189. How Bill Clinton gives his money away

Welcome to Progressive Pockets! I go by GG, that’s short for Genet Gimja. This is a show about money, but not in the usual way that we talk about money. A lot of other money podcasts talk about how to make more money or how to get out of debt. I love those podcasts, but that’s not what’s going on here.

This podcast is about what we can do with our money to make it line up more with our values.

Today’s episode is a part of the annual summertime celebrity giving series. You’ve heard about so many celebrities in summers past from Hollywood to business, today we’re going to look at a politician. Today let’s get into where former President Bill Clinton donates his money. We’ll talk about the money he’s given away, how he gives that money away, how it’s been received, and some of the challenges encountered along the way.

The Clinton Foundation was founded in 2001, soon after he completed his time in office, the Clinton Foundation was designed to address problems that are global in scope: from healthcare and climate to poverty and economic opportunity. Bill Clinton himself provided much of its initial funding and has continued to direct his own money and also money he’s helped raise—into Foundation projects. The foundation’s core mission is to “develop leaders and accelerate solutions to the world’s most pressing challenges.”

The foundation is meant to be a collaborative place, where they focus on solutions rather than ideology and they try to bring together public and private sector partners to do their work in the US and around the world.

After his presidency, Clinton established the Clinton Foundation in 2001. And if focuses on so many different areas- public health, economic development, climate change, and disaster relief. By 2016, the foundation had raised significant funds and claimed to have impacted hundreds of millions of people in more than 180 countries. Unlike some private foundations, the Clinton Foundation often runs its own programs rather than primarily issuing grants. Fun fact about the Clinton Foundation, in 2013 the Clinton Foundation was renamed the Bill, Hillary & Chelsea Clinton Foundation which I think is the first time I’ve seen someone include their child’s name on their foundation’s name, so I guess that’s cool? As cool as it can be for billionaires to name everything after themselves? Idk, you decide.

One of the foundation’s largest programs is the Clinton Health Access Initiative. CHAI focuses on negotiating reduced prices for HIV and AIDS medicines, making treatment more widely available in developing countries. The initiative has been credited with helping lower costs and increasing access to these medications for millions, though it is worth noting that other organizations and dynamics have also contributed to progress in this arena.

Clinton has played a public role in disaster relief efforts, joining with former presidents to raise funds for major crises such as the 2004 Indian Ocean tsunami, Hurricane Katrina, and the 2010 earthquake in Haiti. For Haiti the Foundation provided financial assistance and supported job-creation efforts.

Back here at home, on the domestic front, Clinton partnered with the American Heart Association to launch the Alliance for a Healthier Generation, which aims to address childhood obesity. The effort led to changes in school nutrition policies and involved a number of food companies.

The Clinton Global Initiative is an annual event started to bring together leaders from the public, private, and nonprofit sectors. The purpose is to facilitate partnerships, share ideas, and make concrete commitments to address various global challenges. CGI highlights collaboration and networking, and has been a world stage including figures across politics, entertainment, and business.

The Clinton Foundation has received scrutiny and criticism, particularly regarding donor transparency, the influence of large contributors, and potential conflicts of interest given the Clinton family’s political involvement. Investigations by media outlets and authorities have examined their practices, and no criminal wrongdoing has been found as of recent years. Questions remain among some critics regarding the boundaries between philanthropy and politics.

The Clinton Foundation has faced scrutiny, particularly regarding foreign donations. It has been thoroughly reported by the New York Times, the Foundation maintains that it abides by strict limits and transparency requirements. It has taken concrete steps to publish donor lists and limit donations when either Bill or Hillary Clinton held public office. Watchdog reviews have found no evidence of wrongdoing.

Transparency is is something they seem to work hard at, at the Clinton Foundation, especially given its global profile and political associations. The Foundation publishes an annual list of donors and makes IRS filings publicly accessible. Independent ratings from charity watchdog groups such as Charity Navigator and CharityWatch, have consistently awarded high marks for governance and transparency.

Not all of Bill Clinton's giving is channeled through the Foundation. On occasion, he has made personal gifts to specific institutions, such as the saxophone to the American Jazz Museum, or spoken at events supporting hospital fundraisers, education funds, and relief organizations. 

I was able to find dozens of charities and foundations and more than 30 distinct causes that he has supported. These causes include:

Health (HIV/AIDS, cancer, children’s hospitals)

Disaster Relief

Veteran and Service Member Support

Homelessness

Women’s Rights

Literacy and Education

Mental Health and Depression

Environmental Conservation

Animal Welfare

Some organizations that have received his direct or indirect support include Save the Children, US Doctors for Africa, Volunteers of America, and the Rainforest Foundation.

Bill Clinton has not only used his voice and networks but he has periodically matched donations dollar-for-dollar to encourage giving toward Foundation initiatives, sometimes matching public gifts for specific campaigns. This dual approach amplifies both funds and public engagement around urgent causes.

So yeah, Bill Clinton’s approach to giving is wide-ranging: he leverages personal wealth, public platform, and global influence. The organizations he supports, from family’s foundation and global health alliances to music education nonprofits and youth literacy programs are all based on a desire to create systemic change. His giving is not just about donating money but mobilizing countless others to join in solving difficult social problems.

If you want to learn more, you can visit the Clinton Foundation’s website for detailed reports, donor transparency statements. LookToTheStars.com is also a fun resource to keep up with where he’s giving his money away. I’ll include a bunch of links in the show notes.

So to recap, here’s what we covered today:
We talked about former President Bill Clinton’s giving
The Clinton Foundation started right after his Presidency and grew to be a real powerhouse in the world of philanthropy.
His family’s foundation is tackling a variety of global issues, such as public health, economic development, climate change, and disaster relief

Researching all of this for today’s episode made me wonder what will come of the Obama Foundation. I really don’t know much about it. I know that Valerie Jarett is the CEO and that they have raised a billion dollars but I really don’t hear much about it. If you’re interested in an episode about that, just let me know.

If you have more time today, here’s another episode to check out, that is episode 136, about where Dolly Parton gives her money away. I had heard that her philanthropy was pretty fire and I really enjoyed seeing some real down to earth kind of giving. So I’m offering that as maybe the opposite of today’s episode. Both are good, both are good! Clinton is doing more of the huge systematic giving through a really huge and well organized foundation. Dolly Parton’s giving feels more direct and grassroots and a much much smaller scale. So I’ll include a link to the Dolly Parton episode in the show notes too. 

Ok, could you do me a favor? Could you send this episode to someone who you know has seen the clip of Bill Clinton playing the saxophone on late night TV? Who else remembers that? Send them this episode. Word of mouth is the way that podcasts grow. We don’t have algorithms serving up this stuff to new listeners. Thank you for doing that!

Let’s end with a quote…and obviously it’s going to come from one of the Clintons…

“Don’t ever devalue your potential to make a difference. Don’t ever assume someone will not help you.” Ok now I’m going to read the cringy part.  “Don’t ever forget we now know that inclusion, diversity and creative cooperation lead to better results”. Yiiiiikes.

Let’s talk again soon!