Briefing No. 46
GREENWOOD PLACE'S ANNUAL REPORT 2024/25
We are delighted to share our Annual Report, including the results of our annual survey of clients and grantees.
Key finding: 80% of our clients told us that working with Greenwood Place has significantly changed their approach to philanthropy. One client added: “[Greenwood Place's] thoughtful guidance has helped me ask better questions, explore new possibilities, and connect more deeply with the purpose of my giving.”
What we’re reading
On the Greenwood Place Bedside Table
The Extended Mind
In The Extended Mind: The Power of Thinking Outside the Brain, science writer Annie Murphy Paul offers a compelling reappraisal of how we think, learn, and solve problems. Challenging the long-standing assumption that intelligence resides solely in the brain, Paul draws on cognitive science, psychology, neuroscience, and education research to argue that much of our best thinking happens outside our heads—through our bodies, our physical environments, and our relationships with others.
The man who planted trees
Jean Giono’s 1953 short story about a shepherd who quietly reforests a barren valley was brought to life in Frédéric Back’s exquisite, Oscar-winning, 1987 animation. A timeless reminder of how patient, purposeful individual action can transform both landscapes and lives.
WHERE ARE THE MEGAFAUNA NOW?
Our ancestors lived alongside mammoths, cave lions, and giant sloths. Why has mammal size decreased over human history and what does it tell us about our impact on the world?
ATTENBOROUGH AND THE SEA DRAGON
A prehistoric sea creature buried in the cliffs of Dorset. A team of scientists. And David Attenborough, at his storytelling best.
AI ON EARTHQUAKE DETECTION
Seismologists are now using machine learning to predict aftershocks and locate early tremors faster than ever. This real-time innovation is already saving lives in vulnerable regions.
THE RACE TO REINVENT CEMENT
Without concrete, the modern world wouldn’t exist but cement, the glue that holds concrete together, produces carbon dioxide as a major byproduct. The prize lies in tweaking the recipe for cement, such that the process locks away carbon dioxide from the air.
YO-YO MA IN THE FOREST
Cellist Yo‑Yo Ma performs Bach’s Cello Suite No. 1 under the trees, by a stream in the Great Smoky Mountains. With profit from the video donated to EarthPercent, the film captures the interplay between music, nature, and stillness - and shows how artists can help us see the world differently.
FROM OUR COMMUNITY
Heal Somerset - the Greenwood Place supported public access re-wilding site - is now home to 1,000 new trees, new species sightings and its first on-site youth summer programme. We were excited to read this month that the first wild beavers have arrived on site.
OrACY IN SCHOOLS
Peter Hyman, co-founder of Voice 21, argues that cultivating communication, empathy and reasoning, and the ability to "disagree agreeably" is more important than it has ever been.
UPCOMING EVENTS
We’ll be talking about how nature and people can thrive together at our September roundtable with Planet Indonesia, Maliasili and Save the Med - as part of the launch of this year’s Green Horizon Fund.
Our Pathways to Change programme also kicks off at the end of September with a full 12 months of learning and exchange for a group of 20 philanthropists. We’re excited to get the programme underway.
AND FINALLY...
Greenwood Place closes every August for two weeks of reading, reflection and strategy development. Do look out for our collective Summer reading list arriving in your inbox. We’ll be sharing it at the end of this month and hope that it inspires your holiday packing.
HOW CAN WE HELP YOU?
Greenwood Place provides philanthropy support, advice and execution for a small group of strategic philanthropists. We take an entrepreneurial approach to tackling tough social and environmental problems. We work closely with our clients to find the places where they can make the most difference, we support their learning and we partner with them to achieve real, lasting change.
The Greenwood is the place in Shakespeare's plays where characters go to grow, change and learn.