Why Don’t Philanthropists Build Anymore? An SSIR Author Conversation

The United States is living through a second Gilded Age. But unlike yesterday’s magnates, today’s billionaires prefer to write checks to existing organizations. Sarah Cone argues they should instead build institutions that last.

Join us for a conversation with Sarah Cone, author of Stanford Social Innovation Review's summer 2026 cover story “Why Don’t Philanthropists Build Anymore?” With SSIR’s academic editor Mitchell Stevens, they will discuss differences between Gilded Age and contemporary philanthropy, why billionaires have stepped back from building institutions, and Sarah’s vision for a new Gilded Age.

Sarah Cone is founder and managing partner of Social Impact Capital. She is a company builder, a philanthropic advisor, a venture capitalist, and a mother.