Synergos Institute

Synergos Institute also operates the Global Philanthropists Circle (GPC), whose membership includes over 400 philanthropists from more than 30 countries; ⁶ its Senior Fellows Network that directly works in Egypt, the Palestinian territories, Jordan, Lebanon, and Morocco to addressing poverty and “equity”; ⁷ and consulting and philanthropic advisory services. ⁸

Synergos Institute has received more than $50,000,000 in grants from the left-of-center Gates Foundation since January 2008. ⁹ The Institute has also received donations and grants from the Rockefeller Foundation, ¹⁰ the New Venture Fund, ¹¹ Rockefeller Philanthropy Advisors, ¹² the John Templeton Foundation, ¹³ ImpactAssets, ¹⁴ the NoVo Foundation, and others. ¹⁵

History and Leadership

Synergos Institute was founded in 1986 by Peggy Dulany, a daughter of David Rockefeller and a member of the prominent Rockefeller family. ^{2 3 4}

Henry van Eeghen and Marilia Bezerra are co-executive directors of Synergos. ¹⁶ The Institute’s board of directors includes Liesel Pritzker Simmons, a prominent investor and donor to left-leaning political causes and member of the Pritzker family. ¹⁷

Activities and Funding

The Synergos Institute is a global organization that serves as an “important hub for the global philanthropy of wealthy families.” ^{1 18} The institute aims to reduce global poverty by connecting philanthropists; building partnerships between government, business, and civil society; and advising organizations how to achieve social impact. The institute’s work focuses on issues including health, nutrition, agriculture, and youth employment. ¹⁹ Critical race theory-influenced principles of “equity and social justice” are two of the institute’s core values. ⁵

Global Philanthropists Circle

In 2001, Peggy Dulany and her father David Rockefeller, Sr., established the Global Philanthropists Circle (GPC), with a commitment to create a more “just, equitable, peaceful, and regenerative world” ^{6 20 21} following several dinner meetings on the topic in 2000. ²² As of January 2022, GPC’s invite-only membership includes over 100 families and 400 philanthropists from more than 30 countries. ⁶ In 2005, GFC pursued the critical race theory-influenced concept of “restorative justice.” The group has met with world leaders and includes the founder of the left-of-center Lodestar Foundation. ²¹

GPC hosts workshops, site visits, retreats, and informal gatherings to help its members increase their social impact. In 2019, Synergos spent $2,518,753 to operate its global and regional philanthropy leader networks, including GFC. ⁷

Senior Fellows Program

In 1999, Synergos launched the Senior Fellows Network for individuals who demonstrate a commitment to changing systems that perpetuate poverty, are viewed as respected advocates for the poor, and believe in the power of partnerships to solve problems. ²³ Senior Fellows specifically work in Egypt, the Palestinian territories, Jordan, Lebanon, and Morocco on issues including addressing poverty and the critical race theory-influenced concept of equity. ²⁴

Consulting Activities

Synergos also provides consulting and philanthropic advisory services. ⁸ It has provided advisory services to Alwaleed Philanthropies, Bloomberg Philanthropies, the British Council, Conservation International, eBay Foundation, Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, GCNYC The Fair Fashion Center, Mondelez International Foundation, Pepsico Foundation, Shell Foundation, Unilever Foundation, and the Walmart Foundation. ²⁵

Funding

In 2019, Synergos Institute received $11,504,167 of grants and contributions and $3,152,733 of program service fees. In 2018 the institute received $10,992,572 of grants and contributions and $1,904,116 of program service fees. ²⁴

In 2019, the institute spent $2,518,753 to operate its global and regional philanthropy leader networks, including the Global Philanthropists Circle (GFC) and the Senior Fellows Network. ²⁴ That same year, Synergos spent $4,784,902 on a project with the Ethiopian government to support agricultural growth; spent $2,656,503 on similar projects in Nigeria, Namibia, and South Africa; and spent $1,954,530 on a small shareholder agricultural project in Nigeria. ²⁶

Synergos Institute has received more than $50,000,000 in grants from the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation since January 2008. ⁹ This includes grants worth $2,478,021 and $554,013 in 2019; a $6,605,261 grant in 2018; a $4,196,688 grant in 2016; a $7,394,287 grant in 2015; and a $10,061,631 grant in 2014. ^{9 27 28 29}

Between January 2019 and December 2022, Synergos Institute received grants totaling $240,000 from the Rockefeller Foundation ^{10 30}

