When crisis strikes and the situation requires the few to respond swiftly to protect the interests of the many, high-integrity, purpose-driven leadership makes all the difference.
As the COVID-19 pandemic spread around the globe, Aspen Global Leadership Network (AGLN) Fellows stepped up to act and meet the needs of their communities. Many Fellows leveraged their platforms – their businesses, organizations, and positions – to get food, medicine, and essential supplies to disproportionately affected communities. Others influenced the public health fight against COVID-19, speaking up and out to spread awareness and combat misinformation about the virus. We also saw the global AGLN network play a critical role as Fellows collaborated—across borders and sectors—to begin to reimagine a post-COVID-19 world addressing the deeply entrenched systemic and structural issues that were an accelerant to this crisis.
To aid these efforts, the John P. and Anne Welsh McNulty Foundation, in partnership with the AGLN, launched the Global Response Fund, a rapid response fund to support Fellows leading critical response efforts. Through the Fund, we have supported 68 Fellows’ organizations and ventures, and awarded a total of over $550,000 for their work directly helping vulnerable communities in over 20 countries.
AGLN Fellowships were created to prepare for moments like the one we are living through today. The Fellowship experience guides leaders to awaken the fundamental values and beliefs that underscore their leadership, compelling them to act on the world’s most pressing problems. Through efforts like the Global Response Fund, we are accelerating the impact Fellows have.
We invite you to learn more about the efforts of AGLN Fellows and the Global Response Fund in the report above. We applaud our Fellows who have risen to meet the “fierce urgency of now” and who will continue to act on their values to rebuild the just, fair, equitable society the world demands.
