What do Oprah Winfrey, Putin, Elton John, Nelson Mandela and Andrew Carnegie have in common?
The philanthropist Andrew Carnegie is famously quoted as saying ‘The man who dies thus rich dies disgraced’. True to this philosophy he gave away his entire wealth creating a diverse range of international foundations with ambitions ranging from promoting global peace through to funding community libraries.
Representatives from these international foundations gathered in Carnegie’s hometown of Dunfermline to reconnect with his original vision and assess how best to translate it in a fast-changing world. Fittingly the meeting took place in the beautiful 76-acre Pittencrieff Park which was only accessible to the public one day a year until Carnegie bought it and opened it for everyone.
Here are my five main takeaways from a fascinating set of discussions.
The Power of stories
The opening address was from Rt Hon Gordon Brown who brilliantly and starkly set out the global challenges we face but did so in a way that was warm, humorous and authentic. Interspersed between hefty warnings were great personal stories about how Oprah Winfrey out-bid Elton John for a Nelson Mandela letter. How Putin brazenly stole a highly prized super-bowl ring from the owner of the New England Patriots in front of other world leaders and how support from Carnegie had funded education for Gordon Brown’s father. These stories kept people engaged and helped land the many serious topics he covered.
A New World Order
Gordon Brown’s perspective is that we are in a period of monumental change. Returning to the old order is not possible and unless we act, we face a new power-based dynamic where success can only be achieved by crushing opposition and dissent. This is the narrative of Putin, Trump and fast-growing far-right groups across Europe. It is fuelled by wealth disparities, people feeling increasingly vulnerable in a globalised world and growing levels of mistrust.
The new dynamic in action
We heard first-hand from American representatives how this new dynamic is already playing out. Emergency funding is having to be provided to continue essential humanitarian services and to prevent people being rapidly deported back to regimes where their lives would be at risk. Indications are circulating that philanthropic organisations will be prevented from working on diversity, climate change or providing overseas funding. Taxing endowment funds is also being considered. This is clearly an indication that crushing opposition is part of the new playbook.
Civic spaces
As part of the strategy to counter this ‘power-based order’ and to create a values-based society both Gordon Brown and some of the Carnegie Foundations have understood the importance of creating strong civic spaces such as libraries where people can learn, build friendships, hear the views of different sections of society and feel connected to their community. There was a view that the value of creating physical safe spaces for people to interact has been slightly overlooked by policymakers and this has resulted in many such spaces being closed.
A need for hope
It cannot be denied that the overall global picture looks bleak and Carnegie must himself have felt deeply distressed in his life as, despite his best efforts, the world plunged into World War One. However, what emerged through his Foundations is a sense of hope and a realisation that continued bold action must be taken even if it doesn’t always achieve the desired results in the first instance. It is that sense of hope that we somehow need to retain.