00:00Good afternoon, I'm Craig Sitchi, the executive director of the Social Impact Fund, and on behalf of everybody here at
00:07Social Impact Fund and our board of directors, welcome to the third annual Social Impact Summit.
00:13I feel like this year's event is already a success. If you remember last year, I ran down this aisle
00:20like an over-exuberant contestant from the Midwest on the Price is Right to present a grant to John Legend.
00:29So since I entered through this door this time, it's already a win. So, you know, if you weren't here
00:37last year, we can show it to you, I guess.
00:41This year marks the 13th year of the Social Impact Fund. 13 years of nonprofit years is basically ancient. Somewhere
00:49between wise elder and the board should really check if he slept.
00:54We were founded on the belief that good ideas deserve a fighting chance and that with the right nonprofit structure
01:01and support, people really can change the world.
01:04Today, SIF is home to over 80 projects addressing a full spectrum of important issues for tomorrow. Many of our
01:13sponsor programs are represented here today.
01:16We're grateful for your trust in the Social Impact Fund and for the work you're doing to make the world
01:21a better place for everybody.
01:23Three years ago, this Social Impact Summit started out as an idea we had with The Hollywood Reporter.
01:29What if we brought together storytellers, athletes, executives, culture makers into one room, not just to talk about philanthropy but
01:37to practice it?
01:38And how can we bring the annual philanthropy issue of The Hollywood Reporter to life?
01:44Today, more than 500 of you are in this room, continuing that practice, which either means the idea worked or
01:53free cocktails are more important motivators than we realized.
01:56It's probably both, though.
02:02But today, we are in very challenging times for the causes many of us represent and serve and for the
02:08communities that we're all part of, but even for the nonprofit sector itself.
02:12This summit is not an escape from that moment we're in, but it's our response to it.
02:18And today, we celebrate people and organizations that embody that response.
02:24This year's honorees couldn't come from more different worlds, music, sports, and Hollywood, but they share something in common.
02:32Each took a public platform and turned it into relentless focused impact.
02:38John Mayer, our Philanthropist of the Year, Steph and Aisha Curry, our Philanthropists of the Year, and Michael J. Fox
02:45and Deborah Brooks, on behalf of our Philanthropic Organization of the Year,
02:50proof that the man who once made time travel look easy is now working on something even harder, a cure.
02:58We're deeply grateful to each of you for the life-changing work you do every day.
03:04I'm very proud to announce that throughout the summit today, our board chair, Aaron Dawkins, will award our honorees with
03:12unrestricted grants of $10,000 each from the Social Impact Fund.
03:16Congratulations.
03:22Over the next three hours, you'll hear from others, including a certain artist who spent his career finding lost arcs
03:29and dodging blasters,
03:30and who I promise is far more relaxed about small talk than Han Solo ever was.
03:38Our deepest gratitude to all of the speakers, panelists, and moderators today.
03:42Your participation in this summit truly is appreciated, and we can't ask for a better group of people to learn
03:48from today.
03:56But today is also a chance for you to do something.
03:59At today's intermission, and again at our post-summit reception, our good friends from CARE and GOOD 360 in the
04:07lobby will be hosting hands-on activities where you can help assemble CARE kits bound for communities in need.
04:14So consider this your permission to exit at intermission for a great purpose, not just to check your phone or
04:21your email.
04:23Now I want to take some time and just give some gratitude that's well deserved.
04:27Thank you to our presenting sponsor, Gilead, whose leadership in health equity makes this gathering possible.
04:35A little later we'll have a special presentation that describes Gilead's impact in greater detail as a social impact fund
04:42in Laverne Cox recognizes Gilead for its excellence in corporate philanthropy.
04:48Thank you as well to our official airline, Delta Airlines.
04:51They've been very busy on the East Coast over the last couple days with the storms that were hitting there.
04:58Thank you to our other supporting sponsors, Charity Buzz, GOOD 360, CARE, Macy's, Perlman & Perlman, and to our amazing
05:07in-kind donors.
05:08I'm also very fortunate to welcome you here today, but I'm also representing dozens of brilliant, hardworking, opinionated, passionate do
05:17-gooders who helped bring today's summit to life.
05:20Thank you to our co-host and partner, The Hollywood Reporter, along with our talent guru, Stacey Wilson-Hunt.
05:26THR continues to support our work throughout the year, and they've just been an extraordinary partner to the Social Impact
05:33Fund for the last four years.
05:35Thank you to Aubrey & Co., our partnership agency, and Fifth & Hardy, our creative agency, for turning this vision
05:41into reality once again.
05:44And not panicking every time I change my mind on the programming of this.
05:50They'll know what that means.
05:52I'd also like to thank our colleagues at Sunshine Sacks for their efforts in widening our reach and spreading the
05:58word about this great event.
06:00An incredible note of thanks to our wonderful colleague, SIF's Program Director, Anjali Ramasunder.
06:10To SIF's Board Chair, Aaron Dawkins, along with our full Board of Directors for your ongoing work, your creative ideas,
06:18and I'm sure more than a few laughs at my expense along the way.
06:22I've earned every one of them.
06:24But most of all, thank you to everyone here.
06:27The work ahead is hard, but we're not alone.
06:30This is a community that cares, and we hope that you'll enjoy today's summit.
06:36In years past, I would take a selfie from up here, but I actually forgot my phone, because at the
06:41last summit we did, it rang during my welcome speech.
06:45So I'm not going to do that this year.
06:47But I do want to get started.
06:50If you can please join me in welcoming to the stage Emmy-nominated actress and advocate, Sebeda Mwafi.
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