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From an early age
By Susan Mackenzie
Born in South Africa to a wealthy businessman and an activist working for nuclear disarmament, Polly spent her formative years alternating between two very different lifestyles. While she enjoyed exotic holidays with her father, her mother ensured that she learned the value and power of money. Polly explained: "At the age of 10 I had to create a wall chart for pocket money spending, including a 'give to charity'/tithing section.”
After university, Polly moved back to South Africa, where she worked as a crèche assistant in a township project for women with malnourished children. "This opened my eyes to some of the issues around social change work in developing countries", said Polly, and she returned to the UK to complete an MA in Effective Learning, writing her dissertation on meditation in English primary schools.
Soon afterwards, she began to co-fund projects with other philanthropists, which eventually led to the formation of The Funding Network (TFN). Polly now co-chairs the selection committee, and the TFN projects she has sponsored have raised an approximate total of £100,000; she has also given around £300,000 of her own money to charitable causes. Polly also works as a French-to-English translator and is currently translating two novels for publication in 2005.
(from Philanthropy UK Newsletter, December 2004)
