Celebrating the Recipients of the 2022 Carnegie Medal of Philanthropy

Celebrating the Recipients of the 2022 Carnegie Medal of Philanthropy

The Carnegie family of institutions pays tribute to Manu Chandaria, Lyda Hill, Dolly Parton, Lynn Schusterman, and Stacy Shusterman

World Central Kitchen receives the Carnegie Catalyst Award

The philanthropic community gathered Thursday night, October 13, in New York City for the Carnegie Medal of Philanthropy awards, which this year are marking their 20th anniversary. Hosted by the international family of institutions established by Andrew Carnegie, the ceremony honored five distinguished philanthropists for their extraordinary efforts to address the challenges facing our world: Manu Chandaria, Lyda Hill, Dolly Parton, Lynn Schusterman, and Stacy Schusterman. The goal of the medal is to inspire a culture of giving by recognizing innovative philanthropists who are helping to make the world smarter, cleaner, healthier, and more equitable.

2022 Carnegie Medal of Philanthropy honorees and impact videos:

Manu Chandaria

The Chandaria Foundation | Kenya

For advancing opportunity and addressing critical needs in Africa through investments in health-care infrastructure, secondary and higher education, poverty relief, and environmentalism.

Impact video featuring Gertrude’s Children’s Hospital, Nairobi, Kenya


Lyda Hill

Lyda Hill Philanthropies | U.S.

For investments in the life sciences, including cancer and mental health research and treatment; conservation; supporting women in STEM fields and inspiring girls to be interested in STEM careers; and empowering community-based nonprofits to maximize impact.

Impact video featuring IF/THEN initiative, San Diego, CA


Dolly Parton

The Dollywood Foundation | U.S.

For alleviating poverty, strengthening early childhood education through the distribution of free books worldwide, increasing college access, and advancing medical research, including on pediatric infectious diseases and the development of a COVID-19 vaccine.

Impact video featuring Imagination Library, Knoxville, TN


Lynn Schusterman and Stacy Schusterman

Charles and Lynn Schusterman Family Philanthropies | U.S.

For advancing racial, gender, and economic equity through investments in areas such as K–12 education, democracy and voting rights, gender and reproductive equity, and criminal justice; and supporting Jewish communities and a secure, inclusive Israel.

Impact video featuring Collaborative for Gender and Reproductive Equity, New York, NY, and Michigan Voices, Detroit, MI

Carnegie Catalyst Award honoree and impact video:

World Central Kitchen

U.S.

Founded by chef José Andrés in 2010, the organization is recognized for mobilizing volunteers to provide meals in communities affected by humanitarian and natural disasters. World Central Kitchen has served more than 150 million meals in countries around the world, and the organization continues to build one of the largest food relief organizations in Ukraine during the current conflict.

Impact video featuring services in Chicago, IL, including work with Soul & Smoke restaurant

The Carnegie institutions also presented the inaugural Carnegie Catalyst Award to World Central Kitchen for providing meals in response to humanitarian, climate, and community crises worldwide. The organization’s cofounder and board chairman, Rob Wilder, accepted the award on behalf of the organization. The Catalyst Award was established in memory of Vartan Gregorian,12th president of Carnegie Corporation of New York and cofounder the Carnegie Medal of Philanthropy, who believed in the transformative power of human kindness.

The names of the five honorees were announced on August 3, 2022. At the private medal ceremony, members of the class of 2022 were presented with a citation celebrating their philanthropic accomplishments. Each honoree was also introduced with a video demonstrating the impact of their giving as told by individuals and organizations that have benefited from their generosity. To date, more than 65 philanthropists have been honored with the medal.

Each medalist received a bust of Andrew Carnegie — an original work of art cast in bronze and created especially for the award — and a bronze medal. The recipient of the Carnegie Catalyst Award received a custom crystal sculpture.

The master of ceremonies for the private event was Judy Woodruff, anchor and managing editor of PBS NewsHour and a longstanding member of Carnegie Corporation of New York’s board of trustees. In tribute to Andrew Carnegie’s heritage as a Scottish immigrant, a bagpiper playing “Scotland the Brave” led the procession of medalists into the ceremony. The Cathedral Choir of the Abyssinian Baptist Church brought the celebration to a close by performing two songs, including “Light of a Clear Blue Morning,” which was written and originally performed by 2022 medalist Dolly Parton.

