We are in the planning phase for the development of a Sky(lark) Center for Democracy, Social Enterprise, and AI in Tuscany, Italy. The idea behind the center is rooted in the concept of Philanthropy of Places – the belief that when you bring a small group of special people to a special place with the double intent to help them arrive at solutions to difficult problems AND to deepen their collaboration and the relationships to one another, the Place becomes a player at the table, a loud but quiet voice with magical powers.

We focus on Democracy, Social Enterprise, and AI because those three elements are connected weaving a future tapestry of prosperity and security.

NGOs in EU and the rest of the world will continue to be confronted with the need to move from the nonprofit model of funding to the social enterprise model of income generation, and the Center is designed to provide education for the entities that are ready to embark on a path towards economic prowess.

In our modern context, democracy becomes an increasingly basic need, as societies shift towards authoritarianism and intolerance while nations experience large political and policy shifts due to inequality, conflict, and population movement.

AI is a central part of our agenda because we believe the advent of Artificial Intelligence is the single most disruptive wave of transformation that is currently impacting our civilization. Earth has been shaped by one sentient entity: Homo Sapiens. AI represents the second planetary-shaping event and we believe in the next three decades it will fundamentally impact every aspect of our existence and our ecosystem.

Why Tuscany? Because there is no reason to work on answering the world’s biggest questions in a cubicle. The place makes a difference. World changing work is spiritual work and it needs a powerful workplace.

A €4,000,000 project of Sky(lark) Europe, the Center will provide education for entrepreneurs, activist,  NGOs and Foundations, and a philanthropy retreat oasis for small groups, creating a generative space for unique and powerful dialogues in one of the most beautiful places in the world.

We envision opening the Center in 2020, and are currently looking for funding partners for this project.