In response to the 2010 Haiti earthquake, award-winning Spanish-born American chef and restaurateur José Andrés founded World Central Kitchen (WCK). Cooking with others at a camp for displaced persons, Andrés, with the support of his wife, Patricia, along with business partner Rob Wilder and his wife, Robin, set out to use his gastronomic experience to provide hungry people with more than just relief during a disaster. The idea? To help spur urgent economic recovery through food.

Andrew Carnegie once said, “Wealth is not to feed our egos, but to feed the hungry and to help people help themselves.” He believed that philanthropy ought to challenge the causes of social ills rather than their expressions. WCK’s vision, centering the humanity of cooking and eating together, embodies this philosophy — to tackle causes, not symptoms — in the food economy. WCK’s work is made possible by volunteers, most of whom are local to the communities they serve. The WCK team mobilizes individuals with professional cooking experience, as well as anyone willing to work the lines, help with food purchases and deliveries, or simply serve a meal with a smile.

WCK is often first to the front lines. They have served more than 150 million fresh meals around the world, helping to feed the island of Puerto Rico after Hurricane Maria and millions during the COVID-19 pandemic. They worked with the victims of the ruinous blast in Beirut and the bushfires in Australia. And WCK continues to build the largest food relief operation in Ukraine, sending trucks, trains, passenger cars, and vans across hundreds of cities and towns. WCK’s Resilience Programs strengthen sustenance security by creating systems that train chefs and school cooks, by advancing clean cooking practices, and by focusing grantmaking on farms, fisheries, and small businesses along with promoting educational and professional opportunities.

World Central Kitchen has expanded traditional notions of philanthropy, putting into practice a philosophy that views food as an agent for change. Through community-based mobilizations and the expansion of opportunities and resources, WCK fights hunger while enabling economic
stability, spreading knowledge, and mitigating the damage of future disasters. Their practice of gathering for meals, fostering community through the camaraderie of breaking bread together, is a graceful expression of “giving” that resonates for all.

WCK’s extraordinary operating model sets a powerful and inspirational example of empathy in action. The Selection Committee of the Carnegie Medal of Philanthropy believes that the spirit of their life-enhancing work — meeting people in need where they are, building community through shared connections — is a match for the bountiful spirit of our founder, who said, “The happiness of giving happiness is far sweeter than the pleasure direct.” We are honored to present the inaugural Carnegie Catalyst Award to World Central Kitchen.

Charles and Lynn Schusterman Family Philanthropies represents a living tradition of giving that began at the family kitchen table. In 1967, Lynn and her late husband, Charles, pledged $500 to the United Jewish Appeal to support Israel during a moment of crisis. This was a significant financial sacrifice for the couple at the time, but giving back, even when they had little to spare, was a value they shared.

Today, Lynn Schusterman, chair emerita of Schusterman Family Philanthropies, and her daughter, Stacy, chair of the organization, remain committed to the values and lessons of Jewish ethics that have inspired the family’s philanthropic work from the very beginning: to pursue justice (tzedek), to repair the world (tikkun olam), and to treat all people with dignity and civility (derekh eretz).

Lynn Schusterman began the family foundation with her husband in Tulsa, Oklahoma, in 1987. Through her philanthropy, she has been recognized as a proud supporter of Israel, the Jewish people, and her family’s hometown of Tulsa; as an advocate for addressing child abuse and neglect; as a champion of educational opportunities for all young people; and as a pioneering funder of inclusion and equality. In 2011, Lynn Schusterman signed the Giving Pledge, a promise by the world’s wealthiest individuals and families to dedicate the majority of their wealth to charitable causes.

Stacy Schusterman, who became more involved with the family’s philanthropy in 2011 after serving as CEO at Samson Resources for over a decade, oversees approximately $400 million in annual grantmaking that is invested in shaping more just and inclusive societies in the U.S. and Israel. She continues the work her parents began to shape joyful and inclusive Jewish communities and to strengthen Israel as a secure homeland for the Jewish people and a thriving democracy. Under her leadership, Schusterman Family Philanthropies has prioritized the advancement of racial, gender, and economic equity in the U.S. through investments in K–12 education, gender and reproductive equity, democracy and voting rights, and criminal justice reform.