To learn more about the Carnegie Medal of Philanthropy, follow on social media: @carnegiemedal (Twitter), @MedalofPhilanthropy (Facebook), and #CMoP.

View and download videos and images from the ceremony in the media toolkit.

For media inquiries, email Celeste Ford at: CFC@carnegie.org.

Charting a Course for Change through Women-funded Philanthropy

Charting a Course for Change through Women-funded Philanthropy

Anne Earhart, Regan Pritzker, and Stacy Schusterman discuss the causes they care about, what motivates them to give, and their visions for the future of philanthropy, society, and the planet

As wealthy women in America make more multimillion-dollar gifts, they are reshaping philanthropy — giving with fewer strings attached and to causes and groups that were often overlooked in the past.

In the Chronicle of Philanthropy webinar Women Philanthropists: Charting a Course for Change, three recipients of the Carnegie Medal of Philanthropy — Anne Earhart, founder of the Marisla Foundation; Regan Pritzker, cofounder of the Kataly Foundation; and Stacy Schusterman, chair of Charles and Lynn Shusterman Family Philanthropies — joined editor Stacy Palmer to discuss the causes they care about, what motivates them to give, and their visions for the future of philanthropy, society, and the planet.

The 2022 Carnegie Medal of Philanthropy honorees — Manu Chandaria, Lyda Hill, Dolly Parton, Lynn Schusterman, and Stacy Schusterman — were announced during the webinar. Additionally, World Central Kitchen was named the first-ever winner of the Carnegie Catalyst Award, which recognizes a nonprofit organization that has been exceptionally effective in catalyzing people’s desire to help one another during times of crisis.

Awarded by the Carnegie family of institutions, the Carnegie Medal of Philanthropy seeks to inspire a culture of giving by recognizing outstanding philanthropists who are helping make the world a better place for all. Read the full announcement and learn more about the honorees.

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World Central Kitchen

Catalyst

World Central Kitchen

Award Citation: 2022 Carnegie Medal of Philanthropy

In response to the 2010 Haiti earthquake, award-winning Spanish-born American chef and restaurateur José Andrés founded World Central Kitchen (WCK). Cooking with others at a camp for displaced persons, Andrés, with the support of his wife, Patricia, along with business partner Rob Wilder and his wife, Robin, set out to use his gastronomic experience to provide hungry people with more than just relief during a disaster. The idea? To help spur urgent economic recovery through food.

Andrew Carnegie once said, “Wealth is not to feed our egos, but to feed the hungry and to help people help themselves.” He believed that philanthropy ought to challenge the causes of social ills rather than their expressions. WCK’s vision, centering the humanity of cooking and eating together, embodies this philosophy — to tackle causes, not symptoms — in the food economy. WCK’s work is made possible by volunteers, most of whom are local to the communities they serve. The WCK team mobilizes individuals with professional cooking experience, as well as anyone willing to work the lines, help with food purchases and deliveries, or simply serve a meal with a smile.

WCK is often first to the front lines. They have served more than 150 million fresh meals around the world, helping to feed the island of Puerto Rico after Hurricane Maria and millions during the COVID-19 pandemic. They worked with the victims of the ruinous blast in Beirut and the bushfires in Australia. And WCK continues to build the largest food relief operation in Ukraine, sending trucks, trains, passenger cars, and vans across hundreds of cities and towns. WCK’s Resilience Programs strengthen sustenance security by creating systems that train chefs and school cooks, by advancing clean cooking practices, and by focusing grantmaking on farms, fisheries, and small businesses along with promoting educational and professional opportunities.

World Central Kitchen has expanded traditional notions of philanthropy, putting into practice a philosophy that views food as an agent for change. Through community-based mobilizations and the expansion of opportunities and resources, WCK fights hunger while enabling economic
stability, spreading knowledge, and mitigating the damage of future disasters. Their practice of gathering for meals, fostering community through the camaraderie of breaking bread together, is a graceful expression of “giving” that resonates for all.

