Join EPIP Bay Area for a drink (on us!) and discussion on Against "Big Bets" (5-7 min read) by Larry Kramer, President of the Hewlett Foundation...

Strategic philanthropy should reject the latest fad of large grants in favor of long-term steadfast commitments to the many organizations making progress on our most important problems.

...and the complementary piece 10 Ways to Make a Big Bet on Social Change (13-20 min read) by William Foster, Gail Perreault, and Elise Tosun of The Bridgespan Group.

The world is rich in problems to address, but poor in clear pathways to do so. For philanthropists, this sobering reality makes figuring out the “how” much harder than deciding on the “what.” The good news is that there is a menu of “hows,” ten distinct ways to place a big bet on social change. All are underutilized—some particularly so.

Resources and Further Reading on Big Bets in Philanthropy

Making Big Bets for Social Change (15-23 min read) by William Foster, Gail Perreault, Alison Powell, and Chris Addy

When Are Big Bets the Right Bet? (Video) Larry Kramer, President of the Hewlett Foundation, and William Foster, partner at Bridgespan, discuss the merits and pitfalls of today’s largest donors making big bets in philanthropy, expanding on their respective articles in SSIR.

Philanthropy in Silicon Valley: Big Bets on Big Ideas (3-4 min read) by Vindu Goel, Technology Reporter at The New York Times

Our quarterly Article Clubs are loosely facilitated happy hours where attendees can network and discuss articles that focus on a current—and ideally, controversial—trend or hot topic in philanthropy. Have suggestions for future topics/articles? Email us at [email protected]!

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