Source: Fortune
Summary
Steve and Connie Ballmer are restructuring their philanthropic organization, Ballmer Group, into three separate, independent nonprofits. The organizations, MoveUp Southeast Michigan, MoveUp LA, and MoveUp Washington, will operate on their own but remain funded by the Ballmers. The decision aims to put decision-making about donations closer to the people doing the work. The Ballmers have given away over $8 billion during the past two decades and founded the Ballmer Group in 2015.
Our Reading
The strategy enters a familiar phase.
Steve Ballmer, the ninth-richest man in the world, and his wife Connie are decentralizing their philanthropy, giving more autonomy to local leaders. The Ballmer Group’s CEO, Terri Ludwig, sees the new entities as startups, not spin-offs. The financial structure of the new organizations is still being worked out, with an endowment being considered. The Ballmers’ intention is to ensure that these local philanthropies can be permanent, ongoing resources in each region. The move is a shift towards empowering local leaders and putting decision-making closer to the work.
Philanthropy by spreadsheet.
Author: Evan Null