In 2017, Synergos Institute received $1,000,215 in consulting fees from the John E. Fetzer Institute ³¹ and grants of $254,800 from the Rockefeller Philanthropy Advisors. ¹²

In 2016 the institute received grants of $130,000; $67,135; and $20,000 from the Paul G. Allen Family Foundation ³² and $80,000 from the John Templeton Foundation in 2016. ¹³ In 2015, the institute also received grants totaling $200,000 from the Rockefeller Foundation; ³³ $302,000 from Rockefeller Philanthropy Advisors; ³⁴ $50,600 from ImpactAssets; ¹⁴ $25,000 from the Mai Family Foundation ³⁵ and $25,000 from the NoVo Foundation in 2015. ¹⁵ In 2014, the institute received a $115,000 grant from the John Templeton Foundation. ³⁶

Between 1988 and 2000, Synergos Institute received $2,929,000 of grants from the John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation. ³⁷

Synergos has also received financial support from organizations including the Flora Family Foundation as well as the Mimi and Peter Haas Fund. ³⁸

Leadership

Peggy Dulany, daughter of David Rockefeller Fund founder David Rockefeller, is the founder of Synergos and the chair of its board of directors as well as the owner of J Bar L Ranch, a ranch based in Twin Bridges, Montana, and an owner of an environmental-tourism business in Namibia. Previously, she was a senior vice president and head of the Youth Employment, Education, and Community Affairs programs at the Partnership for New York (another organization also founded by her father), as well as board of member of organizations including the Stone Barns Center for Food and Agriculture, the Rockefeller Brothers Fund, and the Africa-America Institute. Additionally, Dulany is a donor to Democratic Party candidates and aligned left-of-center causes, particularly in the state of Montana. ^{39 40 41}

Elliott Donnelley II is the vice chair of Synergos’s board of directors as well as a founding general partner of the White Sand Investor Group LP (an investment partnership of the Chicago-based Donnelley family), founder of KD Venture Partners, advisory board member of Stanford University’s Long-Term Investment Initiative, member of the board of trustees of the Liechtenstein Global Trust’s (LGT) Venture Philanthropy Foundation (a foundation of the Royal Family of Lichtenstein and LGT Bank), chairman of the board of the Philanthropy Workshop, trustee of the Global Sustainability Network, and trustee of the Long-Term Investment Organization (an affiliate of the Institutional Investor Round Table). Previously, he was an advisor to the China Global Philanthropy Institute and a teacher at the University of Aeronautics and Astronautics in Beijing, China. ⁴²

Camille Massey is the president and CEO of Synergos. Previously, she was the founding executive director of the Sorensen Center for International Peace and Justice at City University of New York Hunter College, the vice president for global strategy and programs at the Council on Foreign Relations, a senior staffer at Human Rights First, founder of Cue Global (a consulting firm, which offered strategic, policy, legal, and advocacy services to international organizations), senior staffer at the International AIDS Vaccine Initiative, human rights fellow at the Carter Center, and board member of Let’s Breakthrough. Additionally, Massey is a board member of Outright International, advisory board member of Global Witness, member of the American Bar Association, advisory board member of the Center for Business and Human Rights at New York University, advisory board member at House of SpeakEasy, and advisory board member of Syracuse University’s S.I. Newhouse School of Public Communications. ⁴³

Marc J. Sokol is the chief operating officer of Synergos as well as board member of the Uhai East African Sexual Health and Rights Initiative USA (Uhai EASHRI). Previously, he was the interim executive director of Let’s Breakthrough. ⁴⁴

Jamie Webb is the managing director of Synergos’s Global Philanthropists Circle. Previously, he held senior roles with organizations including the Prince’s Trust, the Elton John AIDS Foundation, and Help for Heroes. ⁴⁵

Ferne Mele is the director of program planning and monitoring at Synergos as well as a board member of Compagnia de’ Colombari, a theater group based in Orvieto, Italy. Previously, she was the development manager at Women’s World Banking, manager in the equity research department at Euromobiliare, and consultant to IFAP, a training institute of the Istituto per la Ricostruzione Industriale in Rome. ⁴⁶

Melissa Durda is the senior director of the Bridging Leadership program at Synergos. Previously, she created and managed a philanthropy program at the Forum 2000 Foundation. ⁴⁷

Perry Landman is the managing director of development at Synergos. Previously, he was the director of institutional partnerships at City Harvest in New York, deputy director of the United Nations Children’s Fund USA, citizen philanthropist associate at Citizen Effect, and a foundations and corporate relations staffer at the Rainforest Alliance. ^{48 49}