Over more than three decades, the Schusterman family has given more than $2 billion through their philanthropy. Among their many investments, they founded the Haruv Institute in Israel to provide training for professionals to address child abuse and neglect. They helped launch Repair the World to mobilize young Jewish adults and their communities through service and volunteerism. They have supported teacher development and the recruitment of teachers of color as part of their broader commitment to strengthening the U.S. education system. They are also major investors in Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs) and criminal justice reform, including through their partnership with the Blue Meridian donor collaborative. The Schustermans also invest deeply in the leadership and equality of women and girls, including through their involvement in the Collaborative for Gender + Reproductive Equity, and they have worked to help preserve safe, free, and fair access to voting.

In The Gospel of Wealth, Andrew Carnegie describes the thoughtful, positive administration of giving as yielding the “most beneficial results” for the community. The Selection Committee of the Carnegie Medal of Philanthropy admires the generous optimism of the Schusterman family’s investments in building inclusive and thriving communities: they see possibility rather than impossibility in their work. Furthermore, we believe that the family’s commitment to principle is a meaningful example for faith-based communities and foundations that are seeking to empower and improve the lives of others. We applaud the Schustermans’ visionary legacy of giving; they — as did our founder with his farsighted philosophy of philanthropy — continue to make a deep and lasting impact on the communities they serve.

The Carnegie family of institutions is honored to welcome Lynn Schusterman and Stacy Schusterman as recipients of the 2022 Carnegie Medal of Philanthropy.

Lyda Hill believes that science is the solution to many of our most daunting challenges — and her philanthropy has been informed by that conviction as well as by her unique life journey. As a successful businesswoman and philanthropist, she invests in catalytic, solution-oriented initiatives that have the potential to impact global issues, reflecting her vision of mixing entrepreneurial vigor with a commitment to balancing profit with purpose. And yet, while taking on issues of national import, such as food security and safety, water conservation, urban green spaces, medical research, and public health, Hill remains dedicated to empowering nonprofit organizations that are improving the places closest to her heart: local communities in Colorado and Texas.

Hill began her career in 1967 when she founded Hill World Travel, a market-leading travel consultancy. She spent the early part of her career building that business, moving on to prioritize venture capital investments and volunteering after selling the company in 1982. Today, philanthropy is her passion and central focus.

Hill enjoyed tremendous success as an entrepreneur and businessperson, but her life was not without struggle. Because cancer claimed the lives of many in her own family, and as a breast cancer survivor herself, she began financing the type of scientific research that could — one day — lead to a cure. She recently funded the establishment of the Lyda Hill Department of Bioinformatics, the Lyda Hill Deanship of the School of Public Health, and the newly formed Department of Biomedical Engineering at the UT Southwestern Medical Center. The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center’s Moon Shots Program, which works to combat and eliminate cancer, was also made possible by her generosity. These transformative gifts place both of these universities at the center of today’s innovations in biotechnology and medicine. Hill marvels at today’s preventive care options, most of which were nonexistent when she was first diagnosed — and she invests heavily in promising advances in medical research and care, launching a venture capital fund that brings breakthrough ideas to the marketplace quickly.

Hill was one of the few women named to the Chronicle of Philanthropy’s list of most generous donors in 2013, and the next year Forbes magazine singled her out as one of the top 15 entrepreneurs who give back to the community. She supports many nonprofits, including the Visiting Nurse Association, Texas 2036, Meadows Mental Health Policy Institute, the National Geographic Society, and many more. In the 1980s, Hill launched the Volunteer Connection, which promotes volunteerism in the Dallas/Fort Worth area. This enormously effective program brought her to the attention of President Ronald Reagan, who appointed her to the Advisory Council on Private Sector Initiatives, and has since been replicated across the country.

Hill has funded numerous conservation and community revitalization projects in Colorado and Texas, including the Nature Conservancy’s Mapping Ocean Wealth project, the Perot Museum of Nature and Science, the Margaret Hunt Hill Bridge in Dallas, and the Garden of the Gods Visitor and Nature Center in Colorado Springs. Hill also works to cultivate a diverse generation of scientists and conservationists through the IF/THEN Initiative, which supports young girls and women who are pursuing STEM careers. In 2010, Hill signed the Giving Pledge, vowing to donate the entirety of her wealth to charity and to do so largely during her lifetime.