WCK’s extraordinary operating model sets a powerful and inspirational example of empathy in action. The Selection Committee of the Carnegie Medal of Philanthropy believes that the spirit of their life-enhancing work — meeting people in need where they are, building community through shared connections — is a match for the bountiful spirit of our founder, who said, “The happiness of giving happiness is far sweeter than the pleasure direct.” We are honored to present the inaugural Carnegie Catalyst Award to World Central Kitchen.

Acceptance Speech Video: October 13, 2022 Awards Ceremony

Presenter Video: October 13, 2022 Awards Ceremony

Photos: October 13, 2022 Awards Ceremony

About  Carnegie Catalyst Award

This year, the Carnegie family of institutions announced the inaugural Carnegie Catalyst Award, created in memory of the late Vartan Gregorian, past president of Carnegie Corporation of New York and cofounder of the Carnegie Medal of Philanthropy. Celebrating the transformative power of human kindness, the Catalyst Award honors a nonprofit organization that has been exceptionally effective in catalyzing people’s inherent desire to help one another — an ideal that was embodied through Gregorian’s life and work. World Central Kitchen was selected as the first-ever recipient of the Carnegie Catalyst Award for mobilizing volunteers to provide 150 million meals in communities affected by humanitarian and natural disasters.

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Schusterman, Lynn and Stacy

Lynn Schusterman
Stacy Schusterman

Medal Citation: 2022 Carnegie Medal of Philanthropy

Charles and Lynn Schusterman Family Philanthropies represents a living tradition of giving that began at the family kitchen table. In 1967, Lynn and her late husband, Charles, pledged $500 to the United Jewish Appeal to support Israel during a moment of crisis. This was a significant financial sacrifice for the couple at the time, but giving back, even when they had little to spare, was a value they shared.

Today, Lynn Schusterman, chair emerita of Schusterman Family Philanthropies, and her daughter, Stacy, chair of the organization, remain committed to the values and lessons of Jewish ethics that have inspired the family’s philanthropic work from the very beginning: to pursue justice (tzedek), to repair the world (tikkun olam), and to treat all people with dignity and civility (derekh eretz).

Lynn Schusterman began the family foundation with her husband in Tulsa, Oklahoma, in 1987. Through her philanthropy, she has been recognized as a proud supporter of Israel, the Jewish people, and her family’s hometown of Tulsa; as an advocate for addressing child abuse and neglect; as a champion of educational opportunities for all young people; and as a pioneering funder of inclusion and equality. In 2011, Lynn Schusterman signed the Giving Pledge, a promise by the world’s wealthiest individuals and families to dedicate the majority of their wealth to charitable causes.

Stacy Schusterman, who became more involved with the family’s philanthropy in 2011 after serving as CEO at Samson Resources for over a decade, oversees approximately $400 million in annual grantmaking that is invested in shaping more just and inclusive societies in the U.S. and Israel. She continues the work her parents began to shape joyful and inclusive Jewish communities and to strengthen Israel as a secure homeland for the Jewish people and a thriving democracy. Under her leadership, Schusterman Family Philanthropies has prioritized the advancement of racial, gender, and economic equity in the U.S. through investments in K–12 education, gender and reproductive equity, democracy and voting rights, and criminal justice reform.

Over more than three decades, the Schusterman family has given more than $2 billion through their philanthropy. Among their many investments, they founded the Haruv Institute in Israel to provide training for professionals to address child abuse and neglect. They helped launch Repair the World to mobilize young Jewish adults and their communities through service and volunteerism. They have supported teacher development and the recruitment of teachers of color as part of their broader commitment to strengthening the U.S. education system. They are also major investors in Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs) and criminal justice reform, including through their partnership with the Blue Meridian donor collaborative. The Schustermans also invest deeply in the leadership and equality of women and girls, including through their involvement in the Collaborative for Gender + Reproductive Equity, and they have worked to help preserve safe, free, and fair access to voting.

