Philanthropy Challenge seeks 'next Bill Gates' among LSE students

Philanthropy Challenge seeks 'next Bill Gates' among LSE students

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The Philanthropy Challenge: Could you be the next Bill Gates? is a contest devised by the Institute for Philanthropy (Ifp) and LSE IDEAS, the centre for international affairs at the London School of Economics and Political Science.

It was launched on Wednesday (10th March) with a public panel discussion addressed by Dame Stephanie Shirley, the Government’s Ambassador for Philanthropy, who started technology group Xansa from her dining-room and built it into a FTSE 250 company; and by Nicholas Ferguson, chairman of the Institute for Philanthropy and private equity firm SVG Capital.

The students will attend three seminars later in the year, to be led by the Institute’s chief executive Dr. Salvatore LaSpada. Teams of students will develop projects as to how, with a sum of money provided, they can make a permanent difference in today’s global society. They will learn many of the same skills in strategic philanthropy that are taught to participants in the IfP’s international education programme for wealthy individuals, The Philanthropy Workshop.

The winning team’s entry will be published as an academic paper by LSE, and the sum of money will be made as a grant to a non-governmental organisation selected by the winners.

LaSpada said: “This is an excellent opportunity for us to work with some of the finest young entrepreneurial minds from around the world, several of whom we hope will form the next generation of engaged and strategic philanthropists.”