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BIG GIFTS, BIG IDEAS, BIG IMPACT:
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Andrea Soros Colombel, Abigail Disney and Peter Peterson discuss their philanthropy work. |
New York, NY—April 21, 2008—Milano The New School for Management and Urban Policy announced today that Abigail Disney, Peter Peterson and Andrea Soros Colombel–three of America’s most influential philanthropists–will participate in a conversation April 21 on current issues in philanthropy and the future of charitable giving. The event is part of the annual Milano series “Big Gifts, Big Ideas” in which leading philanthropists are given a platform to discuss the role of private philanthropy in public life.
“We’re fortunate that, for the third year in a row, some of the leading philanthropists of our time will have a public conversation about the goals, motivations, and driving philosophies behind their charitable giving,” said Fred P. Hochberg, dean of Milano The New School for Management and Urban Policy, whose program in nonprofit management has been cited by The Chronicle of Philanthropy as among the top in the country. “The individuals on our panel believe passionately in using their private means to create major social changes. These three donors have broad experience funding initiatives in education, health care, sustainable development, the environment and civil society,” he said. Hochberg, who served in the Small Business Administration under President Clinton, will moderate the panel.
Abigail Disney founded the Daphne Foundation in 1991 to provide grants for grassroots community-based groups working with low-income communities in New York City. The foundation has provided millions of dollars in areas ranging from women’s rights to AIDS advocacy, children’s health, labor conditions, religion, and environmentalism. Ms. Disney recently retired as chairwoman of the New York Women’s Foundation, of which she was a board member for more than 14 years. This organization has raised and dispersed millions of dollars for community organizations devoted to economic empowerment for women and girls in New York City. Ms. Disney serves on the boards of the Roy Disney Family Foundation, the White House Project, the Global Fund for Women, and the Fund for the City of New York, as well as the advisory boards of a broad range of organizations working in the areas of poverty, women’s issues, education, and the environment.
Peter G. Peterson founded the Peter G. Peterson Foundation in February of 2008 and announced his commitment to funding at least one billion dollars over the next few years to carry out its mission: enhancing public understanding of sustainability challenges that threaten the future of the United States, proposing workable solutions to address these challenges, and building public will to do something about them. Mr. Peterson is the senior chair and co-founder of Blackstone and a member of the board of directors of its general partner, Blackstone Group Management LLC. He is chairman emeritus of the Council on Foreign Relations and chairman of its International Advisory Board. He is also founding chairman of the Peterson Institute for International Economics, founding president of the Concord Coalition, and former co-chair of the Conference Board Commission on Public Trust and Private Enterprise.
Andrea Soros Colombel is the founder and president of the Trace Foundation. Established in 1993, the foundation supports the preservation of Tibetan culture and language and offers assistance to Tibetan communities within China. The foundation funds and implements projects that integrate culture and development goals while preserving environmental integrity. Ms. Colombel is also a founding partner and member of the board of directors of the Acumen Fund, a global venture fund that employs an entrepreneurial approach in addressing the problems of global poverty. Investments focus on delivering affordable critical goods and services-including health, water, housing, and energy-through innovative market-oriented approaches.
The New School's Public Programs can be seen via webcast at FORA.tv. To view this program, please visit http://fora.tv/2008/04/21/Philanthropy_Today_Big_Ideas_Big_Gifts_Big_Impact.
ABOUT MILANO THE NEW SCHOOL FOR MANAGEMENT AND URBAN POLICY
For more than thirty years, Milano The New School for Management and Urban Policy has offered sharply focused programs in management and public policy that are innovative, principled, and practical—in keeping with the mission, values, and purpose of The New School at large. The programs balance theory, original research, and experiential learning, using New York City as a giant social science laboratory. Students undertake hands-on work, addressing real issues within organizations and bringing their best critical thinking to bear on solving today's social, economic, and political problems. The faculty includes nationally recognized professors with a depth of scholarship and vast practical experience, as well as practitioners with a passionate commitment to their fields.
The school is named after Robert J. Milano (1912-2000), founder and longtime President and Chairman of Millmaster Onyx, a public firm that was sold in the 1980s to Gulf Oil Company. He is known for his expansion of opportunities for others, his commitment to public service, and his enduring contributions to New York City. He served as a New York City Deputy Mayor during the Koch Administration and was a longstanding Trustee and former Vice Chairman of The New School. In 1996, the trustees of the university named Milano The New School for Management and Urban Policy in his honor.
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