In The Gospel of Wealth, Andrew Carnegie describes the thoughtful, positive administration of giving as yielding the “most beneficial results” for the community. The Selection Committee of the Carnegie Medal of Philanthropy admires the generous optimism of the Schusterman family’s investments in building inclusive and thriving communities: they see possibility rather than impossibility in their work. Furthermore, we believe that the family’s commitment to principle is a meaningful example for faith-based communities and foundations that are seeking to empower and improve the lives of others. We applaud the Schustermans’ visionary legacy of giving; they — as did our founder with his farsighted philosophy of philanthropy — continue to make a deep and lasting impact on the communities they serve.

The Carnegie family of institutions is honored to welcome Lynn Schusterman and Stacy Schusterman as recipients of the 2022 Carnegie Medal of Philanthropy.

Acceptance Speech Video: October 13, 2022 Awards Ceremony

Photos: October 13, 2022 Awards Ceremony

Hill, Lyda

Lyda Hill

Medal Citation: 2022 Carnegie Medal of Philanthropy

Lyda Hill believes that science is the solution to many of our most daunting challenges — and her philanthropy has been informed by that conviction as well as by her unique life journey. As a successful businesswoman and philanthropist, she invests in catalytic, solution-oriented initiatives that have the potential to impact global issues, reflecting her vision of mixing entrepreneurial vigor with a commitment to balancing profit with purpose. And yet, while taking on issues of national import, such as food security and safety, water conservation, urban green spaces, medical research, and public health, Hill remains dedicated to empowering nonprofit organizations that are improving the places closest to her heart: local communities in Colorado and Texas.

Hill began her career in 1967 when she founded Hill World Travel, a market-leading travel consultancy. She spent the early part of her career building that business, moving on to prioritize venture capital investments and volunteering after selling the company in 1982. Today, philanthropy is her passion and central focus.

Hill enjoyed tremendous success as an entrepreneur and businessperson, but her life was not without struggle. Because cancer claimed the lives of many in her own family, and as a breast cancer survivor herself, she began financing the type of scientific research that could — one day — lead to a cure. She recently funded the establishment of the Lyda Hill Department of Bioinformatics, the Lyda Hill Deanship of the School of Public Health, and the newly formed Department of Biomedical Engineering at the UT Southwestern Medical Center. The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center’s Moon Shots Program, which works to combat and eliminate cancer, was also made possible by her generosity. These transformative gifts place both of these universities at the center of today’s innovations in biotechnology and medicine. Hill marvels at today’s preventive care options, most of which were nonexistent when she was first diagnosed — and she invests heavily in promising advances in medical research and care, launching a venture capital fund that brings breakthrough ideas to the marketplace quickly.

Hill was one of the few women named to the Chronicle of Philanthropy’s list of most generous donors in 2013, and the next year Forbes magazine singled her out as one of the top 15 entrepreneurs who give back to the community. She supports many nonprofits, including the Visiting Nurse Association, Texas 2036, Meadows Mental Health Policy Institute, the National Geographic Society, and many more. In the 1980s, Hill launched the Volunteer Connection, which promotes volunteerism in the Dallas/Fort Worth area. This enormously effective program brought her to the attention of President Ronald Reagan, who appointed her to the Advisory Council on Private Sector Initiatives, and has since been replicated across the country.

Hill has funded numerous conservation and community revitalization projects in Colorado and Texas, including the Nature Conservancy’s Mapping Ocean Wealth project, the Perot Museum of Nature and Science, the Margaret Hunt Hill Bridge in Dallas, and the Garden of the Gods Visitor and Nature Center in Colorado Springs. Hill also works to cultivate a diverse generation of scientists and conservationists through the IF/THEN Initiative, which supports young girls and women who are pursuing STEM careers. In 2010, Hill signed the Giving Pledge, vowing to donate the entirety of her wealth to charity and to do so largely during her lifetime.

In The Gospel of Wealth, Andrew Carnegie wrote that the wealthy should erect “ladders upon which the aspiring can rise.” The Selection Committee of the Carnegie Medal of Philanthropy celebrates the many “ladders” built by Lyda Hill as she carries out her philanthropic mission with visionary generosity. We believe that her unstinting service to society, year by year, is a splendid, scientific continuation of our founder’s commitment to using wealth for the good — for the “lasting good,” as Carnegie put it — of the greater community.

The Carnegie family of institutions is honored to welcome Lyda Hill as a recipient of the 2022 Carnegie Medal of Philanthropy.

