New Year, New Projects, More Impact

A new year and new semester are underway here at the Center for High Impact Philanthropy. As a follow-up to last fall’s announcement of New People, Roles, and Partners and our resolutions from 2012, we’d like to share some of our commitments for 2013:

Keep a child alive past the age of five: How you can improve child survival

In December, we released a new case study on the Comprehensive Rural Health Project as part of our child survival guidance. Stay tuned in 2013 for a series of new models and interviews with experts and practitioners fighting to end child deaths caused by preventable diseases.

Educating emerging leaders in social impact

Expanding our role in graduating impact, members of the Center’s team have recommitted to preparing the next generation of social impact leaders.  In addition to instructing in the global health and public health programs, Carol will provide coaching to student teams conducting due diligence for the Lipman Family Prize nominees. Kat is teaching a new case-discussion graduate course focused on the strategic management of nonprofits for impact. Consistent with the Center’s multi-disciplinary emphasis, most classes are open to student from across the University.

Identifying high impact philanthropic opportunities for food funders

Thanks to the support of the Claneil Foundation, Campbell Soup Company, Montgomery County Community Foundation, and our partnership with the Wharton Social Impact Initiative, our team will be releasing an online opportunity map to help donors identify the most high impact paths to achieving food-related social impacts. Obesity, hunger, and sustainable agriculture are just some of the issues that food funders seek to address.

Understanding opportunities to address mental illness, PTSD, school and gun violence

The shooting deaths at Sandy Hook Elementary School in Newtown, CT have prompted discussion and reflection on how best to address issues of violence, mental health, and community safety. Our colleagues here at the School of Social Policy & Practice, Perelman School of Medicine, School of Nursing, and throughout the University provide our team access to research, connections, and expertise that can inform donors efforts to address these issues. Over the course of the year, we hope to bring guidance to those seeking to create change in the wake of this tragedy.

Bringing more of our network to you

Our definition of evidence has always gone beyond academic research to include the knowledge of practitioners and analysts working in the areas we examine.  A new upcoming series will highlight the perspectives of our senior fellows, other practitioners, and analysts in our network so that donors and their advisors can benefit from their insights as well.