pLaywrights, poets and athletes gathered at a World Trade Center (a website that commemorates the power of hope, recovery and integration) as they shared information on the importance of investing in a better future during the Time100 charity impacts dinner on Thursday.

The Time100 Charity List highlights 100 leaders dedicated to donation. The first event took place in what some call a “generous crisis” as Americans donate to charities is declining — from two-thirds of the early 2000s to half of 2020.

The decline in dedication is accompanied by an increase in the rate of global inequality. According to the Pew Research Center, nearly three-quarters of Americans say they think their children will have worse financial situations than their parents, a view shared by people in Canada, Spain, Italy, France and the UK.

The first incident led Honores to acknowledge these tensions while highlighting reasons that are crucial to them and trying to motivate others to take action. Here are the eight winners who toasted during dinner said:

Ken Griffin

When the anniversary talked about the way the pandemic prompted them to take charitable action, Covid-19 was a big topic of the night as existing inequality became more apparent and the way existing pandemics stimulated them to take charitable action. For Castle CEO Ken Griffin, his deepest work involves closing the digital divide, namely technology and the internet. People of color are particularly affected by the problem, as one in four black teenagers have difficulty completing school tasks, according to a study published by the National Library of Medicine.

"Education is a live dance of the American Dream, but without access to home internet, millions of students were suddenly cut off," Griffin said. Griffin said his $7.5 million donation helped the city of Chicago provide students with the internet access they need for virtual learning. "Philanthropists are venture capitalists for humanity - funding bold ideas to solve our biggest challenges. So tonight, I want to offer a toast - providing a lot to everyone here to create a better world and inspiring future generations to do the same."

Ayesha Curry

Food and lifestyle entrepreneur Ayesha Curry felt a similar urgency a year after she and her husband four-time NBA champion Stephen Curry launched the EAT. study. Play.

“I remember looking around and realizing that the kids are not only losing the opportunity to go to school, they are losing food, books, safe play and learning space. Honestly, they are losing the opportunity to thrive,” Ayesha Curry said. "That moment fundamentally changed our approach. It's not just about responding to the crisis, but about reimagining what continuous, community-driven support looks like."

Her direct focus is on providing families with meals and groceries, although the organization has grown to include literacy programs, mentoring and more.

“Continuing to guide our entrepreneurial spirit is simple and powerful,” she said. “Listen affectionately and act boldly.”

Elizabeth Alexander

The night continued to call on numerous award winners, including Elizabeth Alexander, president of the Andrew W. Mellon Foundation, to call for unity and heroism. Under her leadership, the organization is committed to funding the arts and the humanities, although she is also a powerful butler of diversity, both of which are under attack by the Trump administration.

The president proposed to close the largest art funder’s National Art Endowment Fund in a budget proposal in May, although the agency is only one of several cultural institutions facing attacks.

"I believe in the collective power of our voice," Alexander said. "It is impossible now more important: our courage has been tested, and the feelings we do for others and the feelings that belong to others have been tested."

Alexander encourages people to take care of each other for greater collective benefit. She added: "We are each other's gains. We are each other's businesses."

Pulitzer Prize-winning playwright and artist Lin-Manuel Miranda said his advocacy stems from a part of his family spirit and he began speaking, calling diversity “the greatest thing we have and the greatest thing we export as a country.”

Miranda and his family are the founders of the Miranda Family Fund, an organization that helps support color artists in the entertainment industry. This work is particularly important with Latinos, who make up one-fifth of the U.S. population and are the largest racial or minority population in the country, less than 5% of the film industry roles. "More stories mean better stories mean better representation," Miranda said.

He also used this moment to fight anti-immigrant rhetoric by federal officials and politicians. According to the Pew Research Center, nearly half of U.S. immigrants will come from Latin America, although the government is reshaping the country through efforts to end reproductive citizenship and end legal protections for Venezuelan immigrants.

“When immigration is more insulting than ever and scapegoating all the bad things in the world – I’m not saying it’s applause, but it’s getting the most applause in our show Hamiltoncelebrating its 10th year: "Immigration, we get the job done."

Badr Jafar

Badr Jafar, CEO of Crescent Enterprises and UAE’s special envoy for business and philanthropy, talks about reimagining philanthropy from the act of “dealing” to something “transformative”.

“Real philanthropy is not charity. It’s about making the change we see and allowing that change to affect our lives with a life of compassion and courage,” he said. “Reflection is important because it’s about not only generosity, but also accountability.”

Scott Miller

Scott Miller, former U.S. ambassador to Switzerland and co-chair of the Gill Foundation, toasted the activists before him. Miller talks about the power of Frank Kameny, a soldier who was fired for sexual acts.

"Most people were forced to retreat - in the closet, silence, and even into the grave - Frank fought. He brought the case all the way to the Supreme Court, and despite losing the battle, he laid the foundation for a movement that would never be silent," Miller said. "Frank didn't wait for permission for those who tried to make him invisible. He marched, organized, and he created a simple but shocking phrase: homosexuality is good."

For LGBTQ+ Americans, Miller's words are at a time of passion, as the Supreme Court will hear cases on the legality of conversion therapy, and even the future of same-sex marriage seems to be shocked. Trans and non-binary figures were particularly affected by attempts to roll on federal documents, and the order attempted to roll back sports, for gender-raising and accurate gender markers.

"Tonight, I raise my cups to all who showed us the meaning of moving forward purposefully," he added. "Progress belongs to those who dare."

Investor K. Lisa Yang highlighted the global change caused by her charitable donation that reached $74.5 million in 2024, including helping to pre-research on autism gene therapy and designing first-child legs. Yang gave a speech to her children, Inspired her to work hard to create a world of neurodiversity.

"The highest stage of charity is helping someone help themselves," Young quotes philosopher Maimonides as saying.

David Beckham