Acceptance Speech Video: October 13, 2022 Awards Ceremony

Photos: October 13, 2022 Awards Ceremony

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Parton, Dolly

Dolly Parton

Medal Citation: 2022 Carnegie Medal of Philanthropy

Dolly Parton’s life story reads like a fairy tale. She was born in Sevier County, Tennessee, where people struggled to make ends meet and earning a living often took priority over getting an education. From this impoverished but culturally rich region came the woman who would go on to achieve global success as a singer-songwriter, actress, and businesswoman — and as one of the entertainment world’s most generous philanthropists.

Parton was the fourth in a family of 12 children, and her musical talents first emerged in the family’s one-room cabin. Her mother, the daughter of a preacher who played the fiddle, created an inspirational musical grounding for the family, entertaining her children with songs, storytelling, and Smoky Mountain folklore. Parton’s father, a sharecropper, farmer, and construction worker, was also a Pentecostal preacher, and the family was in church every Sunday. Parton made her public singing debut — in church — at the age of six. She continued to perform locally — to rising acclaim — on radio and television. The day after graduating from high school, Parton left home to pursue a musical career.

There were bumps along the road, but eventually, Parton’s hard work and musical genius would lead her to success beyond her wildest dreams. Parton has 47 career Top 10 country albums, a record for any artist, and 110 career-charted singles over the past five decades. With 26 songs reaching number one on the Billboard Country charts, Parton is the winner of 11 Grammys. The first country artist honored as Grammy MusiCares Person of the Year, in 2022 she received her 51st Grammy nomination. In addition to four People’s Choice Awards, three American Music Awards, the Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award, and her induction as a member of the Country Music Hall of Fame, Parton’s accomplishments include an Emmy Award, the authorship of a range of best-selling books, co-ownership of the Dollywood Company, and her role as founder of the Dollywood Foundation. In November, Parton will be inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame as a member of the Class of 2022.

Named to Forbes magazine’s 2022 list of America’s Richest Self-Made Women, Parton credits her savvy investment decisions to her father, who passed along his business acumen to his daughter. Providing career opportunities for the citizens of Sevier County, Dollywood Theme Park has become Parton’s most valuable asset — and is now the state’s most popular theme park, attracting three million visitors annually.

Parton founded the Dollywood Foundation in 1988 to inspire the children of her home county. The goal: to achieve educational success and decrease high school dropout rates. The foundation’s initial success launched what is now its flagship program, Dolly Parton’s Imagination Library. This children’s book-gifting program began by sending every child in Sevier County a free, age-appropriate book each month in the mail until they reached the age of five. Parton created the Imagination Library in honor of her father, who was illiterate, to make sure that all children had books in their home from the very start. She wanted the program to be stigma free, so Parton made sure that any child, regardless of background or income status, could receive books through the Imagination Library. To date, the program has gifted close to 200 million books across the United States, Canada, the United Kingdom, Australia, and the Republic of Ireland, and the foundation has plans for further expansion.

Parton’s philanthropic work also includes donations to Vanderbilt University to fund pediatric infectious disease research and support for the development of Moderna’s COVID-19 vaccine. The Dollywood Foundation, through its My People Fund, supported hundreds of families who lost their homes during the 2016 wildfires in Sevier County, and also provides scholarship funds to local high school students to help further their education at any accredited university. Looking forward, the Dollywood Foundation continues to find ways to share the life and
legacy of Dolly Parton as an inspiration for children to dream more, learn more, care more,
and be more.

In The Gospel of Wealth, Andrew Carnegie urges us to ponder this question: Because of the life you are living, has “one small part of the great world … been bettered just a little”? The Selection Committee of the Carnegie Medal of Philanthropy salutes Dolly Parton, who has done more than “a little.” With her philanthropy and her artistry, she has empowered and lifted up the citizens of her Tennessee home county as well as millions more around the world. We believe that her many philanthropic achievements embody the values of our founder, who, with us, would surely greet Parton with “affection, gratitude, and admiration.”

The Carnegie family of institutions is honored to welcome Dolly Parton as a recipient of the 2022 Carnegie Medal of Philanthropy.

