10 Years of the Atlantic Fellows for Social and Economic Equity programme
Over the past decade, the Atlantic Fellows for Social and Economic Equity (AFSEE) programme has worked to connect and support activists, researchers, and changemakers from around the globe. This academic year, as we mark our tenth anniversary, we will be reflecting on the achievements, challenges, impacts, and insights we have collectively encountered, and will celebrate together in person at a special community convening in the Summer of 2027.
While this anniversary year we are proud to come together to celebrate the achievements and learnings of the past decade, we do so against a backdrop of ongoing global political instability, climate crisis, and inequality.
The theme of AFSEE’s anniversary year is Hope in Dark Times, both an acknowledgment of the immense challenges facing the world today and an expression of our commitment to working constructively and collectively towards a better future for people and the planet.
Our Founding Story
The AFSEE programme was established with a landmark gift from The Atlantic Philanthropies in 2016, one of seven interconnected Atlantic Fellows programmes, which together with the Atlantic Institute, create a global community to advance fairer, healthier and more inclusive societies.
Our Founding Story, by Mary McDonnell, weaves together the complex and compelling story of the founding of The Atlantic Philanthropies, through the eyes, visions, and values of its founders.
Hear from our Fellows
My AFSEE journey transformed my understanding of power and possibility. It taught me that justice begins with truth and that liberation is a collective act. If you are someone who carries lived experience, who has fought to create change, who wishes to break cycles of inequality, AFSEE may be the place where your own transformation begins.
We may be spread all over the world, working in widely different areas of social justice and change-making, but my fellow Fellows have brought me a space full of solidarity, care and support that I know I will be able to plug into for a lifetime.
I have particularly appreciated the attitude I have encountered when taking an idea to the AFSEE team: let us see if we can find a way. Institutions need rules and structures, of course, but they also need enough openness to allow unexpected things to happen.
My AFSEE journey transformed my understanding of power and possibility. It taught me that justice begins with truth and that liberation is a collective act. If you are someone who carries lived experience, who has fought to create change, who wishes to break cycles of inequality, AFSEE may be the place where your own transformation begins.
We may be spread all over the world, working in widely different areas of social justice and change-making, but my fellow Fellows have brought me a space full of solidarity, care and support that I know I will be able to plug into for a lifetime.
Celebrating the Legacy of Chuck Feeney
Watch highlights from a special event hosted by AFSEE in June 2024 to celebrate the legacy of Chuck Feeney, the founder of Atlantic Philanthropies, whose gift funded the establishment of the AFSEE programme and our six sister programmes and the Atlantic Institute.
Remembering Professor John Hills
Read a tribute to Professor John Hills, co-founder and former co-director of the International Inequalities Institute and co-Executive Director of AFSEE, 2016-2017.
Honouring Chris Oechsli
Watch highlights from the ceremony awarding Chris Oechsli, President and CEO of The Atlantic Philanthropies, an Honorary Fellowship in recognition of his exceptional contributions to LSE and his global leadership in philanthropy and social equity.
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