In The Gospel of Wealth, Andrew Carnegie wrote that the wealthy should erect “ladders upon which the aspiring can rise.” The Selection Committee of the Carnegie Medal of Philanthropy celebrates the many “ladders” built by Lyda Hill as she carries out her philanthropic mission with visionary generosity. We believe that her unstinting service to society, year by year, is a splendid, scientific continuation of our founder’s commitment to using wealth for the good — for the “lasting good,” as Carnegie put it — of the greater community.

The Carnegie family of institutions is honored to welcome Lyda Hill as a recipient of the 2022 Carnegie Medal of Philanthropy.

Dolly Parton’s life story reads like a fairy tale. She was born in Sevier County, Tennessee, where people struggled to make ends meet and earning a living often took priority over getting an education. From this impoverished but culturally rich region came the woman who would go on to achieve global success as a singer-songwriter, actress, and businesswoman — and as one of the entertainment world’s most generous philanthropists.

Parton was the fourth in a family of 12 children, and her musical talents first emerged in the family’s one-room cabin. Her mother, the daughter of a preacher who played the fiddle, created an inspirational musical grounding for the family, entertaining her children with songs, storytelling, and Smoky Mountain folklore. Parton’s father, a sharecropper, farmer, and construction worker, was also a Pentecostal preacher, and the family was in church every Sunday. Parton made her public singing debut — in church — at the age of six. She continued to perform locally — to rising acclaim — on radio and television. The day after graduating from high school, Parton left home to pursue a musical career.

There were bumps along the road, but eventually, Parton’s hard work and musical genius would lead her to success beyond her wildest dreams. Parton has 47 career Top 10 country albums, a record for any artist, and 110 career-charted singles over the past five decades. With 26 songs reaching number one on the Billboard Country charts, Parton is the winner of 11 Grammys. The first country artist honored as Grammy MusiCares Person of the Year, in 2022 she received her 51st Grammy nomination. In addition to four People’s Choice Awards, three American Music Awards, the Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award, and her induction as a member of the Country Music Hall of Fame, Parton’s accomplishments include an Emmy Award, the authorship of a range of best-selling books, co-ownership of the Dollywood Company, and her role as founder of the Dollywood Foundation. In November, Parton will be inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame as a member of the Class of 2022.

Named to Forbes magazine’s 2022 list of America’s Richest Self-Made Women, Parton credits her savvy investment decisions to her father, who passed along his business acumen to his daughter. Providing career opportunities for the citizens of Sevier County, Dollywood Theme Park has become Parton’s most valuable asset — and is now the state’s most popular theme park, attracting three million visitors annually.

Parton founded the Dollywood Foundation in 1988 to inspire the children of her home county. The goal: to achieve educational success and decrease high school dropout rates. The foundation’s initial success launched what is now its flagship program, Dolly Parton’s Imagination Library. This children’s book-gifting program began by sending every child in Sevier County a free, age-appropriate book each month in the mail until they reached the age of five. Parton created the Imagination Library in honor of her father, who was illiterate, to make sure that all children had books in their home from the very start. She wanted the program to be stigma free, so Parton made sure that any child, regardless of background or income status, could receive books through the Imagination Library. To date, the program has gifted close to 200 million books across the United States, Canada, the United Kingdom, Australia, and the Republic of Ireland, and the foundation has plans for further expansion.

Parton’s philanthropic work also includes donations to Vanderbilt University to fund pediatric infectious disease research and support for the development of Moderna’s COVID-19 vaccine. The Dollywood Foundation, through its My People Fund, supported hundreds of families who lost their homes during the 2016 wildfires in Sevier County, and also provides scholarship funds to local high school students to help further their education at any accredited university. Looking forward, the Dollywood Foundation continues to find ways to share the life and
legacy of Dolly Parton as an inspiration for children to dream more, learn more, care more,
and be more.

In The Gospel of Wealth, Andrew Carnegie urges us to ponder this question: Because of the life you are living, has “one small part of the great world … been bettered just a little”? The Selection Committee of the Carnegie Medal of Philanthropy salutes Dolly Parton, who has done more than “a little.” With her philanthropy and her artistry, she has empowered and lifted up the citizens of her Tennessee home county as well as millions more around the world. We believe that her many philanthropic achievements embody the values of our founder, who, with us, would surely greet Parton with “affection, gratitude, and admiration.”

