Describing the past 18 months as “intense” and “challenging,” Clinton Foundation President Donna Shalala was eager to reassure that the foundation is “alive and well and thriving” in a call with a small group of reporters on Friday. “Rumors of our demise are greatly exaggerated,” she said.
Changes outlined by former President Bill Clinton last week in his annual letter will allow the foundation to refocus certain programs and make new investments, including giving it the ability to add new initiatives, Shalala said. Several programs will spin off and become independent, and the foundation will focus on some new issues within the United States.
Fundraising will also be a key priority in 2017, after two years of reduced activities during the U.S. presidential campaign, according to Shalala. This may include selected donations from foreign governments on a case-by-case basis.
About the author
Adva Saldinger@AdvaSal
Adva Saldinger is a Senior Reporter at Devex where she covers development finance, as well as U.S. foreign aid policy. Adva explores the role the private sector and private capital play in development and authors the weekly Devex Invested newsletter bringing the latest news on the role of business and finance in addressing global challenges. A journalist with more than 10 years of experience, she has worked at several newspapers in the U.S. and lived in both Ghana and South Africa.
