The names MacKenzie Scott, Laurene Powell Jobs, and Melinda French Gates have been popping up in relation to philanthropy more regularly than on rich lists. While individually they are doing exceptional work, one cannot help but imagine what the world would look like if these forces of philanthropy came together. The good thing is we do not have to imagine anymore. The world is already in good hands, as joining this benevolent trifecta of ex-tech wives are many others in The Audacious Project. Launched at TED in 2018, the initiative has already moved several billion dollars into large, multi-year bets on social change.
The new 2025 cohort represents its largest funding round yet, with roughly $1.03 billion in multi-year, flexible funding committed to ten new grantees, plus follow-on support for three earlier projects. Scott’s approach to giving is perhaps the most aligned with this model, providing largely unrestricted funding that allows leaders to scale their visions without constantly stopping to fundraise. Similarly, Melinda’s Pivotal Ventures keeps its focus on initiatives centered on women’s empowerment, doing what it does best. This year’s grantees include Tiko (connecting teenage girls in African countries to contraception and HIV services) and Ipas (expanding access to reproductive health and abortion care in Latin America, sub-Saharan Africa, and South Asia), both addressing reproductive health and, by extension, economic empowerment.
As for the environment, Powell Jobs’s Emerson Collective, which has been involved since day one, becomes the wind beneath some audacious solutions that intersect education, immigration reform, and environmental justice. In addition to these philanthropic powerhouses, the collaboration includes Reed Hastings and Patty Quillin, the Skoll Foundation, ELMA Philanthropies, and the Valhalla Foundation, reported Goodgoodgood. Beyond what these women will do to champion their causes, there are several other important commitments on the table, from housing to health and climate. In the United States, Destination: Home uses its Audacious backing to keep families housed before they fall into homelessness, shifting the focus from emergency shelters to prevention.
Arc Institute’s virtual cell concept could accelerate the discovery of treatments for conditions such as Alzheimer’s. Projects like Plastic Solutions Fund, The Ocean Cleanup, Global Methane Hub, and Canopy aim to change entire supply chains and regulatory environments. Canopy, for instance, plans to revolutionize fashion and packaging using next-generation fibers made from agricultural residues and waste textiles. Netflix founder and donor Reed Hastings put it best, “The world’s problems are huge, they require audacious thinking and people willing to work together to solve them. I feel a real responsibility to give back and to support some of these immense issues through philanthropy. The Audacious Project helps me do that by connecting me with organizations that have big, bold plans and the vision to actually pull them off.”