Acceptance Speech Video: October 13, 2022 Awards Ceremony

Photos: October 13, 2022 Awards Ceremony

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Chandaria, Manu

Manu Chandaria

Manu Chandaria OBE CBS EBS

Medal Citation: 2022 Carnegie Medal of Philanthropy

For nearly 70 years, renowned businessman and philanthropist Manu Chandaria has dedicated himself to providing essential human services to long-overlooked communities in Africa.

Chandaria was born in Nairobi, Kenya, to Indian immigrants of modest means. His merchant father ensured that his children understood the pivotal role that education could play in their lives. Taking this guidance to heart, Chandaria embarked on a quest for knowledge that would take him from primary school in Kenya to secondary and undergraduate studies in India — and then on to the U.S., where he earned bachelor’s and master’s degrees in engineering from the University of Oklahoma.

When Chandaria returned to Kenya in 1951, the family’s small business was expanding into the aluminum and steel industries. This positioning — bolstered by hard work and fierce dedication — became the platform from which the Comcraft Group would grow into a multibillion-dollar conglomerate with a presence today in over 40 countries. Chandaria applied his engineering skills and scholarly acumen to the company’s leadership, while going on to become founding chairman of the East African Business Council and the Kenya Private Sector Alliance.

Chandaria is a devoted follower of Jainism, and once the business was set on course, he turned to an important principle of his faith: service to others. Established in 1955, the Chandaria Foundation supports educational, health care, and life enrichment programs that continue to benefit thousands of Kenyans — and his family would eventually set up charitable trusts in many of the African countries in which Comcraft operates. Chandaria also chaired the Street Families Rehabilitation Trust Fund, which develops rehabilitative and preventive programs for homeless children and families. The recipient of six honorary degrees, Chandaria has also served in leadership roles at various Kenyan universities.

In addition to funding academic scholarships, Chandaria was instrumental in endowing the Chandaria School of Business at United States International University–Africa and the Chandaria Centre for Performing Arts at the University of Nairobi, among numerous other educational initiatives. The Chandaria Foundation also invests in the strengthening of health care infrastructures in Kenya, including support for the Chandaria Accident and Emergency Centre at Nairobi Hospital, the Chandaria Cancer and Chronic Disease Centre in Eldoret, and the Chandaria Medical Centre at Gertrude’s Children’s Hospital in Nairobi.

In an interview with African Philanthropy Forum, this celebrated advocate for service to society said, “The wealth that you have is not yours. You are only the trustee of the wealth you have.” Asked what he would change if he could live his life over, Chandaria responded with characteristic humility and compassion: he would have started serving others sooner.

In The Gospel of Wealth, Andrew Carnegie observed that the rich have it in their power to create “benefactions from which the masses of their fellows will derive lasting advantage.” The Selection Committee of the Carnegie Medal of Philanthropy believes that Manu Chandaria’s farsighted generosity will continue to inspire and empower people in Kenya and across the African continent for generations to come. Indeed, the Chandaria Foundation’s projects have created a legacy of healthier and better-educated Africans while helping to mobilize the continent’s next generation of business leaders. We applaud Manu Chandaria’s many philanthropic achievements; they align beautifully with our founder’s philosophy of philanthropy.

The Carnegie family of institutions is honored to welcome Manu Chandaria as a recipient of the 2022 Carnegie Medal of Philanthropy.

Acceptance Speech Video: October 13, 2022 Awards Ceremony

Photos: October 13, 2022 Awards Ceremony

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Kenya

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James D. Wolfensohn, attorney, investment economist, and arts patron whose two terms as president of the World Bank Group gave it a more humane approach to ending poverty, dies at the age of 86

James D. Wolfensohn, attorney, investment economist, and arts patron whose two terms as president of the World Bank Group gave it a more humane approach to ending poverty, dies at the age of 86

James Wolfensohn knew all there was to know about global capital markets and responsible investment strategies. His compassion for the world’s poor helped steer not only the World Bank but also the Corporation’s grantmaking and investing to combat global poverty and promote educational innovation. During his term on the Corporation’s board, his intimate knowledge of music and the arts guided his insistence on their critical role in our education programs. It was a real privilege to know him.

