Do One Better with Alberto Lidji in Philanthropy, Sustainability and Social Entrepreneurship

In this episode, Nathan Atkinson, Co-Founder of Rethink Food in the UK, shares a deeply grounded perspective on hunger, education and systemic change, shaped by a decade spent leading schools in some of England’s most disadvantaged communities.

Nathan traces the origins of Rethink Food back to a defining moment as a headteacher, when a school kitchen breakdown revealed the hidden scale of child hunger and its direct impact on behaviour, wellbeing and learning. That experience led him to a simple but powerful commitment: to remove hunger as a barrier to education.

The conversation explores how Rethink Food has evolved from grassroots action into a nationally recognised organisation working across three pillars of impact: access to healthy food, skills and stewardship, and systems change. At the centre of this work is the National School Pantry Network, a flagship programme supporting schools to become trusted, community anchored hubs where families can access healthy food without stigma, alongside wider support services.

Nathan explains why food is both the entry point and the connector. Sharing food builds trust, which then enables schools to link families to help with debt, housing, digital access, employment and education. The aim is not only to respond to crisis, but to break the cycle of food insecurity altogether.

A significant part of the discussion focuses on nutrition, dignity and choice. Nathan challenges simplistic narratives about poverty and food, highlighting structural barriers such as transport, infrastructure and access to healthy options. 

Listeners will gain insight into how the organisation operates day to day, from surplus food logistics and volunteer mobilisation to digital education programmes and cross sector partnerships with corporates, planners and policymakers. Nathan reflects on the importance of collaboration over confrontation, and why working with unlikely allies can unlock long term change.

Visit our Knowledge Hub at Lidji.org for information on 350+ case studies and interviews with remarkable leaders in philanthropy, sustainability and social entrepreneurship.

Larry Cooley joins us to explore how to achieve sustainable impact at meaningful scale.

As co-founder of the Scaling Community of Practice, Larry has spent more than two decades examining why promising innovations so often fail to reach the scale required to address global problems. Drawing on 50 years of experience, from his early work as a Peace Corps volunteer to senior roles advising governments, foundations and multilateral institutions, he offers a candid assessment of what is and is not working.

At the centre of the conversation is a shift in thinking. Larry distinguishes between transactional scaling, which focuses on expanding projects, and transformational scaling, which seeks to embed change within the systems that deliver services at scale. Projects matter, he argues, but only insofar as they serve as vehicles for systemic change. Without attention to the institutions, incentives and delivery mechanisms that sustain impact over time, even the most effective pilot will struggle to move beyond proof of concept.

A key theme is the sobering reality that most successful pilots do not scale. Estimates suggest that between 70 and 95 per cent fail to achieve broad, sustained uptake. This is rarely due to weak ideas. Rather, the barriers lie in the pathway from innovation to institutionalisation. The assumption that another actor will step in to take a proven model to scale has often proved misplaced.

Larry describes the work of the Scaling Community of Practice, now a global network of 5,000 members across more than 120 countries, convening practitioners, funders and policymakers to share lessons and develop practical guidance. The community has recently completed 28 case studies examining how different types of funders approach the question of scale.

These studies highlight eight core elements required for transformational scale and examine how internal policies, incentives and funding models either enable or hinder progress. 

Visit our Knowledge Hub at Lidji.org for information on 350+ case studies and interviews with remarkable leaders in philanthropy, sustainability and social entrepreneurship.

A deep dive into how philanthropy in Asia is evolving, and how the next generation of leaders is being prepared to make it more effective, collaborative and impactful.

In this conversation with Brian Sen, Secretary General of the Institute of Philanthropy in Hong Kong, the discussion explores why the Institute was created, what it means to be a “thinking, funding and doing” tank, and how it is working to strengthen the wider philanthropic ecosystem across Asia.

A central focus of the conversation is the LEAP Fellowship, Leadership Excellence in Asian Philanthropy, a new programme designed to equip emerging senior leaders with the skills, networks and mindset needed to tackle complex social and environmental challenges. Brian explains how the fellowship blends world class academic input from partners such as J-PAL at MIT, the London School of Economics and the University of Hong Kong, with practical, challenge based learning and mentorship from senior philanthropic leaders.

Listeners gain insight into who the fellowship is aimed at, how it is structured, and why investing in talent development is critical for the future of philanthropy. The discussion also touches on the Hong Kong Jockey Club and its Charities Trust, its rigorous approach to impact measurement, and the collaborative ethos that underpins the Institute’s work.

The episode closes with a personal reflection from Brian on his own journey into the sector, and a clear call to action for funders and organisations to prioritise building stronger talent pipelines for the field.

