Latest news with #socialcauses
Forbes
08-07-2025
- Entertainment
- Forbes
How The Impact Lounge Is Pioneering Storytelling For Go
The Impact Lounge is a traveling creative hub that brings together filmmakers, foundations, and ... More brands to tell stories that don't just raise awareness—but spark action. The Impact Lounge Every year, billions of dollars are poured into social causes—through grants, programs, and policy change. But despite all that effort, the deeper challenge remains: how do you shift culture? How do you change hearts, not just headlines? That's where storytelling comes in. Because while data can inform us, only stories can move us. This is the belief driving The Impact Lounge, a traveling creative hub that brings together filmmakers, foundations, and brands to tell stories that don't just raise awareness—but spark action. The Impact Lounge isn't a single venue—it's a traveling stage. One that has already appeared at places like Cannes, Sundance, and the Lumen Awards. This year, it expands to Climate Week in New York, with one day at the United Nations and multiple days at the Javits Center. The format is immersive and intentional—built to foster connection, inspire action, and elevate the storytellers too often left out of mainstream film circles. Whether it's a young Indigenous filmmaker in Georgia or a conservationist director working in Morocco, The Impact Lounge is designed to give them a platform—and the network to support their vision. In a time when outrage is easy and attention is fleeting, The Impact Lounge offers a different kind of power: empathy, imagination, and the belief that the right story can become the spark that changes everything. At the heart of it is Heather Mason, who spent 20 years in the world of philanthropy—while quietly carrying a love for film she never let go of. 'I wanted to bring those together,' she says, 'and really see the alchemy of the fact that films truly can move mountains when it comes to narrative and culture change.' After two decades working inside foundations, Mason began to ask a different kind of question. What if these powerful institutions stopped thinking of film as a communications tool—and started seeing it as a cultural investment? Her long-term dream is as daring as it is logical: foundations acting as studios. Not just funding a few passion projects each year, but backing entire slates of impact-driven films, just like Hollywood. 'Wouldn't it be incredible,' Mason says, 'if foundations... became studios, either on their own or as a consortium… to do slates of 10, 20, 40, 100 films a year... and create that marketplace for impact film?' In this vision, the ecosystem is already there: NGOs doing the work on the ground, foundations funding them, and filmmakers ready to craft meaningful stories—but struggling for support. The Impact Lounge becomes the place where all those threads are woven together, where narratives are born, and where change begins. Heather Mason, Founder The Impact Lounge Brands Have a Role to Play While many of the early backers of The Impact Lounge have been forward-thinking foundations like Omidyar Network, MacArthur Foundation, Doris Duke Foundation, and the National Geographic Society, Mason believes this is only half the story. The future, she argues, must include brands—not just as funders, but as active participants in cultural change. 'Corporations... touch employees, touch all sorts of people, you can't leave them out,' she says. 'If you leave that out, you're leaving everything out.' She points to American Express as one example of what's possible when brands commit to storytelling with depth. Years ago, AmEx produced a short documentary called Spent: Looking for Change , which explored the lives of everyday Americans locked out of the traditional banking system. It told the story of the unbanked and underbanked—nearly 70 million Americans—who rely on payday loans and check-cashing services to survive, often paying far more in fees than they would with access to a basic checking account. The film was raw, heartfelt, and illuminating. 'I'd love to bring that back,' Mason says. 'It's still so relevant.' Through The Impact Lounge's platform—whether at major festivals or its own curated events—projects like Spent can find renewed life and reach new audiences hungry for meaningful, purpose-driven content. The Empathy Machine That's Been Left Behind At the heart of everything Mason does is a deep belief in storytelling as the most powerful—and too often overlooked—tool for change. 'The empathy machine is being left to the side,' she says. 'It's too easy to rely on guilt and shame. But if you actually want the outcome... storytelling is how you get there.' 'Guilt and shame won't change us. But wonder might. Film has the power to inspire—to bring beauty, hope, and possibility into our lives. And that's what moves people.' That's the quiet power of The Impact Lounge. It's not trying to lecture. It's not trying to go viral. It's trying to spark something deeper—by giving the right stories a place to be heard, and the right people the tools to tell them.
