"Money alone is not the solution to the challenges we have today. The solution is to get us to change how we how we act.”

That is one of messages shared by Maria Ahlström-Bondestam, a fifth-gen Finnish philanthropist, during her interview on Shaping Philanthropy.

Speaking down the line from Helsinki, Maria shares her family’s journey into philanthropy, explains the focus on women and girls, how she measures impact, and why she takes collaboration so seriously.

A co-founder of the Eva Ahlström Foundation, and the Ahlström Collective Impact inititive, Maria makes the case for influential families to speak up to right wrongs and calls on fellow philanthropists to use their networks and power to speak up for forgotten people.

“We all are role models,” she says. “Either good ones or bad ones and that is somethig we have to remember as members of society. People can be inspired by us, but they can also be put off by us.”

Maria, who trained as a pediatric nurse and went on to work for UNICEF, recalls how her family’s first investment of € 200,000 into a water and sanitation project in a village in India, went on to be scaled by the government to impact 10 million children.

She also talks legacy, values, and finding a cause. “Think about what really matters to you,” she says. “What are your passionate about? What would you like to change? And then have a go… Don’t overthink it.”

During the interview, our host, Anissa Punjani, also asks Maria about her inclusion in a recently-released study into next-gen wealth and impact.

Maria was was of more than 60 people from across 30 countries who was interviewed for LGT Philanthropy Advisory’s Wealth for Impact report, which explores themes of privilege, responsibility, and personal values, and how wealth is created, invested, spent, given, and transferred.

Send us a text

Circle is a partnership between Philanthropy Age and the Pearl Initiative. It is supported by the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation.

Nina Hoas and Silvia Bastante de Unverhau from LGT Philanthropy Advisory join Anissa Punjani to discuss their new research paper Wealth for impact: global perspectives from the next generations of wealth holders.

This deep-dive study is based on interviews with more than 60 individuals from 30 different countries, aged between 18 to 77. It examines how wealth holders perceive privilege, responsibility, and personal values, and explores how this wealth is created, invested, spent, given, and transferred.

The report comes as the world stands on the brink on an unprecedented transfer of wealth, with all eyes on the next generation, whose actions are set to re-shape financial landscapes as well as wider society.

During their interview, Hoas and Bastante de Unverhau talk about where the idea for the study came from and highlight some of the key findings, including a strong focus on values, how next-gens are seeking out more blended approaches to giving and impact, and a surprising openness when discussing what is often a taboo topic.

Send us a text

Circle is a partnership between Philanthropy Age and the Pearl Initiative. It is supported by the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation.

Guy Cave, president of the Legatum Foundation, joins the podcast to tell us about Legatum's new humanitarian initiative.

The Resilio Fund, which is due to be officially launched in 2025, aims to mobilise US$100m in its first five years to support grassroots organisations based in a range of crisis zones including Somalia, Ethiopia, Sudan, Myanmar, the Philippines, and Lebanon.

The idea, explained Guy in this interview with Anissa Punjani, is to funnel cash directly to people in humanitarian need, rather than rely on money to trickle down through institutions.

“We’re supporting a very local approach that’s looking at getting behind what communities are already doing to help themselves,” he said. “These microgrants are totally what we would call ‘trust based’ - they can spend however they think is right.”

Resilio, like Legatum’s other funds, was tested first as a pilot. Beginning in 2021, it has been active across half a dozen countries, including Myanmar, where village communities displaced by aerial bombardments were able to receive cash for food within 24 hours, and in Sudan, where youth volunteers have mobilised to help communities affected by violent conflict.

“At a practical level, it’s fast and efficient, because with cash people can buy things locally,” Guy said. “It also means they have a real sense of ownership, and it gives them dignity.” And he added that post-grant evaluations had also shown how many recipients had used first grants to fund survival but then moved towards strengthening their resilience to be better prepared for future disasters.

During the interview, recorded at Legatum’s HQ in Dubai International Financial Centre (DIFC), Guy also talked about how another of the Foundation’s pilot programmes, a justice initiative targeting people stuck in pre-trial detention, was helping to reduce overcrowding in Ugandan prisons.

Other topics explored in the interview include the importance of measuring impact (not just "input") and how good partnerships are key to effective collaboration.

Send us a text

Circle is a partnership between Philanthropy Age and the Pearl Initiative. It is supported by the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation.