Supporter Perspective: Tom Barry
"It is the bottom-up approach that works, and that led us to Egmont."
Tom Barry is the Chairman of Zephyr Management in the US, which he founded in 1994 to support businesses in emerging markets. He and his wife Pat are long-time supporters of Egmont, both in the UK and through The Egmont US Foundation in the States. In 2024, Tom joined the board of The Egmont US Foundation.
Why did you start supporting Egmont?
We have been interested in economic and social investing in Africa for a long time, firstly through my work at Zephyr, investing in Africa and later through our son who set up an organisation in Zambia, providing secondary school scholarships for gifted, underprivileged children. Through his work, we learnt about the barriers that disadvantaged children face and how ineffective the larger organisations are at tackling them. The top-down, “we know what’s best” approach is not the best. It is the bottom-up approach that works, and that led us to Egmont. Egmont’s work and its non-prescriptive support of local, grassroots organisations are consistent with our view of how sustained social change will happen.
What makes Egmont different to other charities?
There are two key things that make Egmont stand out to us: The first is Egmont’s philosophy. Egmont is not prescriptive; it finds what works, the organisations on the ground, and helps them to grow. The second is that 100% of all donations to Egmont go to the work, as the Trustees and Patrons cover all operating costs. That level of commitment to the donor is unusual and makes it an even greater model to support from the donor’s point of view.
What motivates you to continue your support?
The magnitude of the social issues that still affect communities in sub-Saharan Africa, and the lack of basic healthcare and education motivate us to keep going. We need to support effective organisations that get stuff done. And that is Egmont. Egmont finds those organisations and gives them the funding and tools to have a real impact.
What lies ahead for the Egmont US Foundation?
Egmont’s story is a great one and we need to get it out there. The model of finding and supporting local, grassroots organisations is not always glamorous, but it’s the best. Egmont has some great support already in the US and this should only grow.