> SEATTLE (September 26, 1998 ) - Newly rich cyber-tycoons boasting posh
> homes and bulging portfolios are moving to change the face of
> philanthropy with a new approach to charitable giving.
>
> In this northwest metropolis, where Microsoft and dozens of other
> high-tech firms are headquartered, an estimated 59,000 households have a
> net worth of at least one million dollars.
>
> "The critical mass is here," said Paul Brainerd, who founded Social
> Venture Partners after selling Aldus (whose PageMaker system dominated
> desktop publishing) for $525 million to Adobe Systems.
>
> "There were people who were clearly thinking about issues, well more
> than myself," said Brainerd, 50, adding that SVP has gathered about 100
> partners since it began less than a year ago.
>
> What makes this wave of philanthropists different is that most did not
> inherit their wealth, they are in their 30s and 40s and are not waiting
> until late in life to give. Nor are they writing checks and walking
> away.
>
> Microsoft chief Bill Gates, one of the richest men in the world, was
> scored for not being more generous. He gave $225 million to charity, but
> that did not quiet complaints especially as his vast home neared
> completion.
>
> But Paul Shoemaker, the SVP executive director who left Microsoft for
> his current post after earning "more money than I ever deserved," said
> the newly rich are looking for a meaningful way to give.
>
> "I have found organizations that do giving circles. And I have found
> those that invest their time and expertise," said Shoemaker. "I haven't
> found many, or any yet, that do both of those things together."
>
> The cyber-rich in various parts of the country are at different stages
> of evolution, said Shoemaker, who has fielded calls from Silicon Valley
> to Austin, Texas, where a group is looking at the SVP model for helping.
>
> These cyber-philanthropists are also stepping where the government and
> traditional charitable organizations normally don't go, taking risks on
> untried ideas without budget constraints.
>
> "Government is no longer able or capable to fund this kind of work,"
> Brainerd said, "particularly if there is any kind of innovation or risk
> taking involved."
>
> By KAREN LOWE, Agence France-Presse