Do One Better with Alberto Lidji in Philanthropy, Sustainability and Social Entrepreneurship

With an endowment exceeding $14 billion and annual grantmaking of roughly $600 to $700 million, the William and Flora Hewlett Foundation occupies a distinctive position in global philanthropy: large enough to shape conversations, yet intentionally focused on convening expertise, supporting long-term thinking, and backing institutions working on society’s most complex challenges. In this episode, Amber Miller, President of the William and Flora Hewlett Foundation, joins Alberto Lidji to discuss how one of the world’s leading foundations is approaching artificial intelligence, emerging technologies, and an increasingly uncertain global landscape.

The conversation explores how AI is becoming a cross-cutting concern across the foundation’s work, spanning climate, democracy, education, public systems, and global development. Rather than treating AI solely as a technological issue, Miller describes efforts to connect traditionally separate areas of expertise, creating new ways to understand both risks and opportunities.

A central focus is security. Miller reflects on near-term threats linked to AI and emerging technologies, including vulnerabilities affecting hospitals, energy grids, water systems, transportation networks, and other forms of critical infrastructure. The discussion also examines the convergence of AI with biosynthesis and quantum technologies, including concerns that advances in quantum-enabled decryption could eventually undermine existing encryption systems with implications for public systems, state resilience, and national security.

The governance challenge is equally complex. Beyond familiar narratives centered on competition between the United States and China, Miller points to the potential influence of "middle powers" and subnational actors in shaping norms, oversight, and approaches to AI governance. The episode considers who will help guide the future of these technologies: governments, researchers, civil society, universities, industry, philanthropic institutions, and actors operating across borders and sectors.

Yet the conversation is far from pessimistic. Miller repeatedly emphasizes that AI is not inherently good or bad, and that its ultimate impact will depend on how societies choose to deploy it. Potential opportunities discussed include:

Accelerating breakthroughs in medicine, genomics, and disease treatment

Improving efficiency in clean energy systems and supporting climate solutions

Enabling more personalized learning and strengthening educational outcomes

Expanding productivity, unlocking new forms of work, and augmenting human capability rather than replacing it

Drawing on a career spanning astrophysics, university leadership, and science-informed public engagement, Miller offers a perspective shaped by interdisciplinary thinking and a deep interest in solving difficult problems. Throughout the episode, she returns to a recurring theme: humanity is living through a pivotal moment marked by rapid technological advancement, societal polarization, and mounting global challenges, but also extraordinary potential for ingenuity, collaboration, and progress.

This is a conversation about AI, philanthropy, governance, and emerging technologies. More fundamentally, it is a conversation about whether institutions can work together to steer powerful innovations toward human flourishing rather than instability.

Visit our Knowledge Hub at Lidji.org for information on 350+ case studies and interviews with remarkable leaders in philanthropy, sustainability and social entrepreneurship.

What does thoughtful philanthropy look like when the ambition is to deploy $6 billion over the next 35 years in support of girls’ education?

In this episode of the Do One Better Podcast, Alberto Lidji speaks with Dana Schmidt, Program Director at Echidna Giving, about the realities of large-scale grantmaking, the responsibility that comes with stewarding significant philanthropic capital, and why supporting girls’ education remains one of the most evidence-backed pathways toward long-term social change. Echidna Giving is expanding rapidly, with annual grantmaking projected to grow from roughly $50 million to $200 million.

Dana explains why giving money away well is far from straightforward. The conversation explores how funders can remain responsive to grantees, learn continuously, and avoid becoming disconnected from the communities they seek to support. Central to Echidna Giving’s approach is a commitment to listening to those closest to the problems, investing in long-term relationships, taking measured risks, and embedding clear values into day-to-day decision making.

The discussion also examines how philanthropic organizations can preserve culture and effectiveness while scaling. Dana shares how Echidna Giving formalized guiding principles for its work, used independent grantee perception surveys to gather honest feedback, and saw stronger results even as the organization grew and expanded geographically.

A major theme throughout the conversation is proximity. As Echidna Giving has built teams closer to the regions where it works, including East Africa, its grantmaking has evolved. The organization has increased direct engagement with locally led institutions and is supporting efforts to strengthen African-led education research, with the aim of shifting who produces evidence and shapes educational priorities.

Dana also outlines the areas where Echidna Giving concentrates its funding, including early childhood, foundational learning, and adolescent girls’ education, recognizing these as pivotal moments that influence whether girls remain in school and thrive over the long term. The conversation considers how philanthropy can complement, rather than replace, public systems, acknowledging that governments remain the largest investors in education worldwide.

This episode is a thoughtful exploration of effective philanthropy, trust-based grantmaking, systems change, and the challenge of turning substantial resources into meaningful, lasting impact.

Visit our Knowledge Hub at Lidji.org for information on 350+ case studies and interviews with remarkable leaders in philanthropy, sustainability and social entrepreneurship.

Nicole Taylor, President and CEO of the Silicon Valley Community Foundation, joins Alberto Lidji to explore the evolving landscape of modern philanthropy through the lens of the world’s largest community foundation.