Visit our Knowledge Hub at Lidji.org for information on 350+ case studies and interviews with remarkable leaders in philanthropy, sustainability and social entrepreneurship.

What if the biggest barrier to education is not poverty, infrastructure, or even access but low expectations of what children can achieve?

In this conversation, Caitlin Baron shares how the Luminos Fund is proving that children who have never been to school can master foundational literacy and numeracy at extraordinary speed when the right conditions are in place.

We hear how Luminos works with 10 and 11 year olds across Africa who are often first generation readers and who frequently enter classrooms without ever having encountered the printed word. Many are taught in languages they do not speak at home. Despite these challenges, Luminos students complete three years of learning in just ten months and go on to remain in school at twice the national average.

Caitlin explains the science behind accelerated learning and why rigorous sequencing, phonics based instruction, and mastery driven progression are essential for children starting from the very beginning. She also describes how global research must be paired with deep linguistic and cultural expertise at the local level to avoid the pitfalls that have limited education reform in the past.

Listeners are taken inside a Luminos classroom where joyful learning is the guiding principle. With no electricity, no internet, and minimal infrastructure, teachers use handmade materials, role play, song, movement, and tactile learning to engage the head, the hand, and the heart. From forming letters in clay to running classroom marketplaces for mental math, learning is active, practical, and deeply rooted in children’s lived experience.

The discussion also explores how Luminos equips teachers, many without formal training, with highly detailed instructional guides developed through classroom observation and continuous evaluation. These materials are co-created with African led organizations and ministries of education, rigorously tested in local languages, and released as open source public goods so they can strengthen entire education systems.

Caitlin reflects on the role of collaborative philanthropy, the importance of long term partnerships with governments, and why evidence alone is not enough without trust, patience, and local leadership. She also shares her own journey from growing up in Brooklyn to working across Africa, driven by a lifelong commitment to expanding access to opportunity through education.

A compelling exploration of literacy, learning science, and the belief that joyful classrooms can transform lives.

Visit our Knowledge Hub at Lidji.org for information on 350+ case studies and interviews with remarkable leaders in philanthropy, sustainability and social entrepreneurship.

Nick Temple returns to discuss how Social Investment Business has evolved from a specialist social lender into a major player in grant delivery, programme management, and impact-driven finance across the UK.

At the heart of the conversation is what it takes to turn strategy into action. Nick reflects on the realities of running large-scale, complex programmes, the importance of pace in a turbulent landscape, and how data can be used not just to improve delivery but to shape wider sector thinking.

What you’ll hear in this episode

A refresher on Social Investment Business today: a charity and social investor providing loans to charities and social enterprises, alongside managing large grants and business support programmes.

The Youth Investment Fund at scale: delivery of a £300m capital grants programme to build and renovate more than 270 youth centres in some of the UK’s most deprived communities, supporting tens of thousands of young people.

Why community buildings are a hidden energy challenge: how poor energy efficiency in community assets drives up costs and squeezes frontline budgets, especially in disadvantaged areas.

Energy resilience in practice: support for measures such as solar, insulation, lighting upgrades and other practical interventions that reduce bills while delivering carbon benefits.

How AI is already changing delivery: early use cases such as processing grant monitoring receipts, strengthening risk assessments and due diligence, and exploring what “relationship management” could look like in an AI-enabled future.

What “strategic opportunism” really means: balancing clear strategic priorities with the ability to respond quickly to tenders, partnerships and emerging needs in a fast-changing environment.

What the organisation wants next: a forward-looking focus on the green transition, community assets, and public service transformation, alongside an ambition to reach £1bn in grants and loans deployed by 2030.

Who they want to hear from: ambitious, capable charities and social enterprises with a track record and appetite to deliver, plus more action-oriented impact investors, including endowments and family offices.

Nick’s career path: from an English degree and early charity work to social enterprise leadership, and why diligence, kindness, and delivering quality work matter more than a perfect plan.

Key themes
Community assets as a lever for impact
Buildings are not just infrastructure, they are platforms for services, connection and opportunity. Improving the resilience and running costs of those assets can unlock more mission delivery.

Efficiency and scale
From AI-enabled back-office processes to large capital programmes, Nick argues that execution quality and speed are becoming non-negotiable for organisations trying to meet urgent social and environmental needs.

Action over noise
A recurring message is to focus on what can be changed through practical delivery, strong teams, and clear decision-making, even when the wider landscape feels uncertain.

Visit our Knowledge Hub at Lidji.org for information on 350+ case studies and interviews with remarkable leaders in philanthropy, sustainability and social entrepreneurship.