Jennifer Buffett

Jennifer Buffett is President and Co-Chair of the New York based NoVo Foundation, a philanthropic organization focused primarily on the empowerment of women and girls. She is responsible for the strategic direction of NoVo and chairs its Grants Committee. She shares leadership of the foundation with her husband, composer and producer Peter Buffett.

In September 2008, Jennifer and Peter Buffett received the Clinton Global Citizen Award for their "visionary leadership and sustainable, scalable work in solving pressing global challenges." Presenting the award to the Buffetts, Former President Bill Clinton said, "The Buffetts are leading an inspirational campaign to improve the status of women and girls across the globe. Their innovative approach to philanthropy has leveraged the capacity of existing organizations to affect real, positive change."

Among various investments Ms. Buffett has guided at NoVo are a $30 million, five-year program with the International Rescue Committee (IRC) to help rebuild educational systems and end violence against women and girls in post-conflict West Africa. NoVo also supports Eve Ensler's VDay movement worldwide and the Nike Foundation on a $100 million granting partnership called "The Girl Effect," which is focused on economic empowerment for adolescent girls in the developing world.

Ms. Buffett's other efforts at NoVo include capacity building for the International Center for Research on Women (ICRW) and Women for Women International - a recent recipient of the Conrad Hilton Prize for Humanitarian Organizations that helps women in war-torn countries rebuild their lives and their communities. The NoVo Foundation has also developed funding initiatives in the new fields of collaborative economics and social emotional learning.

Jennifer's work in philanthropy began in 1997 when her in-laws, Susan and Warren Buffett, placed Jennifer and Peter in charge of a charitable fund. Their early work was focused primarily on the environment, arts, and social services in Wisconsin. During this time, Jennifer helped launch the Wisconsin Infant and Early Childhood Mental Health Association to advance practice and policy around healthy social emotional development for young children.