![]() Tober was born in 1934 in Summit, New Jersey, and spent her early years on a “beautiful farm with exquisite moths, no pesticides, in hip boots out in the swamps”. The 89-year-old is the founder of Acronym, a venture-capital fund focused on diverse arts-related causes including the Metropolitan Opera and the New York Philharmonic at Lincoln Center, the Museum of Arts + Design and more recently the clean-energy Arco del Tiempo installation that’s being constructed in Houston, Texas. “In the ’70s and ’80s it was all about a pretty party, but we’ve passed that period and now it’s more about the seriousness of a subject – with a little fun thrown in,” says Barbara Tober. Behind her is her portrait painted by James Childs in 2002 © Timothy O’Connell “ Alexis de Tocqueville noted this exceptionalism and our ability to unite and form associations to ‘give fêtes, to found seminaries, to build inns, to raise churches, to distribute books, to send missionaries to the Antipodes’. It’s equality in action here we have made it a part of life and incentivised it as the norm.” Barbara Tober, the patron of the arts Barbara Tober at her home in New York. “What makes American philanthropy different is the concept of doing more,” adds Sager. They’re less motivated by tax advantages and naming opportunities.” “They tend to give holistically – often collectively – with empathy being the biggest driver. “Historically, women have been drawn to the idea of being generous – with their time, money and social capital,” says Jeannie Infante Sager, director of the Women’s Philanthropy Institute at Indiana University. The scene began in the 1700s as aid focused on underserved women and children and has since grown to encompass everything from protecting the environment ( The Central Park Conservancy raises around $7mn a year from events) to criminal justice reform (Agnes Gund’s Art for Justice fund has awarded $125mn to address wrongful incarceration) and raising funds for the Metropolitan Museum of Art’s Costume Institute (last year’s Met Gala raked in $17.4mn). Philanthropists here provide the time, talent and treasure.” “New York has the most active cultural, educational and charitable sector in America,” says Darren Walker, president of the Ford Foundation, a $16bn international social-justice charity. ![]() And while the tuxedos and taffeta that marked the 1980s heyday of New York’s gala scene have given way to more modest events, the city’s philanthropic zeal is unlike any other. Nowhere is this more felt than in New York City – a cultural, diplomatic, financial and scientific hub of 7.8 million people, where shortfalls in government spending have long prompted the city’s most powerful women to rally others. Roula Khalaf, Editor of the FT, selects her favourite stories in this weekly newsletter.įor years women have given time and money to create non-profit organisations, promote social and legislative changes, build communities, educate and support a variety of arts institutions all over the world.
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