The A Glimmer of Hope Foundation was founded by Texas-based philanthropists Philip Berber

Philip Berber

Philip Berber is an Irish millionaire and philanthropist. He is well known for his former company, CyBerCorp, which he sold for $488 million dollars in 2000 and his subsequent philanthropy through his and his wife's charity, A Glimmer of Hope Foundation.-Early life:Berber was born in Dublin in...

 and Donna Berber to reduce extreme poverty in rural Ethiopia

Ethiopia

Ethiopia , officially known as the Federal Democratic Republic of Ethiopia, is a country located in the Horn of Africa. It is the second-most populous nation in Africa, with over 82 million inhabitants, and the tenth-largest by area, occupying 1,100,000 km2...

. In 2010, Philip and Donna were ranked #7 by Barron's in its list of '25 Best Givers' in the world,
and dubbed as "capitalist crusaders," by the New York Times Magazine. From 2001 to 2010, the foundation had funded more than 4,000 projects throughout the country. A Glimmer of Hope also runs a local program within Austin for at-risk youth and senior citizens.

Founding

A Glimmer of Hope was founded by the Berbers in the year 2000 using $100 million in proceeds from the sale of online trading company CyBerCorp to Charles Schwab

Charles Schwab

Charles Schwab may refer to:*Charles M. Schwab , American steel magnate*Charles R. Schwab , founder of the eponymous brokerage*Charles Schwab Corp., an American based brokerage firm...

. The foundation uses a business-based model, with the goal of being a self-sustaining charity. The foundation is headquartered in Austin, Texas, and runs a national office in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia.

Programs

By 2007, A Glimmer of Hope had distributed just over $24 million for the construction of water wells, veterinary clinics, and schools in Ethiopia.
Additionally, A Glimmer of Hope allocated $5 million in 2003 for programs in Austin, Texas.
One of the foundation's most notable Austin programs is the annual "Camp Glimmer," a seven-week summer program for under-privileged youth.

Partners

A Glimmer of Hope works with a number of partners in providing relief internationally. Among the foundation's supporters are:

• The Clinton Global Initiative
• Irish rocker Bono's
  Bono
  Paul David Hewson , most commonly known by his stage name Bono , is an Irish singer, musician, and humanitarian best known for being the main vocalist of the Dublin-based rock band U2. Bono was born and raised in Dublin, Ireland, and attended Mount Temple Comprehensive School where he met his...
  
   The One Campaign
• The Michael and Susan Dell Foundation
  Michael Dell
  Michael Saul Dell is an American business magnate and the founder, chairman and chief executive officer of Dell Inc. He is the 44th richest person in the world, with a net worth of US$14.6 billion in 2011, based primarily on the 243.35 million shares of Dell stock worth $3.5 billion that he owns,...
  
  
• Charity: Water
  Charity: water
  charity: water is a non-profit organization bringing clean and safe drinking water to people in developing nations. Founded in 2006, it has helped fund 3,962 projects in 19 countries, benefiting over 1,794,983 people...
  
  , with whom A Glimmer of Hope has collaborated on 123 projects in Ethiopia
• Matt Damon's H2O Africa Foundation
  H2O Africa Foundation
  The H2O Africa Foundation has merged with WaterPartners to form Water.org. Water.org was co-founded by Matt Damon and Gary White of WaterPartners in July 2009....
  
  
• Whole Planet Foundation, a division of Whole Foods Market
  Whole Foods Market
  Whole Foods Market is a foods supermarket chain based in Austin, Texas which emphasizes "natural and organic products." The company has been ranked among the most socially responsible businesses and placed third on the U.S...
  
  
• The Austin Tennis Academy
• Water 2 Thrive
• Netri Foundation
• Dave and Isabel Welland, two of the foundation's most generous supporters
• Tibor P. Nagy, Jr., former US ambassador to Ethiopia

External links

• Company home page