Christopher Hohn

SOURCE OF WEALTH: Perry Capital; Founder, Children’s Investment Fund,

FUNDING AREAS: Children's global poverty, health, climate change

OVERVIEW: Christopher Hohn's philanthropy centers on helping children around the world by addressing issues such as malnutrition, education, and climate change. Hohn's Children's Investment Fund (TCI) was the first hedge fund that donated a portion of all of its fees to charitable organizations. These days, Hohn's philanthropy goes through the Children's Investment Fund Foundation (CIFF). According to CIFFs 2018 annual report, the foundation provided US $232 million in grant funding to nonprofits around the world.

BACKGROUND: Hohn was born in Surrey and attended Southampton University in the U.K. before going on to get his MBA at Harvard. Hohn worked for Apax Partners and Perry Capital, where he was made head of operations in London. Later, with his then-wife Jamie Cooper, Hohn established the Children's Investment Fund (TCI) and the Children's Investment Fund Foundation. Before the couple divorced, Hohn steered more than $2 billion to the charity, including around £800 million in 2007 and 2008, making him one of the U.K.'s largest charitable donors.

ISSUES:

CHILDREN'S POVERTY & HEALTH: Through CIFF, Hohn's philanthropy aims to help transform the lives of poor and vulnerable children in developing countries. Areas of work include neonatal survival, HIV transmission, malnutrition, and deworming. One recent partner is Ethiopia SURE!, which aims to reduce stunting in children under five in four agrarian regions by up to 26 percent. Recently, Hohn has also given money to the African Leaders Malaria Alliance. CIFF made a $45 million grant to the Elizabeth Glaser Pediatric AIDS Foundation towards a multiyear program that supports efforts by Zimbabwe’s Ministry of Health and Child Care to lower the number of new HIV infections among infants. CIFF has also worked with Nigeria’s Federal and State Ministries of Health and UNICEF on a program in Northern Nigeria that delivers nutrient-rich peanut paste to children suffering from severe acute malnutrition. CIFF committed $20 million in response to the Ebola outbreak in West Africa, and $50 million to the Uniting to Combat Neglected Tropical Diseases partnership, as well as partnering with partnered with UBS and UNICEF to announce the opening of a $1 billion Power of Nutrition Fund. Hohn has also donated large sums to the San Francisco-based donor-advised fund, the Tides Foundation perhaps also in service of this work.

CLIMATE CHANGE: In 2008, CIFF launched a special initiative on climate change, which the foundation considers to be a significant challenge our future will face. In this field, the foundation focuses on "smart urbanization" and "energy sector transformation" mainly in Europe, China, and Latin America.

LOOKING FORWARD: Hohn took a half-billion dollar hit in his divorce but his net worth still sits above $1 billion. Only in his early 50s, Hohn's priority still appears to be helping children around the world. One other area of interest identified on CIFF's website is improving children's outcomes through early learning programs.

LINK:

Children's Investment Fund Foundation