Family Office Philanthropy: The Questions That Lead to Lasting Impact
- Jul 21
- 6 min read
Most philanthropic conversations start with the same question: How do I give more? The Artemis Agency co-founders Catherine Kimmel and Sarah Adolphson have helped some of the most resourced people on the planet answer a harder one: How do I give better?
In a recent Family Office Association podcast, Catherine and Sarah unpacked the forces reshaping charitable giving, from $6 trillion sitting idle in donor-advised funds to a media landscape where earned attention no longer comes free. For family offices, UHNW principals, and NextGen heirs entering the philanthropic space, their perspective reframes what strategic giving actually looks like.
The $6 Trillion Problem: When Capital Sits Still
Donor-advised funds or DAFs were designed to be a bridge, not a destination. Yet somewhere along the way, an estimated $6 trillion in philanthropic capital has accumulated inside DAFs without moving toward the causes it was meant to fund. This is the central tension Catherine and Sarah see in the UHNW philanthropic landscape today: good intentions, paired with unclear strategy, produce inaction.
"People think of charitable giving as this sort of weight, like an albatross. It's not. It's actually really fun," Sarah noted during the conversation. "And if you do it correctly, then you get to go see the work."
The unlock, as they describe it, starts with a different question. Not 'What should I give to?' but 'What makes me angry enough to want to fix it?' That emotional clarity is the foundation that turns passive capital into catalytic giving.
The Shift From Celebrity Endorsement to Genuine Partnership
The landscape of celebrity philanthropy has shifted considerably since Catherine and Sarah launched the Artemis Agency a decade ago. The direction of that shift, as they describe it, is toward transaction and away from organic partnership. More celebrities are finding their own philanthropic voice rather than lending their name to an existing cause. And a new category of voice has entered the equation entirely.
As Catherine noted in the podcast, the term celebrity is different now. Influencers with follower counts that rival or exceed traditional artists have become major players in the philanthropic landscape, but their business model runs on posting. When an organization asks them to contribute their platform, it carries a real economic cost that did not exist a decade ago.
Catherine and Sarah's approach is instructive: find someone who is already mission-aligned, consider contributing to their cause alongside yours, and build a relationship designed to last beyond a single campaign. The goal is to move from transactional to authentic partnership, so that the collaboration feels organic to the audience and opens the door to working together again in the future. That kind of sustained alignment, they argue, is what produces real impact.
The NextGen Opportunity: Philanthropy at an Inflection Point
We are in the middle of the largest intergenerational wealth transfer in recorded history. For family offices navigating this transition, the philanthropic dimension is as important as the financial one. NextGen family members, many of them 50 and under, approach giving with fundamentally different instincts than their predecessors.
They have watched systems break. Climate, healthcare, housing, education. They are less interested in legacy buildings and institutional plaques. They are more interested in systemic change. As Catherine described it, there is a shift from 'What can I do right now, while I'm alive?' toward 'What systemic change can I make that will live long beyond me?'
Collaborative philanthropy is one of the clearest expressions of this shift. Rather than each family office creating its own program or foundation, families are beginning to pool capital around shared systemic problems, from rural healthcare access to mental health infrastructure to education reform. The impact multiplies when egos step aside and mission leads.
Foundation vs. Funding Others: A Framework for Family Offices
One of the most consequential decisions a UHNW individual or family office will make is whether to launch a private foundation or deploy capital into existing, mission-aligned organizations. It is a question Catherine and Sarah get often, and their answer is more nuanced than most expect.
When Your Own Foundation Makes Sense
A foundation is a vehicle for giving. It provides structure, governance, and longevity. It makes sense when the family has a clearly defined mission area, a willingness to invest in operations and board development, and the patience to build something over time. Pharrell Williams' YELLOW, built around education access in Virginia Beach and Norfolk, is a real example of what authentic, founder-driven philanthropy can produce. The organization grew from a personal conviction and has created wrap-around services modeled on proven frameworks like the Harlem Children's Zone.
When Supporting Others Is the Better Path
Starting a new program or initiative when one already exists is one of the most common and costly mistakes Catherine and Sarah see. The wheel does not always need reinventing. Before launching a foundation or creating a program from scratch, they recommend doing the homework: map the landscape, identify who is already doing the work, and determine where capital can accelerate rather than duplicate effort.
A donor-advised fund remains a useful transition vehicle while that analysis happens. The key, as they put it, is to move the capital a little faster. There is too much need for it to sit.
Innovations Worth Funding
The Artemis Agency attends global forums like the Skoll World Forum to stay at the front edge of what is working. A few examples from recent years illustrate the kind of high-leverage opportunities that often fly below the radar of major philanthropic institutions:
A physician in Pakistan built a telehealth network connecting rural families to pediatric hospitals before crises escalated. The system has saved more than two million lives in a short period of time. Food for Education operates in Kenya, feeding roughly 500,000 children weekly at approximately one dollar per child per day, staffed by mothers from the communities it serves. A youth-led refrigeration innovation in Kenya extended food and medication shelf life by six months, addressing food insecurity and medication access in a single invention.
Each of these was created by someone already inside the problem. They are not theoretical solutions. They are working systems looking for scale. This is where UHNW capital, deployed strategically and in partnership with those closest to the work, can produce outsized impact.
How to Get Started
For families on the fence, Catherine and Sarah offer a clear on-ramp. Start by asking where you feel pulled to create change. That mission clarity will tell you whether you need your own foundation, a major gift to an existing organization, a collaborative fund with other family offices, or something else entirely. A conversation with experienced peers and advisors can often provide valuable perspective. The Artemis Agency welcomes those discussions.
Beyond the check, the ways family offices can engage are often underestimated. Their networks can introduce funding to organizations that need it. Their operational expertise can help nonprofits build systems that actually function. Their personal presence at the organizations they support, volunteering, sitting on advisory boards, and attending site visits creates connections that sustain long-term commitment.
The families that make the most lasting philanthropic impact share one trait: they stay connected to the work. They visit the organizations they fund. They bring their networks to the table. They celebrate incremental progress rather than waiting for a headline moment. As Catherine put it, a tiny tree planted today will one day provide shade and oxygen for the world. Strategic philanthropy is not about the size of the gift. It is about the depth of the commitment behind it.
Watch the full conversation with Catherine Kimmel and Sarah Adolphson.
About the Speakers
Catherine Kimmel is a skilled connector who leverages a powerful global network to transform the philanthropic landscape. Drawing on extensive experience in production, theater, fundraising, and campaign management, she co-founded The Artemis Agency, helping clients amplify critical social messages through cultural influencers and the private sector. She serves as lead philanthropic advisor for Lady Gaga's Born This Way Foundation, Pharrell Williams' YELLOW, the Walton Family Foundation, the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, and Beyoncé's BeyGOOD. Previously, she developed strategies for Bono's ONE and RED campaigns and Al Gore's Climate Reality Project. Catherine is passionate about theatre, travel, and her two sons.
Sarah Adolphson is an expert in entertainment strategy and engagement with extensive philanthropic experience working alongside the world's leading celebrities. Her work spans public/private partnerships, organizational strategy, brand building, and corporate social responsibility. Before joining The Artemis Agency, Sarah led all philanthropic efforts for WME|IMG, creating charitable initiatives for high-profile clients and establishing a global day of service engaging nearly 5,000 employees across 130 communities. She began her career as a Peace Corps volunteer in the Republic of Georgia. Sarah holds a Master's in Public Administration from USC's Sol Price School of Public Policy and is a member of two honor societies.