Irish Times
18-06-2025
- Business
- Irish Times
Charity: making plans to support a good cause with a bequest in your will
War, poverty, homelessness, animal cruelty – your social media feed can make it feel like the world is on fire. Donating can help, but it's hard when money is tight. Planning a gift in your will could be a solution. It can feel like a constructive action but it takes the financial pressure off now. Many charities offer a free will-writing service in return for a possible donation – but how does it work, and can I trust that my will will be above board? There's no time like tomorrow when it comes to charitable giving – two in five of us are looking to increase the amount we give in the future, according to Charities Regulator research published this month. And one in four people intend to leave money or property to a charity in their will, according to the research. 'Helping those worse off' and feeling that 'something should be given to worthy causes' are the reasons most cited for giving. READ MORE Being unable to afford a donation and lack of trust are the two top reasons why people do not donate at the moment, according to the research. If you can't afford it now, planning to give in your will is an option. It can appease any guilt in the interim too. And if this seems like an older person thing, think again. Buying a house, having a child and getting married are all important triggers for making a will. For socially minded Gen Xs, Millennials and Gen Zs, a bequest can make sure something goes to a cause you love. More than €79.6 million was left in bequests to charities in 2022, according to the Charities Regulator. But However, more than two-thirds of all charities say they received less than €100,000 in bequests in 2022, with one in four charities reporting less than €5,000. Sixteen charities, or 4 per cent, reported bequest income in excess of €1 million, with two charities reporting more than €5 million. The largest total amount reported by an individual charity was €8,672,000. Free wills Some charities are clear: if you are considering leaving a legacy, talk to your own solicitor. itself a registered charity, is an umbrella group of 90 Irish charities working to make gifts in wills the norm in Ireland. Its website provides solicitors and individuals with useful advice, and even wording, on how to leave a bequest. It directs those wanting to do so to the Law Society of Ireland 's register of solicitors. Other charities will cover the cost for one of their partner solicitors to write or update a simple will for you at no cost. The hope is that by availing of the free will, you will donate. Some charities partner with 'will-writing experts' who will provide those interested in giving with information and templates to draft their own will. These will-writing experts are often clear that the service is only suitable for what they term 'simple' wills, and that they don't offer bespoke advice, including tax advice. If the will-writing expert is not a solicitor, they are not regulated or held to the same professional standards as a registered solicitor. is a private company that works with 18 partner charities and an online will-writing service called which provides templates for individuals to write their own will for free. Those wanting to donate to one of the partner charities are sent a voucher by the charity that enables them to make their free will online. The individual is getting a free online will and the charity is covering the cost of it. To have a solicitor review your draft costs €80, says 'We make it clear that using you are not obliged to include the charity in your will, but the hope is you will,' says Niall O'Sullivan of This voucher system means the charity will know the person has made a will, but only on the person's death will they know if there has been a bequest, says O'Sullivan. 'If there is complexity to your situation, we recommend you go to a solicitor,' says O'Sullivan. 'But for most people, it's pretty straightforward in terms of their assets and the decisions they have to make.' Gifts given in wills tend to be larger, says O'Sullivan. 'When people come to write their wills, they actually realise they have more capacity to give than they might have thought.' The largest gift made to a charity to date using was €100,000, says O'Sullivan. Effective giving Making a will can ensure more of your money goes to the people or causes dear to you. If you die without a will, the Succession Act kicks in. This means if you're married and don't have a will, your spouse gets the whole estate where there are no children. If you have children, your spouse gets two-thirds, with any children sharing the remaining third. The amount of money parents can give their child tax-free, during the parents' lifetime or on death is €400,000. Anything above that is taxed at 33 per cent. So, if you leave €500,000 to your child, your child will receive €466,000 of it and they will have to