The conversation examines how donor advised funds (DAFs) are reshaping giving across generations, from ultra high net worth philanthropists to everyday donors seeking meaningful impact. Nicole explains why donor advised funds have become a flexible and increasingly influential vehicle for charitable giving, and how Silicon Valley Community Foundation supports donors in translating intention into action.

Nicole also discusses the Foundation’s deep local engagement across the Bay Area, including work focused on housing affordability, economic mobility, healthcare workforce development, and small business growth in one of the most unequal regions in the United States.

The episode further explores the Foundation’s global reach, including how it supports donors pursuing international development and cross border philanthropy through partnerships and philanthropic networks spanning regions such as Africa, including Rwanda.

Key themes include:

The role of donor advised funds in contemporary philanthropy and why they appeal to donors across wealth levels

How philanthropy evolves across generations, from emerging wealth creators to legacy focused giving

Silicon Valley Community Foundation’s work on housing, healthcare careers, and economic opportunity in California

The importance of collaboration, donor circles, and expert networks in advancing more strategic philanthropy

Why community foundations remain essential civic institutions in both local and global giving

Visit our Knowledge Hub at Lidji.org for information on 350+ case studies and interviews with remarkable leaders in philanthropy, sustainability and social entrepreneurship.

Sustainability has shifted from corporate aspiration to financial reality, but how do companies actually measure its impact on value creation?

In this episode, Alberto Lidji speaks with Michel Driessen about the evolving relationship between sustainability, ESG, corporate finance, and mergers and acquisitions. Drawing from the themes explored in Green Gold: How Sustainability Creates Deal Value, Michel explains how businesses and investors are increasingly translating sustainability into measurable financial outcomes.

The conversation examines why sustainability has become more politically charged in recent years, while simultaneously becoming more embedded inside corporate operations, investment decisions, and supply chains. Michel argues that although the public conversation around ESG may have cooled, many companies continue advancing sustainability initiatives behind the scenes because the financial and operational implications are too significant to ignore.

A major focus of the discussion is the role of CFOs and financial leaders. Michel explains how sustainability responsibilities are shifting away from standalone ESG teams and becoming central to finance, strategy, and investment committees. The episode explores how organizations can assess sustainability risks and opportunities at the business unit level, rather than relying solely on broad company-wide ESG ratings.

Alberto and Michel also unpack:

• How sustainability factors influence valuation, EBITDA, cash flow, and cost of capital
• Why materiality and maturity assessments matter in transaction due diligence
• The growing influence of investors, pension funds, banks, and regulators
• The connection between reputational risk and financial risk
• Why governance issues are often underestimated compared to environmental topics
• The complexities and unintended consequences of ESG decision-making across industries and geographies
• How new disclosure and reporting standards are reshaping corporate accountability
• Why MBA students and future executives are increasingly focused on sustainability regulation and financial integration

The discussion also touches on examples from global business, including Unilever’s sustainability leadership, investor expectations, supply chain resilience, and the practical realities of balancing profitability with long-term responsibility.

Ultimately, this episode explores how sustainability is becoming integrated into mainstream financial decision-making, not simply as a reputational exercise, but as a core component of business performance and enterprise value.

Visit our Knowledge Hub at Lidji.org for information on 350+ case studies and interviews with remarkable leaders in philanthropy, sustainability and social entrepreneurship.

In this episode of the Do One Better Podcast, Alberto Lidji speaks with Professor Jennifer Davidson, Executive Director of the Institute for Inspiring Children’s Futures at the University of Strathclyde. The conversation examines how global coalitions, governments, and communities can work together to better uphold children’s rights.

Professor Davidson outlines the Institute’s mission to bridge research and real-world impact, focusing on children facing the greatest adversities. The discussion highlights a persistent global gap between society’s aspirations for children and their lived realities, and the structural barriers that continue to limit children’s access to justice, safety, and well-being.

A central theme is the concept of child-centered justice. This approach reframes justice systems to recognize children as rights holders with agency, emphasizing outcomes that are safe, inclusive, and developmentally appropriate. It extends beyond formal legal systems to consider the full spectrum of children’s lived experiences, from victims of abuse to those in conflict with the law.

The episode also examines the work of the Justice Action Coalition, a high-ambition partnership advancing people-centered justice in alignment with United Nations Sustainable Development Goal 16. With growing governmental engagement, the coalition is now placing children at the forefront of justice reform efforts, aiming to align political will with actionable, scalable solutions.

Key insights from the conversation include:

Why justice systems often fail children, even when laws are in place

The importance of listening directly to children’s experiences and perspectives

Early findings from research across Sierra Leone, Greece, South Africa, Colombia, and the Philippines

The role of feedback loops in improving public systems and closing implementation gaps

Emerging challenges, including the impact of AI and digital systems on children’s rights

The need for greater philanthropic focus on justice for children as a distinct field

Professor Davidson also reflects on her professional journey, from frontline social work to leading systems change initiatives, and explains why accountability and justice are essential to sustaining progress for children over time.

This episode offers a rigorous and globally informed perspective on how justice systems can evolve to better serve children.

Visit our Knowledge Hub at Lidji.org for information on 350+ case studies and interviews with remarkable leaders in philanthropy, sustainability and social entrepreneurship.