Acting with Courage and Clarity: Philanthropy’s Role in Repairing a Fractured World

Arti Freeman, President & CEO of Definity Insurance Foundation, a PFC member, shares reflections from the 2025 Skoll World Forum

This year’s Skoll World Forum covered a wide range of urgent issues—climate, economic resilience, gender equity, and democratic erosion, with many conversations focused on the role of philanthropy.

The Forum’s theme, kintsugi —the Japanese art of repairing broken pottery with gold—was a powerful metaphor. It’s a reminder that beauty doesn’t come from perfection, but from honouring what’s been fractured and choosing to mend it with care.

I left with one clear message: philanthropy has a role to play in this repair—but only if we act with courage, clarity, and a shared sense of purpose.

Around the world, the cracks are widening—democracy is eroding, institutions are losing trust, and inequality is deepening. In Afghanistan, girls are denied education. In the Congo, violence against women persists. The climate crisis accelerates. And yet, in the act of repair, there is hope.

At the event, renowned political commentator, comedian and writer Trevor Noah reminded us that imagination is essential for creating worlds that never existed. Hope isn’t wishful thinking. It’s intentional action. As President & CEO of Ford Foundation Darren Walker said, “It would be a dishonour to all they [our ancestors] worked for… to give up.” Hope means committing to a future rooted in justice and equity—and doing the work every day to build it.

If philanthropy wants to matter, we need to take more risks—not retreat into safety.

If philanthropy wants to matter, we need to take more risks—not retreat into safety. We need new partnerships, new ways of working, and more collaboration. Some funders are already making changes. The MacArthur Foundation raised its payout to 6%, acknowledging that today’s crises demand bold, urgent funding. The Gates Foundation is focusing more on building skills and leadership in communities. Others are investing in big, bold ideas—like digital public infrastructure—that could help tackle global challenges in a new way. Others are even setting timelines to spend down their money, realizing that today’s crises can’t wait. The future isn’t about lasting forever—it’s about doing what matters now.

As the world faces rising inequality and instability, the panel on shared prosperity framed global challenges as opportunities: mission-driven investing was highlighted as a key tool for impact. From economic hardship to AI and tech, we heard how we can expand access to opportunity—supporting worker ownership, reducing barriers to employment, and helping re-entry citizens find pathways forward.

Ireland’s first female President and co-founder of Project Dandelion Mary Robinson and Christiana Figueres made clear: climate justice is justice. Folks living in poverty are the most vulnerable to the effects of climate change, and we need a just transition—one that doesn’t leave fossil fuel workers behind. Feminist, non-hierarchical leadership models must guide us. This isn’t just good policy—it’s a human right, grounded in dignity and equity.

Hope is often seen as soft or unrealistic, but I was reminded that real hope is bold. Christiana Figueres called it “stubborn optimism”—a belief that we can shape the future, even when things look hard. It means looking at broken systems and saying: we will fix them anyway.

In philanthropy, optimism can’t just be a feeling—it must be a plan. Almost any problem can be tackled with creativity, capital, and will, but real change is rooted in building strong, connected communities—and making sure those most affected are shaping the solutions.

Hope isn’t about pretending things aren’t broken. It’s about choosing to repair them. Optimism isn’t ignoring the cracks. It’s choosing to fill them with gold.

The Role of Philanthropy

Philanthropy, if it’s going to matter, must take on this work. It means recognizing what is broken, standing with those who fight for justice, speaking out, and remaining committed to the cause, no matter the obstacles.

I think about all the incredible social entrepreneurs I met at the Skoll World Forum—their unwavering resolve to drive change. They are building solutions from the ground up: advancing responsible fisheries and regenerative agriculture, reshaping markets, creating opportunities for workers to build generational wealth, addressing gender inequality, and amplifying underrepresented voices. As one of the Skoll awardees said, “When diverse voices unite, systems do change.” These are the kinds of movements that are actively reshaping our world.

The panel on philanthropy, plenary with Ford Foundation’s Darren Walker and Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation’s Mark Suzman, and remarks woven into other sessions all called us to rise to the challenges of our time with resolve. Some of the key points that stood out to me are:

Philanthropy must show up with courage, clarity, and commitment, standing alongside communities that are fighting for justice and change.

It’s not just about how much we fund—it’s about how we listen. Listening means being open to change, sharing power, and respecting our partners. Without that, talk of “equity” is just talk.
It’s not just about increased, long-term, and flexible funding, but also about listening to communities with the intent to act and investing in people and their solutions.
Building cross-sector collaboration and supporting policy, advocacy, and legal frameworks is crucial. This could include funding legal challenges against unjust laws or supporting grassroots movements fighting for reforms in gender equality, workers’ rights, or climate justice.
Philanthropy can shape ethical guidelines for emerging technologies, ensuring that innovations like AI serve the common good, and rethinking funding strategies to support foundational governance models that prepare regions to embrace such innovations.
Philanthropy should be humble, resisting the urge to prescribe solutions and instead focusing on working with communities and partners to find answers.
We must double down on efforts during times of crisis, using these challenges as opportunities to innovate and collaborate.
Exploring blended finance solutions and partnering with local resources can maximize impact and help achieve long-term, systemic change.
Philanthropy must focus on the end goal—working with various allies, linking arms, and doing more together to create lasting change.

As I leave Oxford, I’m still holding the conversations I heard and the people I met. The real, daily work—the hard, often invisible work—is being led by community leaders, activists, and organizers who are living the realities we discuss in boardrooms. Our role is not to center ourselves in their stories. It’s to show up with humility and a deep sense of duty—to stand with, to resource, to listen, to trust, to learn, and to amplify. Philanthropy can be transformative in these moments by shifting power, enabling scale and sustainability, building social and relational infrastructure and catalyzing others.

My reflections leave me with these questions:

What role are we truly willing to play in this moment?
How can we, within our own circles, drive real, lasting change?
What does philanthropy look like when we stop talking about “giving” and start talking about co-creating, standing with, and investing in the solutions communities are already leading?

The cracks are there. How will we choose to fill them?