Tom McPartland, CEO of ELMA Philanthropies on Navigating a New Era in Global Health and Development

>>> This episode airs on 1st December 2025 <<<

This conversation offers an in-depth look at the evolving landscape of philanthropy, global health, and development funding, with a particular focus on Sub-Saharan Africa. The discussion examines how current geopolitical and economic pressures are reshaping what effective partnership, sustainability, and impact look like for funders, governments, and civil society.

The episode explores a wide range of thematic priorities including maternal, newborn, and child health; pediatric and adolescent HIV; early childhood development; human resources for health; and humanitarian response. It illuminates why deeply understanding country-level contexts—systems, supply chains, human capital, financing constraints, and government priorities—is central to strategic philanthropy.

A significant portion of the conversation addresses how private philanthropy can play a constructive, catalytic role amid a period of unusually rapid change in global aid flows. Topics include the risks of backsliding on key health indicators, strategies for identifying truly local and embedded implementing partners, and the importance of moving from project-based funding toward general operating support to strengthen long-term institutional capacity.

The episode also examines the realities and complexities of co-funding with other foundations, multilaterals, and bilaterals—what genuine partnership requires, how priorities are aligned, and how fragmentation can be reduced. A major highlight is the creation of the Beginnings Fund, a large-scale collaborative effort uniting several private funders to meaningfully advance maternal and newborn health across multiple countries in Sub-Saharan Africa.

Looking ahead, the conversation outlines both the challenges and opportunities that lie between now and 2030. It reflects on where renewed discipline, focus, and collaboration are most urgently needed, and why the current moment may also be a rare chance for long-overdue recalibration in global health and development.

About Tom McPartland

Tom McPartland is the Chief Executive Officer and member of the Board of The ELMA Philanthropies Services (US), Inc. He is also a board director of The ELMA Philanthropies Services (Africa) (Pty), Ltd., The ELMA Philanthropies Services (East Africa), Ltd. and The ELMA Music Foundation (U.S.) and ELMA Investments, Ltd.

Tom brings to his responsibilities at ELMA a broad background of senior management positions in public and private companies in the areas of media, technology, investment banking, business and strategic development, and international intellectual property law.

Tom’s for-profit history includes senior leadership positions with the Redwood Capital Group, Liberty Digital (public company founder and CEO), the Zomba Group of Companies (North America) and the Bertelsmann Entertainment Group.

Tom also brings to ELMA an extensive not-for-profit commitment through prior Board positions on the New York State Association of Independent Schools, The Cloud Forest School Foundation, the Russian Gift of Life (Co-Founder), the Green Vale School, and the Russian Children’s Welfare Society.