17 May 2017

Founder and Chairman of the Genesis Foundation John Studzinski has today addressed an International group of philanthropists on the topic of philanthropy on stage at the San Wanamaker Playhouse, part of Shakespeare’s Globe.

Following a performance from Eo Nomine – a group owing its existence to Genesis Sixteen, The Sixteen’s training programme for young choral singers funded by the Genesis Foundation – John Studzinski outlined his own experiences and views on philanthropy, including his formula of “the 3 ‘T’s” – treasure, time and talent – an emphasis on partnerships and a call to action to change the world one person at a time.

Inviting those present to assess their own motivation for philanthropy, his question was “What makes you angry?” arguing that effective philanthropy must be driven by passion. His own anger that artistically gifted young people from non-privileged backgrounds were missing out on opportunities to develop their talent professionally led to him founding the Genesis Foundation.

John Studzinski also stressed the importance of going beyond what he terms “chequebook philanthropy” towards a more ‘hands-on’ approach: “It’s not just giving them their first break, but staying by them. They need people to support them, to give them advice, to act as a sounding board, to motivate them. Artists don’t always succeed first, second, even third time. I think it’s a weakness in society that there aren’t enough people out there mentoring young artists.”

As part of the event, organised in partnership with the Family Office Council and the Globe, there followed a lively and open discussion with other participants on their own approaches to philanthropy in a wide range of areas, from prison reform to alleviating deprivation in inner city areas in the UK and in other countries as far as Australia.

Notes:

The Family Office Council is a membership group for single family offices.