The Carnegie family of institutions is honored to welcome Dolly Parton as a recipient of the 2022 Carnegie Medal of Philanthropy.

For nearly 70 years, renowned businessman and philanthropist Manu Chandaria has dedicated himself to providing essential human services to long-overlooked communities in Africa.

Chandaria was born in Nairobi, Kenya, to Indian immigrants of modest means. His merchant father ensured that his children understood the pivotal role that education could play in their lives. Taking this guidance to heart, Chandaria embarked on a quest for knowledge that would take him from primary school in Kenya to secondary and undergraduate studies in India — and then on to the U.S., where he earned bachelor’s and master’s degrees in engineering from the University of Oklahoma.

When Chandaria returned to Kenya in 1951, the family’s small business was expanding into the aluminum and steel industries. This positioning — bolstered by hard work and fierce dedication — became the platform from which the Comcraft Group would grow into a multibillion-dollar conglomerate with a presence today in over 40 countries. Chandaria applied his engineering skills and scholarly acumen to the company’s leadership, while going on to become founding chairman of the East African Business Council and the Kenya Private Sector Alliance.

Chandaria is a devoted follower of Jainism, and once the business was set on course, he turned to an important principle of his faith: service to others. Established in 1955, the Chandaria Foundation supports educational, health care, and life enrichment programs that continue to benefit thousands of Kenyans — and his family would eventually set up charitable trusts in many of the African countries in which Comcraft operates. Chandaria also chaired the Street Families Rehabilitation Trust Fund, which develops rehabilitative and preventive programs for homeless children and families. The recipient of six honorary degrees, Chandaria has also served in leadership roles at various Kenyan universities.

In addition to funding academic scholarships, Chandaria was instrumental in endowing the Chandaria School of Business at United States International University–Africa and the Chandaria Centre for Performing Arts at the University of Nairobi, among numerous other educational initiatives. The Chandaria Foundation also invests in the strengthening of health care infrastructures in Kenya, including support for the Chandaria Accident and Emergency Centre at Nairobi Hospital, the Chandaria Cancer and Chronic Disease Centre in Eldoret, and the Chandaria Medical Centre at Gertrude’s Children’s Hospital in Nairobi.

In an interview with African Philanthropy Forum, this celebrated advocate for service to society said, “The wealth that you have is not yours. You are only the trustee of the wealth you have.” Asked what he would change if he could live his life over, Chandaria responded with characteristic humility and compassion: he would have started serving others sooner.

In The Gospel of Wealth, Andrew Carnegie observed that the rich have it in their power to create “benefactions from which the masses of their fellows will derive lasting advantage.” The Selection Committee of the Carnegie Medal of Philanthropy believes that Manu Chandaria’s farsighted generosity will continue to inspire and empower people in Kenya and across the African continent for generations to come. Indeed, the Chandaria Foundation’s projects have created a legacy of healthier and better-educated Africans while helping to mobilize the continent’s next generation of business leaders. We applaud Manu Chandaria’s many philanthropic achievements; they align beautifully with our founder’s philosophy of philanthropy.

The Carnegie family of institutions is honored to welcome Manu Chandaria as a recipient of the 2022 Carnegie Medal of Philanthropy.

Andrew Carnegie believed that the greatest gift of his philanthropy was the ability “to provide part of the means by which those who desire to improve may do so.” Through his philanthropy, Leonard Tow advocates for society’s most vulnerable, funding vital programs that strengthen communities and provide individuals with the opportunity for self-advancement.

As a young man, Dr. Tow set his sights beyond his working-class neighborhood during his studies at Brooklyn College. While there he met his wife, Claire, and earned a bachelor’s degree. He went on to obtain a PhD in economic geography from Columbia University.

After teaching for several years, Dr. Tow left academia for the private sector. His business ventures took him to far-flung locales in Africa, South Asia, and Europe. In the mid-1960s, he began working in the then-nascent cable industry, where he demonstrated his business acumen by helping to expand one early cable TV company’s customer base from 50,000 to 1 million subscribers over the course of several years.