pay the remaining €33,000 in tax. Leave €100,000 to a registered charity and the charity will get all of it tax-free. [ My husband says it's pointless for him to make a will. Is he right? Opens in new window ] It's different if you are single with no children. Unless you plan ahead, far more of the wealth you accumulated over a lifetime is likely to go back to the State in tax than that of someone with a child. The most a person without a child can leave to someone tax-free is €40,000. The recipient must be in the Group B threshold covering close blood relatives: that means a sibling, a parent, a grandparent, a niece or a nephew. For a friend or cousin, the most they can receive tax-free is just €20,000. A bequest can provide single people with no children more autonomy and choice over what happens to their money. Legacies left to charities are tax-free once the charity is registered, so 100 per cent of any gift you leave will go directly to the charity. A person can either leave a percentage share of their estate, once other duties and expenses are settled, or give a specific sum. Making a will provides a roadmap of what you want to happen to your estate. Without a will, or where the will is unclear, there can be confusion and disputes. Sonya Lanigan at John Lanigan & Nolan Solicitors in Kilkenny urges caution when it comes to using online will services. Family structures can be complex these days. Parents and children who are cohabiting, separated or divorced are now part of the mix of many families, as are stepchildren. Where a family member is informally but not legally separated, they remain legally married. This can leave the door open for claims and grievances down the line. 'I think it's a very dangerous assumption that you will be ticking off and considering all of the provisions of the various acts, like the Succession Act or the Civil Partnership Act, and all the tax advice that goes with getting your will made [with an online will service]. I'd be very nervous about that,' says Lanigan. A solicitor's job is to advise you based on your instructions. There should be no pressure at all to give to charity, says Lanigan. It's good practice when making a will to tell your executors you have appointed them, and where your will is, says Lanigan. You don't have to give them copies. [ Who should I appoint as an executor in my will? Opens in new window ] If you are giving a generous bequest to a charity, one that might raise eyebrows among family, it's best to record your feelings about why you do it in your will. 'It can be helpful to those coming after you to understand why. That can put paid to any action that might be taken,' says Lanigan. Her experience is that people are not giving as much to charity as they used to. The church was once a common beneficiary but this is happening less, she says. 'I would have always observed particularly single people would have considered charities when the bulk of their estate was going to siblings, or nieces and nephews, but I do notice a bit of a decrease in that as well.' Check the register There are plenty of good causes out there, but not all are registered charities. A registered charity must submit an annual report to the Charities Regulator. This shows who the charity has helped over the past year, and how it has raised and spent funds. You can search on the regulator's website to confirm any particular charity is registered and then see their annual reports by clicking on that charity. When leaving a bequest, be sure to use the charity's registered name, charity number and address to avoid confusion, says Lanigan. It's also advisable to state that the gift is exclusively for charitable purposes, says a spokesman for the regulator. Charities sometimes change their name, merge or cease operating. That's why it's important to be clear in your will about the type of charity or charitable purposes you want to help, says the regulator. This will help make identifying an alternative charity easier, they say. A person can seek to ensure their executors have binding instructions to select another registered charity in the event that the original charity no longer exists. If your charity no longer exists, and you don't identify an alternative in your will, the Charities Regulator has statutory power to apply a 'cy-pres doctrine' to bequests. This means your gift will go to a charity as near as possible to your intentions.
CNA
20-05-2025
- Business
- CNA
Temasek Shophouse to reopen by end-2025, with more space for events with social causes
The Temasek Shophouse along Orchard Road is set to reopen by Q4 2025, offering more spaces for events with social and environmental causes. The site will grow threefold to 6,400 square metres. Restoration and expansion works have crossed the 60%. Experts said the preserved heritage, along with the location as well as mission-aligned shops and food, are some ways to get the public interested in philanthropy. Nadirah Zaidi reports.
