A note from our founder on building a more generous world.

I am elated to announce a new research and educational Institute that I founded and have been building since spring 2024. We work to advance the giving field, democratize who gets to be a philanthropist and empower people to create more meaningful, measurable and joyous journeys of generosity. We define meaningful generosity as the alignment of what we care about with a clear understanding of how our giving creates real, lasting change—transforming generosity from a moment into an intentional practice that brings deeper fulfillment to givers and greater impact to others.

As background, over the past three decades, I have dedicated my life to advancing generosity—founding award-winning organizations, pioneering university courses and a new academic field, as well as building platforms that equip individuals to give with greater purpose and impact. I began this work locally, founding and building Silicon Valley Social Venture Fund (SV2), and then bringing philanthropy into the classroom at Stanford Graduate School of Business through its first courses on strategic philanthropy and women in leadership. I expanded this work by founding, building and chairing Stanford’s Center on Philanthropy and Civil Society (Stanford PACS) for nearly two decades and by launching the Laura Arrillaga-Andreessen Foundation alongside my New York Times bestselling book, Giving 2.0: Transform Your Giving and Our World. All of this work created the foundation for building a movement to create a more generous, empowered and unified nation. 

The Institute on Generosity works to unlock the extraordinary generosity in individuals by creating original research, developing accessible giving content and learning resources, and curating experiences and gatherings. We seek to unite two powerful forces: the exhilarating rush we feel when we give and the deep impact realized when our generosity creates true, lasting change. We exist to inspire, educate and empower individual givers of all beliefs and backgrounds—politically, socially, economically, religiously and generationally—to make their giving, their lives and their leadership matter more. 

The Institute does not tell people what to give, where to give or how much to give. Instead, we focus on providing a learning journey on how to give more effectively and efficiently. We help individuals articulate their ideals and passions, develop strategies and theories of change, engage more deeply with nonprofits as partners, as well as understand how generosity translates into measurable impact. We guide givers to move from transactional to transformational, and from good intentions to informed action. We aspire to have all giving provide not evanescent or unsubstantial happiness but persistent and meaningful joy.

We believe generosity is most beautiful when it reflects a range of individual values, beliefs and lived experiences. That pluralism is a strength, one that allows people to give in ways that are more personal and impactful. At the same time, we do not accept hate speech or denigration of any population. In this way, our giving expresses our values, how we choose to live and lead, as well as connect with others on a deeply human level—in our families, our friend groups, our organizations, our networks and our communities. 

We also hold true that how we lead—by example, at home, in our communities, in the workplace and within organizations—is one of life’s greatest opportunities for generosity. If we aspire to build organizations that fully reflect the talent, pluralism and potential of our nation, leadership must evolve. This requires us to lead differently. We need to lead meaningfully, which calls upon us to view leadership as a daily practice of using our voice, position, skills, resources and platform to empower others, expand access to opportunities and ensure that others rise with us. Meaningful leadership is expressed in our actions, reactions and interactions, especially in moments that require our values of empathy, courage, generosity and intention. When we lead in this way, we create deeper human connection and strengthen our ability to bridge what might otherwise divide us, thus creating stronger families, organizations and communities, as well as a stronger nation.

And we are merely beginning. 

We will celebrate, elevate and grow generosity across our country and across the spectrum of beliefs. We will measure our success by the growth of generosity, the depth of our research and the extent to which the givers we educate and convene create more transformational change in the communities they serve. 

Generosity lives within us all. Whether you are just beginning your giving journey or deepening your lifelong commitment, the Institute exists to walk hand-in-hand with you to fuel, guide and amplify the power of your own generosity and actualize the potential that exists within everyone to become extraordinary givers and leaders.

A generous life is a meaningful life. I am honored to join you on this journey. 

In service,