Eventually, Dr. Tow decided to strike out on his own, starting Century Communications in the early 1970s with $22,000 and a line of credit. By 1999, it had grown to become the nation’s fifth-largest cable television company. After selling Century Communications, Dr. Tow decided to focus on growing the foundation he and his wife had earlier established.

Today, The Tow Foundation strives to help those in greatest need. It pursues that goal by supporting four grant-making domains: criminal and juvenile justice reform, medical research, higher education, and culture.

Through this multifaceted philanthropic approach, the foundation aims to promote racial equity, helping others to “achieve success in their own lives, to alleviate pain and suffering, and to offer opportunities for joy.” That commitment is exemplified at New York City’s renowned Public Theater, where the foundation supports multiple projects, including a dynamic partnership with Brooklyn College and a Mobile Unit that brings the Public’s programs into prisons, shelters, and community centers across the city’s five boroughs.

One of The Tow Foundation’s overarching goals is to reform the criminal justice system as well as to help former prisoners reintegrate into society through education, leadership development, employment, health care, housing, and arts programs.

Under the visionary leadership of Dr. Tow and the late Claire Tow, the foundation became and remains a champion for the dignity of the incarcerated. Today, the foundation continues to be a powerful expression of Dr. Tow’s determination to help build “a society where all people have the opportunity to enjoy a high quality of life and have a voice in their community.”

The Selection Committee believes that Andrew Carnegie would commend Dr. Tow’s support for self-empowerment and his vision of a more just world.

The Carnegie family of institutions is privileged to welcome Dr. Leonard Tow as a recipient of the Carnegie Medal of Philanthropy.

In The Gospel of Wealth, Andrew Carnegie wrote that the privileged are capable of organizing “benefactions from which the masses will derive lasting advantage.” Through their philanthropy, Mellody Hobson and George Lucas invest in education, arts, and culture to counter disadvantage, with programs promoting personal development, scholastic achievement, and professional accomplishment.

Like Andrew Carnegie, Mr. Lucas describes education as the “foundation of our democracy and a stepping-stone for youth to reach their full potential.” The legendary filmmaker credits his undergraduate education at the University of Southern California School of Cinematic Arts with giving him the right tools to flourish in a competitive industry, while a degree from Princeton University propelled Mellody Hobson from modest origins to become the co-CEO and co-president of Ariel Investments. Together, the director and the preeminent investor have designated the George Lucas Family Foundation as the vehicle for committing their combined talents and resources to the betterment of society.

In 1991, Mr. Lucas established the George Lucas Educational Foundation, with the aim of transforming K–12 education through project-based, social-emotional learning, comprehensive assessment, teacher development, integrated studies and technology. The foundation’s mission is for all students to “acquire and effectively apply the knowledge, attitudes, and skills necessary to thrive in their studies, careers, and adult lives.”

In addition to her philanthropic work, Ms. Hobson also chairs After School Matters, a nonprofit whose quality programs encourage the intellectual and creative expression of inner-city teens in Chicago, while also ensuring their outstanding academic achievement. Its Freshmen On-Track program has a remarkable record of supporting student success: 90 percent of participants graduate from high school — 11 percentage points higher than the state’s average graduation rate for low-income students.

Education is a cornerstone of the George Lucas Family Foundation, but its philanthropic efforts extend much further. Acknowledging the extraordinary stresses and demands placed on those with socioeconomic disadvantages, a results-focused approach meets the wide-ranging needs of the people it serves. Together, Ms. Hobson and Mr. Lucas support organizations that are making the world healthier, safer, and more vibrant, including childhood development and mentorship programs, gun control and environmental advocacy groups, museums and cultural institutions, as well as medical institutions.

The Selection Committee believes that Andrew Carnegie would applaud the generous investment in disadvantaged communities made by Ms. Hobson and Mr. Lucas, benefiting generations to come.

The Carnegie family of institutions is honored to welcome Mellody Hobson and George Lucas as recipients of the Carnegie Medal of Philanthropy.

Andrew Carnegie passionately advocated doing “real and permanent good in the world.” Anne Earhart’s unwavering allegiance to that ideal began with investments to improve the lives and well-being of disadvantaged women; she later expanded her efforts and funds to focus on environmental issues. Her dedication to that cause reflects an understanding of the existential importance of protecting our natural resources, but it is also personal — she grew up loving the outdoors and wants to ensure that nature is preserved for future generations.

