When the world’s wealthiest man at the turn of the 19th century – John D. Rockefeller – sought to create a gargantuan foundation bearing his name, he was showered with public scorn and criticism by the U.S. Congress. The very idea of the foundation, said one skeptic, is “repugnant to the whole idea of a democratic society.” We live in a second gilded age of massive and still growing inequality, and this age has also produced billionaire philanthropists. What is the promise and peril of philanthropy in the 21st Century?

In his NGO Academy Keynote, Professor Rob Reich (Stanford University) will draw from his extensive research and two books about philanthropy. Following, he will be joined by Boris Marte (CEO of ERSTE Foundation) and Professor Michael Meyer (Vienna University of Economics and Business) to discuss the complicated and dynamic role of philanthropy in CEE in this age of billionaires. The NGO Academy Keynote will take place on 23 November 2021, 6pm (CET) online. Register here: https://www.eventbrite.at/e/the-promise-and-peril-of-philanthropy-in-an-age-of-growing-inequality-tickets-192169152107