Irish American philanthropist and entrepreneur Chuck Feeney, who has been engaging in philanthropic projects across the globe for over thirty years, announced in August that his foundation, Atlantic Philanthropies, will make its final grants in 2016, including those to Ireland.
84-year-old Feeney, deemed “the quiet giant of Irish philanthropy” by the Irish Examiner, has said that Atlantic Philanthropies is operating with a limited lifespan and will finish its work this year.
Feeney’s first Irish grant went to the educational services after a visit in the 1980s, when third-level institutions were desperately in need of funding. This was instrumental in the transformation of the University of Limerick, where the student body of 735 exploded to over 11,000. Since then, Feeney has invested over €1.1 billion in the Republic of Ireland, €563.7 million of which has gone towards education, healthcare, and heritage centers.
“I don’t think we’re going to see another Chuck Feeney here in the short term,” executive director of Philanthropy Ireland Eilis Murray told the Examiner. “We’re going to have to look to other solutions involving government, corporates and private donors to fill the gap.” ♦
“I don’t think we’re going to see another Chuck Feeney [need] to look to government, corporates and private donors to fill the gap.”
NEED TO USE SOME OF THE BRAIN POWER THAT IRELAND PUMPS OUT TO THE REST OF THE WORLD TO GET TESLA ON BOARD TO ‘ELECTRIFY’ THE “GONE WITH THE FUTURE [MOSTLY HOT WIND POWERED DELOREAN!]. OTHER THAN BUILD QUALITY, WHICH TESLA’S AUTO-BOTS COULD SOLVE, AN ELECTRIC VERSION WOULD BE LIKE THE TESLA SPORTS CAR… A TOY I’D BUY IN A SECOND (RETIRED/BORED).