The ocean played an integral role in Ms. Earhart’s upbringing and, as with many Los Angeles families, sunny days were frequently spent at the beach with loved ones. The setting offered a picturesque backdrop for this joyful period in her life. Then, on a trip to Baja California, her boat encountered a group of gray whales at sea. The breathtaking display planted the seeds for Ms. Earhart’s life’s calling, and indelibly marked the beginning of her journey to environmental philanthropy.

When Ms. Earhart married a forester and moved to South America, she witnessed devastating environmental destruction in Paraguay and Brazil firsthand. In response, she learned as much as she could about environmental issues and began engaging with leaders in the field of conservation. Upon her return to the U.S., she committed to the cause in earnest by joining the board of the World Wildlife Fund, where she developed an intense appreciation for biodiversity.

Although her giving initially focused on supporting health and human services organizations in Southern California, her commitment to environmental causes gradually reshaped the Marisla Foundation into a conservationist powerhouse. Today, it provides substantial and consistent funding to more than 600 nonprofits with missions focused on addressing global environmental challenges. Grantees include Oceans 5, Plastic Solutions Fund, Partners for a New Economy, and the Health and Environmental Funders Network.

Reflecting Ms. Earhart’s lifelong love of the ocean, Marisla has emerged as a particularly effective leader in marine conservation, working strategically to mitigate habitat destruction, pollution, and overfishing. Because saving the world’s oceans is too monumental an undertaking for a single foundation, Marisla forged dynamic partnerships with several other foundations committed to that cause. Together, they created Oceana, the first major nonprofit committed to the restoration and protection of the world’s oceans. Thus far, Ms. Earhart’s philanthropy has helped preserve 4.5 million square miles (and counting) of ocean.

Marisla’s leadership on environmental health issues also has roots in Ms.Earhart’s personal experience. After becoming a mother, she began learning about the ill-effects of environmental pollutants on children. Today, Marisla invests heavily in organizations seeking solutions to health threats caused by toxic chemicals. The foundation also supports organizations like Environmental Health News, which helps experts educate journalists and the public about environmental health issues.

This extraordinary range of accomplishment places Anne Earhart prominently within the ranks of today’s great conservationists. Modestly, she credits her schooling at the hands of the Sisters of the Immaculate Heart for instilling the values and conscience that make her work possible, and her early encounter with that pod of gray whales for igniting her passion for protecting our planet.

The Selection Committee believes that Andrew Carnegie would have been inspired by the spirit, tenacity, and scope of Ms. Earhart’s philanthropic efforts to save the world’s food chain, oxygen, and way of life.

The Carnegie family of institutions is privileged to welcome Anne G. Earhart as a recipient of the Carnegie Medal of Philanthropy.

Throughout his career Morton Mandel has made it a priority to “invest in people with the values, ability, and passion to change the world.” By developing the next generation of innovators, creators, and achievers, Mr. Mandel echoes Andrew Carnegie, who observed in 1908: “It is the leaders who do the new things that count.” Perhaps like Carnegie, the educational and leadership initiatives supported by this successful, self-made businessman also reflect an understanding of what it takes to rise from humble beginnings to great success.

Privilege did not come easily to Mr. Mandel, but the hardships of his youth imbued him with the importance of family, a strong work ethic, and an abiding allegiance to a civil society. Growing up, he witnessed the remarkable sacrifices of his working mother to ensure the dignity of others in their community. Such selflessness and self-reliance became hallmarks of Mr. Mandel’s philanthropy.

After high school, Mr. Mandel enrolled in Adelbert College, now Case Western Reserve University, but left before completing his degree to join his brothers Jack and Joseph to co-found Premier Automotive Supply Co. After enlisting in the Army in World War II, Mr. Mandel was offered the opportunity to study engineering at Pomona College and UC-Berkeley as part of his military service. Just 16 hours short of a degree in chemistry, he separated from the Army and chose to rejoin his brothers at their company.