Vartan Gregorian, President, Carnegie Corporation of New York

 

The board of trustees, staff, and the entire Carnegie Corporation of New York community extend their deepest condolences to the family of James D. Wolfensohn, former president of the World Bank, who served as a trustee of the Corporation and was a recipient of the Carnegie Medal of Philanthropy in 2017. He died November 25, 2020, at his home in Manhattan at the age of 86 due to complications from pneumonia

Wolfensohn assumed the presidency of the World Bank Group in 1995, when it was widely viewed as dogmatic and punitive in its “structural adjustment” approach to debt in the developing world. He traveled to 120 countries, launching initiatives against corruption, for environmental preservation, and toward research into HIV/AIDS. In his two terms, he involved struggling countries in ownership of new economic policies, engaging with nongovernmental organizations and changing the tone and image of the bank.

James Wolfensohn was born on December 1, 1933, in Sydney, Australia. He received bachelor’s and law degrees from the University of Sydney, and was a member of Australia’s 1956 Olympic fencing team. After serving as a pilot in the Royal Australian Air Force, Wolfensohn earned a master’s degree from the Harvard Graduate School of Business in 1959 and launched his career as an investment advisor to corporations and governments. He held such positions as Managing Director of Schroders Ltd. in London, Managing Director of Darling & Co. of Australia, and head of investment banking at Salomon Brothers in New York. Wolfensohn became a U.S. citizen in 1980, and the next year established his own investment firm, James D. Wolfensohn Inc.

After several decades in the private sector, Wolfensohn began taking on public service and other nongovernmental roles. He served on the board of directors for the Brookings Institution, the Rockefeller Foundation, the Population Council, and the Business Council for Sustainable Development. In his 2010 autobiography, A Global Life: My Journey among Rich and Poor, from Sydney to Wall Street to the World Bank, Wolfensohn wrote about the “close link between work done for cultural and philanthropic purposes and the responsibility of business … to contribute to the strength and quality of the community.”

Wolfensohn had an enduring passion for the arts. He became a board member at Carnegie Hall in 1970, board chair in 1980, and then chairman emeritus, leading restoration of its landmark building. He became board chair of the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts in 1990. At age 41, he began studying the cello, going on to perform at Carnegie Hall on his 50th, 60th, and 70th birthdays, the last two with Yo-Yo Ma and the rock artist Bono, who called him “the Elvis of economics.” He was the recipient of many national and international medals and awards in recognition of his public service and his support for the arts. These include a knighthood of the Order of the British Empire (KBE), the Grand Cordon of the Order of the Rising Sun of Japan, the Commander’s Cross of the Order of Merit of the Federal Republic of Germany, and the award of Officer of the Order of Australia (AO).

After leaving the World Bank in 2005, Wolfensohn became Special Envoy for Gaza Disengagement for the Quartet on the Middle East, helping coordinate Israel’s planned withdrawal from Gaza. He joined the board of Carnegie Corporation of New York in 2009, advising its investment team until 2017 through his encyclopedic knowledge of global capital markets. In 2017, he received the Carnegie Medal of Philanthropy, awarded every two years by the Carnegie family of institutions for work that embodies Andrew Carnegie’s ideals. “If you have wealth, you have to share it,” Wolfensohn said on accepting the honor.

Wolfensohn was also board chair at the Institute for Advanced Study in Princeton, New Jersey, chair of the Citi International Advisory Board, and an advisory council member to China’s sovereign wealth fund. In addition, he chaired the advisory group of the Wolfensohn Center, a Brookings Institution research initiative focused on global poverty.

Wolfensohn was predeceased by his wife, Elaine Botwinick Wolfensohn, an education specialist, and is survived by daughter Naomi and husband Jascha, daughter Sara and husband Neil, son Adam and wife Jennifer, and seven grand- children.

