Fortune on Clinton's New Model for Philanthropy

Limited money but immense clout put to work in the service of fighting AIDS, global warming, urban poverty and childhood obesity, that's what Forbes is calling "The Power of Philanthropy." Read this article and begin to understand more deeply that a new third way to achieve social change is emerging and it isn't the Third Sector. Rather than being disappointed in the shortcomings of government, of philanthropy, of big business, it amps synergies between the three toward a whole new vision of impact.

Although Forbes gives ink to those whose question Clinton's motives, the article makes clear that he is gathering the best, brightest and richest to attack global problems through market-based solutions. Whether it is driving down the price of AIDS medicines or the ratio of sugar in soft drinks, former Goldman Sachs partner Bob Harrison (who now spends his days at Clinton's Harlem Foundation office) says, "The foundation's approach is to be very conscious of economic realities. We're not trying to put anyone out of business or even do damage." Clinton adds, "I never ask any business to lose money. What we need most in AIDS, climate change, in health care, is for them [related businesses] to reexamine the premises on which they operate."

Gotta love (or hate less?) a man who says, "The raw power [of the presidency] can be oversold. There are limits to it."

Susan Herr