Venture philanthropy with John Stone, founder of The Stone Family Foundation

Traditionally philanthropists have focused on giving away 3-5% of their philanthropic capital each year to help those in need. However many are recognising that grants alone provide insufficient funding to fix the social and environmental challenges the world faces. As a result they are turning to other ways to allocate capital such as venture philanthropy, sustainable and impact investing with the aim of maximising the total impact of their assets. With a background as a successful entrepreneur John Stone applied his experience, skills and passion to help establish venture philanthropy as a proven model in the water and sanitation sector. The Stone Family Foundation story is fascinating having gone from a blank sheet of paper to partnering with far larger institutions including the World Bank, UK and US governmental aid departments. The foundation is also behind the first development impact bond in the water and sanitation sector.