Thomas H. Kean, Chair, Board of Trustees, Carnegie Corporation of New York

Vartan Gregorian, President, Carnegie Corporation of New York

TOP: James D. Wolfensohn accepting the George F. Kennan Award for Public Service from the National Committee on American Foreign Policy at a gala dinner in New York City on October 19, 2016. The innovative economist and arts patron, who moved the World Bank toward a more humane approach to ending poverty and served on the board of Carnegie Corporation of New York, died on November 25, 2020, at the age of 86. (Credit: Cindy Ord/Getty Images)

Philanthropists with Big Impact

Philanthropists with Big Impact

Giving that is hands-on, savvy, proactive, transformational

The recipients of the 2019 Carnegie Medal of Philanthropy gathered together for a group portrait at the opening reception (l–r): Robert F. Smith, Sir Ian Wood KT GBE, George Lucas, Mellody Hobson, Anne G. Earhart, Henry R. Kravis, Marie-Josée Kravis, Jehuda Reinharz (accepting for Morton L. Mandel), and Leonard Tow. Photo: Filip Wolak

On the centenary of his death, Andrew Carnegie’s revolutionary vision of philanthropy is more relevant than ever — and the outstanding philanthropists honored at The New York Public Library on a rainy October afternoon with the 2019 Carnegie Medal of Philanthropy are inspiring examples of that vital truth. Yes, these incredibly generous men and women are helping to make the world smarter, cleaner, healthier, and safer today, each in their own way. But it is the very human stories that come out of their giving that move us so profoundly. And what stories they are! In the portfolio of striking photographs that follow, we meet some of the beneficiaries of the “class” of 2019’s philanthropy, and we can read a bit of their remarkable stories in their own words. Master of ceremonies Judy Woodruff put it this way: “This is always such an uplifting event — one that restores my confidence in the difference each one of us can make. Throughout this ceremony, we will hear stories of people whose lives have been made better due to the generosity of this year’s medalists. Each of these stories represents just one small example of the wide-ranging impact and lasting legacy their philanthropy will leave behind.”

These are the stories.

Morton L. Mandel, Carnegie Medal of Philanthropy recipient and entrepreneur, dies at age 98

Morton L. Mandel, Carnegie Medal of Philanthropy recipient and entrepreneur, dies at age 98

The family of Carnegie institutions extend their deepest condolences to the family of Morton L. Mandel, a lifelong philanthropist who was cofounder, CEO, and chairman of the Jack, Joseph and Morton Mandel Foundation and a recipient of the Carnegie Medal of Philanthropy. He died October 16 in Florida at age 98.

One of nine medal recipients in 2019, Mandel was recognized for embodying the philanthropic legacy of Andrew Carnegie. He had planned to accept the medal at a formal ceremony in New York City on October 16, but sadly died the same day.

Through his philanthropy, Mandel made it a priority to “invest in people with the values, ability, and passion to change the world.” Together with his brothers, he established the Mandel Foundation in 1953 to develop and support educational and leadership initiatives. The foundation also promotes the arts and humanities, particularly in Mandel’s native Cleveland, and fosters “just, inclusive, compassionate and democratic societies” in the U.S. and Israel.

Mandel wrote that a leader must “have principles and do the right thing.” Making it his mission to sustain and expand the impact of the foundation, Mandel awarded a generous grant to fund a new building and programs for the Mandel Institute for Social Leadership at Ben-Gurion University of the Negev. Recently the foundation also helped the Cleveland Clinic create the Mandel Global Leadership and Learning Institute. The enduring impact of Mandel’s giving extends beyond those institutions to the leaders he helped cultivate, and today they are making a difference in fields ranging from education to health care.

Born to modest circumstances in 1921, Mandel’s immigrant parents taught him the value of selflessness and self-reliance — traits that would become hallmarks of his philanthropy. At 19, Mandel left Adelbert College, now Case Western Reserve University, without finishing his degree to join his brothers in founding Premier Automotive Supply. Going public in 1960, the company later merged to become Premier Farnell PLC, now a $3 billion multinational electronics corporation.

In 2013, Mandel returned to Case Western and completed the bachelor’s degree he had started 75 years earlier. He is survived by his wife Barbara, three children, eight grandchildren, and two great-grandchildren.

Thomas H. Kean, Chair, Board of Trustees, Carnegie Corporation of New York; Vartan Gregorian, President, Carnegie Corporation of New York; William Thomson, CBE, Honorary Chair, Carnegie Medal of Philanthropy.

Photo: Nannette Bedway