A Better World is Possible: The Gatsby Charitable Foundation and Social Progress
This portrait of businessman, politician and philanthropist David Sainsbury examines contemporary philanthropy and offers an account of the Gatsby Charitable Foundation’s investment in a better world.
Over 50 years his Foundation has made grants of over £1 billion, to causes ranging from science, innovation, education, and mental health to the Arts, economic development in Africa, and to Cambridge University.
He founded the Foundation in 1967 with £5 and 110,000 ordinary shares in J Sainsbury’s as the endowing sum.
On 17 March 1967, the 26-year-old David Sainsbury wrote out a cheque for £5 and established the trust which would become the Gatsby Charitable Foundation with 110,000 ordinary shares in J Sainsbury’s as the endowing sum
Gatsby’s purpose was ambitious: to make the world a better place by taking on some of the social, economic and scientific challenges that face humanity.
In recent years, Gatsby has spent around £50m annually on charitable activities, and by its 50th anniversary in 2017 it will have spent over £1bn on programmes that range from reducing poverty in Africa to raising the standard of technical education, investigating how plants fight disease, and finding out how the brain works. But despite Gatsby’s wide reach and the level of its donations, it has always functioned discreetly and out of the public eye.
Georgina Ferry’s in-depth account reveals its achievements and invites us to question how the super-rich – and even the moderately affluent – might spend their money more wisely and for the common good.
WATCH: A Better World is Possible
Professor Stephan Chambers (left) talks with Lord Sainsbury about his lifetime of philanthropy. The event took place on 13 March 2018 at Old Theatre, Old Building, LSE.
Reviews
“Lord David Sainsbury’s ambition to take on some of society’s biggest challenges with compassion, thoughtfulness, and rigour is inspiring. It’s been a pleasure to get to know him through his involvement in the Giving Pledge.”
Bill Gates, co-chair, Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation
The Gatsby Charitable Foundation has shown that philanthropy can promote innovation and risk taking for the benefit of us all. This timely book is a stimulating journey through years of insightful and transformative grant-making.
Dawn Austwick, CEO of the Big Lottery Fund