Mr. Mandel later became chairman and CEO of their company. Together, the Mandels made astute business decisions and the company grew rapidly, eventually becoming a publicly traded company in 1960. Recognizing their good fortune, Mr. Mandel and his brothers wanted to give back. In 1953, they established the Jack, Joseph and Morton Mandel Foundation to broaden, formalize, and add structure to the generous giving that by then had become second nature for the trio.

The foundation is committed to fostering “just, inclusive, compassionate, and democratic societies” in the United States and Israel. Its strategic approach is based on investments in people with the will and the talent to change the world for the better, cultivating leaders who can rise to the demands of complex times.

Since his brothers passed away, Morton Mandel has made it his mission to sustain and expand the impact of their foundation. As part of that effort, he has established the Mandel Center for the Humanities at Brandeis University and the Mandel School for Advanced Studies in the Humanities at Hebrew University of Jerusalem. The foundation also awarded a generous grant for a new building and programs for the Mandel Institute for Social Leadership at Ben-Gurion University of the Negev. Recently the foundation awarded a substantial grant to the Cleveland Clinic to establish the Mandel Global Leadership and Learning Institute. The impact of Mr. Mandel’s giving is seen not only through those institutions, but through their alumni, who are making a difference in fields ranging from education to health care, and beyond.

In addition to the philanthropic activities of his foundation, Mr. Mandel and his wife, Barbara, also give generously as a couple. In 2018, the Mandels bolstered the capital of their foundation by selling their highly valued art collection at Sotheby’s. The proceeds of the sale have been used to further advance the foundation’s philanthropic goals.

Mr. Mandel’s unwavering belief in the value of leadership and education can also be seen his own life: he made the ambitious decision to return to Case Western Reserve University, where, in 2013, he completed the bachelor’s degree that he had started 75 years earlier.

The Selection Committee applauds Morton Mandel’s exceptional tradition of giving and believes his efforts to better society reflect the spirit of Andrew Carnegie’s philosophy.

The Carnegie family of institutions is honored to welcome Morton Mandel as a recipient of the Carnegie Medal of Philanthropy.

Andrew Carnegie once said, “Surplus wealth is a sacred trust which its possessor is bound to administer in his lifetime for the good of the community.” Marie-Josée Kravis, a prominent economist who also serves as vice chair and senior fellow at the Hudson Institute, and Henry R. Kravis, one of the pioneers of private equity investment, are paragons of Carnegie’s philosophy of giving.

The Kravises stand among today’s most active philanthropists, and their generosity spans diverse interests, including education, arts and culture, community development, healthcare, and science. Their magnanimity has touched many causes, enriching and improving lives in New York and across the country.

Throughout their careers, the Kravises have been deeply involved as both benefactors and leaders of the institutions they support. Ms. Kravis’s philanthropic commitments include chairing the Sloan Kettering Institute and presiding over the Marie-Josée Kravis Prize for New Music, one of the world’s most prestigious awards for emerging composers. For 14 years, she served as the president of the board of trustees of the Museum of Modern Art.

Mr. Kravis takes time from his role as co-CEO of Kohlberg Kravis Roberts & Co., the global investment firm that he cofounded in 1976, to chair Sponsors for Educational Opportunity, a free eight-year program providing low-income youth with academic support and mentoring. The nonprofit prepares underserved public high school students for college, initially by helping them with the college application process and later supporting their studies and career development to ensure they meet their academic and professional goals. Under Mr. Kravis’s extraordinary leadership, the organization has achieved a phenomenal track record of getting students to-and-through college: 100 percent of participants earn admission to college and 90 percent graduate from college, results that far outpace the current countrywide graduation rate.

Together, the Kravises endowed a cutting-edge Center for Molecular Oncology at Memorial Sloan Kettering, which aims to revolutionize cancer care through individualized therapies derived from the tumors of patients. They’ve also funded a transformational research center at Rockefeller University, where Mr. Kravis has also served as vice chair. The Kravis Leadership Institute at Claremont McKenna College runs leadership and social innovation workshops, conferences, and programs, as well as supporting innovative leadership research.

The Selection Committee believes that Andrew Carnegie would have marveled at the impact and spirit of the Kravises’ philanthropy, and their passionate engagement in its administration.

The Carnegie family of institutions is privileged to welcome Marie-Josée and Henry R. Kravis as recipients of the Carnegie Medal of Philanthropy.