Yahoo
10-05-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Leo XIV, 'humble servant of God', visits sanctuary in first papal outing
Leo XIV visited an Augustinian sanctuary near Rome Saturday in his first outing since being made pope, after telling cardinals he intended to follow his predecessor's path as pontiff, praising Francis's "complete dedication to service". The Chicago-born pontiff paid a "private visit" Saturday afternoon to the Mother of Good Counsel Sanctuary in Genazzano, about 50 kilometres (31 miles) southeast of Rome, the Vatican said. Earlier, addressing a meeting of cardinals at the Vatican just two days after being elected the 267th pope, he provided some early clues as to what his priorities and style would be. Leo explained his new choice of name reflected a commitment to social causes while describing himself as St Peter's "unworthy Successor". Born Robert Francis Prevost, the pope told assembled cardinals a pontiff was "a humble servant of God and of his brothers and sisters, and nothing more than this". He praised Francis's "complete dedication to service and to sober simplicity of life", according to a transcript of the gathering published by the Vatican. "Let us take up this precious legacy and continue on the journey, inspired by the same hope that is born of faith," he told the College of Cardinals. The new pope was given a standing ovation as he entered the conference hall wearing a white papal robe, video released by the Vatican showed. Among the Church priorities championed by Francis, Leo said he intended to uphold "loving care for the least and the rejected" and his "courageous and trusting dialogue with the contemporary world in its various components and realities". He also mentioned "the missionary conversion of the entire Christian community" and growth in "synodality," a top priority of Francis's that sought to open the Church to welcome more voices. Francis, an Argentine Jesuit and the first pope from the Americas, died on April 21 aged 88. - Justice, labour - The first leader of the world's 1.4 billion Catholics to come from the United States, Leo told cardinals he chose his papal name as a homage to Leo XIII, a 19th-century pontiff who defended workers' rights. That choice, he said, was because his namesake "addressed the social question in the context of the first great Industrial Revolution". Today, the Church's social teaching is needed "in response to another Industrial Revolution and to developments in the field of artificial intelligence that pose new challenges for the defence of human dignity, justice and labour," Leo added. He later headed to Genazzano. Italian television channel TV2000 broadcast footage of him exiting a black SUV and entering the basilica, which dates from the 11th century. The sanctuary preserves an ancient image of the Virgin Mary, which is dear to the Augustinian order and "to the memory of Leo XIII", the Vatican said. Leo is the first pope from the Augustinian order, a religious group with a strong focus on missionary outreach and community, which experts say encourages collaboration and discussion before decision-making. In his first homily to cardinals on Friday, Leo urged the Church to restore the faith of millions around the world. He warned that lack of faith often went hand-in-hand with "the loss of meaning in life, the neglect of mercy, appalling violations of human dignity, the crisis of the family and so many other wounds that afflict our society." The Augustinian, who was made cardinal by Francis in 2023, is not a globally recognised figure although he had been on many Vatican watchers' lists of potential popes ahead of the conclave. Over the coming days his actions and words will be closely scrutinised. - 'Deep faith' - On Sunday, he returns to the balcony of St Peter's Basilica to give the Regina Coeli prayer to assembled faithful in the square beneath him. Leo plans to meet with foreign diplomats to the Vatican next week and the following Sunday, May 18, he will preside over his inauguration mass at St Peter's Square, expected to draw world leaders and thousands of pilgrims. Cardinals have described Leo as cast in the mold of Francis, with a commitment to the poor and disadvantaged, as well a focus on those hailing from further-flung areas of the Church. But they say his approach may be less direct than the sometimes impulsive Francis, a progressive who shook up the Church during his 12-year papacy. In an interview with Italian daily La Stampa published Saturday, US Cardinal Timothy Dolan, a conservative archbishop of New York, called the new pope "a man of deep faith, rooted in prayer and capable of listening". "This is what gives us hope; not a political programme or a communicative strategy but the concrete testimony of the Gospel," said Dolan. ams-ub/yad
