The Atlantic Fellows for Social and Economic Equity community is deeply saddened by the passing of Charles "Chuck" F. Feeney, the founder of The Atlantic Philanthropies. Chuck saw the establishment of the seven Atlantic Fellows programs as one of his last big bets. The global Atlantic Fellows community was forged from a series of large Atlantic Philanthropies grants to produce significant, long-lasting solutions to reduce inequities and advance a fairer, healthier, more inclusive world.
Professor Armine Ishkanian, Executive Director of AFSEE, said that Chuck was an extraordinary individual whose incredible generosity not only touched but transformed the lives of so many people around the world.
“In the spirit of ‘giving while living’, Chuck donated the bulk of his fortune to support education, health, and equity and he did so quietly and humbly. Chuck Feeney has left behind an incredible legacy. We at AFSEE will never forget his generosity and vision. We are grateful for what he and everyone at Atlantic Philanthropies have enabled and set in motion," said Professor Ishkanian.
Dr Claire Gordon, Chair of the AFSEE Governing Board, said Chuck Feeney's visionary and generous legacy will live on through the global community of Atlantic fellowship programmes that he endowed across the world to build a generation of leaders working to build fairer, healthier, and more inclusive societies.
“On behalf of the Governing Board of the AFSEE programme at LSE, we would like to extend our thanks to Chuck Feeney for the inspirational and life-changing programme that his generosity has made possible at LSE. His memory, values and legacy live on through our thriving community of AFSEE Fellows,” said Dr Gordon.
Chuck’s vision for a more equitable world has so far supported over 800 Fellows across the seven programmes, including 116 AFSEE Fellows. “Chuck Feeney’s transformative gift of the Atlantic Fellowship programs embodies the call to action implicit in Nelson Mandela’s words, ‘As long as poverty, injustice, and gross inequality persist in our world, none of us can truly rest,’” said AFSEE Fellow Jane Sloane (2017-18 Cohort).
“Philanthropy should be about helping build the conditions for philanthropists not to be needed anymore, but not many philanthropists approach it that way. By giving away all his fortune without seeking attention, Chuck Feeney walked the talk and led the way to philanthropic practices where impact is truly and solely the priority,” concluded AFSEE Fellow Pedro Telles (2018-19 Cohort).
We extend our deepest condolences to Chuck’s family, friends, and colleagues.