this session, three accomplished grantmakers with a range of backgrounds will reflect on lessons learned from careers in philanthropy. Linda Childears left the banking world to run the foundation of her old friend Bill Daniels. Heather Higgins is a public intellectual who oversees the Randolph Foundation, which for 20 years has largely followed a venture capital model applied to the nonprofit arena. And Donn Weinberg serves as a faithful steward of his uncle Harry’s philanthropic legacy. These donors will speak about the philosophies that motivate their giving, about how they protect the charitable intentions of those who created the wealth, about how they ensure their philanthropy is effective—and about why philanthropy is essential to a free society and solving our world’s greatest challenges.

• Heather Higgins, president, Randolph Foundation
• Linda Childears, president and CEO, Daniels Fund
• Donn Weinberg, chairman, Harry and Jeannette Weinberg Foundation
• William Schambra, senior fellow and director, Hudson Institute (Moderator)

Noon  Conference Concludes