SC Connecticut News

When the Clinton Foundation launched its early childhood education initiative Too Small to Fail in 2013, it turned to some unexpected business partners to help the movement succeed. One was the national playground industry, which aligned with the Foundation to create over 1,000 literacy-rich playgrounds at local WIC centers, preschools, and parks. The playgrounds feature interactive learning stations that encourage parents and caregivers to help their children learn to read, count, and sing while they play.

Recognizing that low-income families spend about two to four hours a week at coin-operated laundromats, the Foundation also partnered with the national Coin Laundry Association to build hundreds of learning libraries in laundromats around the country. When space inside a laundromat was limited, the Foundation enlisted the help of the shipping container industry and repurposed donated containers into portable libraries that could be installed adjacent to laundry shops.

“We are so much trying to do whatever we can with whomever we can,” said Foundation Vice-Chair Dr. Chelsea Clinton during a recent appearance at the Yale Innovation Summit.

Clinton was one of several keynote speakers at the two-day Summit, considered Connecticut’s largest entrepreneurship event. The daughter of former President Bill Clinton and former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton holds a Master of Public Health degree from Columbia University and a PhD in international relations from Oxford University. She is also an author, philanthropist, venture capitalist, and adjunct professor at Columbia’s Mailman School of Public Health. Clinton spoke with Yale School of Public Health Dean Megan L. Ranney about championing health equity through innovation during her Summit appearance.

Whether working with the Clinton Foundation or her own venture capital firm Metrodora Ventures, Clinton emphasized inclusion and collaboration as key drivers in her work.

“One of the things that we always try to do is not be the only people around the table. We want diverse stakeholders...in the room and at the table,” she told Ranney during their May 29 chat. “We don't think that empathy or lived experience should be bolted on later. It should be designed in from the beginning.”

Ranney praised these efforts for their innovative partnerships promoting public good and ensuring advances benefit everyone.

“When we think about social entrepreneurship...I'm struck by how you've brought different groups together...ensuring science gets out beyond its usual beginnings in philanthropy,” Ranney said.

Public-private partnerships were instrumental in America’s response to COVID-19 through Operation Warp Speed's vaccine delivery. Building on this momentum, five national healthcare organizations launched an effort called Common Health Coalition in March aiming to strengthen partnerships with public health leaders like Yale School of Public Health.

Current public opinion supports more purpose-driven partnerships like those created by the Clinton Foundation. A Milken Institute-Harris Poll showed 76% felt business leaders should work closely with government on social challenges.

“The next generation of solutions will be anchored by locally led innovation,” Karen Kornbluh said when releasing these findings.

The human-centered culture driving all her work was nurtured during early days of Clinton HIV/AIDS Initiative (now CHAI). Collaborating with various entities reduced antiretroviral costs significantly globally.

“We've worked...to lower annual cost of hepatitis C treatment from $2,600 per person to less than $60,” said Clinton regarding CHAI’s efforts for hepatitis treatments affecting millions annually worldwide.

According to Brookings Institution report “Partnerships for public purpose: The new PPPS for fighting biggest crises”, successful sustainable change requires shared sense among stakeholders alongside clear responsibilities enhancing capacity targeting marginalized populations effectively.

“You have stakeholders who share ethos building for scale sustainability impacting communities multi-generationally," noted Clinton emphasizing clarity about agreements benefiting patients providers governments drug device partners alike ensuring future collaborations remain viable."

Ranney agreed highlighting importance sustainability avoiding negative impacts disappearing funding cycles bring marginalized distrustful communities lauding models preventing such occurrences."

A longtime advocate women children health reminded audience current venture federal funding disparities women startups maternal child health noting Melinda French Gates’ recent billion-dollar fund supporting global women families initiatives."

“I'll talk anyone doing anything women's kids' health because haven't spent enough time talking studying investing it," stressed imperative importance addressing underfunded areas".

During Q&A session asked selecting projects partners given numerous requests received emphasized preference confident humble collaborators recognizing mutual learning problem-solving importance persistence respect expected reciprocally instilling values kindness bravery within personal familial contexts concluding appeal voting underscoring electoral impact discussed topics future implications.”