logo
    • Magazine
    • Membership
    • Donate
  • Racial Justice
  • Economic Justice
    • Collections
  • Climate Justice
  • Health Justice
  • Leadership
  • CONTENT TYPES
  • Subscribe
  • Webinars
    • Upcoming Webinars
    • Complimentary Webinars
    • Premium On-Demand Webinars
  • Membership
  • Submissions

Nonprofit Newswire | Bill Clinton, Philanthropist

Rick Cohen
April 20, 2010
Share
Tweet
Share
Email
Print

April 18, 2010; Real Clear Politics | Public attention to former President Bill Clinton’s interviews and speeches the past couple of days focused on his insights concerning historical parallels with the “Tea Party” movement, garnering an over-the-top reaction from Rush Limbaugh. We were more interested in Clinton’s comments on “This Week” with Jake Tapper relating to philanthropy. Here is the former president in his own words:

Sign up for our free newsletters

Subscribe to NPQ's newsletters to have our top stories delivered directly to your inbox.

By signing up, you agree to our privacy policy and terms of use, and to receive messages from NPQ and our partners.

  • On the third gathering of the Clinton Global Initiative University: “Well what we did is to try to construct a college version of the Clinton Global Initiative…to create a network where these students could learn from each other and all make very specific commitments to make changes . . . [W]e’re trying to increase the number of people engaged in service. We’re trying to increase the sophistication of their projects. And we’re trying to create a forum in which what they do will influence every campus in America so that more and more young people will be involved.”
  • On corporate philanthropy: “If you look at Pfizer, it’s a good example. People who have Tuberculosis and AIDS are very ill. The traditional Tuberculosis treatment combined with the AIDS drugs makes them so sick they can’t function. Pfizer is the only company in the world with a drug that allows them to function normally. So I said to them, ‘Why are you becoming our first big pharmaceutical partner? Why are you giving me this 60 percent reduction?’ And the president said, ‘Because I realize that by fighting the generic trend to lower drug cost, we were trying to get a huge percentage of only 15 percent of the population of the world. I decided we should go to the other 85 percent.’ I just asked them to change their business model . . . [Y]ou have to find ways to argue that in the end, being philanthropic, being large-minded, being compassionate is also, in an interdependent world, good economics.”
  • On Clinton’s Global Health Initiative’s “no corruption rule”: “Rampant corruption normally accompanies incapacity . . . [W]hat I would advise . . . is just to say that in their projects, whatever their project is, there can be no corruption. You change the world a step at a time. We have a responsibility to make sure all the donors money goes from their pockets to the intended object without corruption.”

Whatever you think of his eight-year presidency, he is truly committed to being a philanthropist.—Rick Cohen

Share
Tweet
Share
Email
Print
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Rick Cohen

Rick joined NPQ in 2006, after almost eight years as the executive director of the National Committee for Responsive Philanthropy (NCRP). Before that he played various roles as a community worker and advisor to others doing community work. He also worked in government. Cohen pursued investigative and analytical articles, advocated for increased philanthropic giving and access for disenfranchised constituencies, and promoted increased philanthropic and nonprofit accountability.

More about: Nonprofit News

Become a member

Support independent journalism and knowledge creation for civil society. Become a member of Nonprofit Quarterly.

Members receive unlimited access to our archived and upcoming digital content. NPQ is the leading journal in the nonprofit sector written by social change experts. Gain access to our exclusive library of online courses led by thought leaders and educators providing contextualized information to help nonprofit practitioners make sense of changing conditions and improve infra-structure in their organizations.

Join Today
logo logo logo logo logo
See comments

NPQ_Winter_2022Subscribe Today
You might also like
Rebuilding a Cultural Economy: A Story from the Nipmuc Nation
Andre Strongbearheart and Carlos Uriona
“There’s No Such Thing as a Single-Issue Struggle”: A Conversation with Kitana Ananda, Naa Amissah-Hammond, and Quanita Toffie
Kitana Ananda, Naa Amissah-Hammond and Quanita Toffie
Writing New Narratives for Health
Sonia Sarkar
Solidarity on Campus: A Faculty Union’s Learnings from COVID-19
Todd Wolfson
Participatory Grantmaking: What Practitioners Have to Say
Kelley Buhles
Remaking the Economy: Black Food Sovereignty, Community Stories
Pastor Keith Davis, Steve Dubb, Demetrius Hunter, Julian D. Miller, LeeAnn C. Morrissette and Brielle Wright

Upcoming Webinars

Group Created with Sketch.
February 23rd, 2 pm ET

Worker Power in the Social Sector

Register Now
Group Created with Sketch.
March 15th, 2 pm ET

Remaking the Economy

Caring for the Care Economy

Register Now
You might also like
AOC’s “Tax the Rich” Dress Dazzles Met Gala, while...
Anastasia Reesa Tomkin
Foundation Giving Numbers for 2020 Show 15 Percent Increase
Steve Dubb
Strike MoMA Imagines Art Museums without Billionaires
Tessa Crisman

Like what you see?

Subscribe to the NPQ newsletter to have our top stories delivered directly to your inbox.

See our newsletters

By signing up, you agree to our privacy policy and terms of use, and to receive messages from NPQ and our partners.

Independent & in your mailbox.

Subscribe today and get a full year of NPQ for just $59.

subscribe
  • About
  • Contact
  • Advertise
  • Copyright
  • Careers

We are using cookies to give you the best experience on our website.

 

Non Profit News | Nonprofit Quarterly
Powered by  GDPR Cookie Compliance
Privacy Overview

This website uses cookies so that we can provide you with the best user experience possible. Cookie information is stored in your browser and performs functions such as recognising you when you return to our website and helping our team to understand which sections of the website you find most interesting and useful.

Strictly Necessary Cookies

Strictly Necessary Cookie should be enabled at all times so that we can save your preferences for cookie settings.

If you disable this cookie, we will not be able to save your preferences. This means that every time you visit this website you will need to enable or disable cookies again.