Join us for a virtual funder-to-funder discussion hosted by Lever for Change and the LEGO Foundation. Discover the transformative efforts driving early childhood development, spotlighting inspiring projects from the Build a World of Play Challenge.
This event isn't just for those traditionally engaged in early childhood initiatives; we invite champions of related causes such as maternal health, caregiving, disability inclusion, refugees, environmental quality, rural communities, Indigenous populations, and more.
The Build a World of Play Challenge was launched on February 16, 2022, to address a global early childhood emergency that has been exacerbated by the global COVID-19 pandemic. The awards reaffirm the LEGO Foundation’s commitment to ensure children globally are given opportunities to learn through play.
This challenge has granted five awardees a total of DKK 900 million (approximately US$ 117 Million) to support groundbreaking early childhood solutions. Join us to learn more about these extraordinary awardees and get a glimpse of other high-impact projects from the challenge. Together, these organizations are shaping the future of children worldwide, promoting their well-being, and fostering sustainable approaches within their communities.
We invite you to participate and share this invitation with like-minded funders in your network. Additionally, a recording of this event will be sent to all registrants. If you have any questions about this event, please contact Lever for Change at [email protected].
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Featured Speakers:
Sidsel Marie Kristensen
CEO, LEGO Foundation
Sidsel Marie Kristensen (phonetical spelling: S EE S E LL) is the Chief Executive Officer of the LEGO Foundation, since February 2023. A Danish citizen, Sidsel was part of the LEGO Foundation Board of Directors from October 2020 until she took office as CEO in 2023.
She also is a board member of BrainPOP, a leading digital learning provider and a fully owned subsidiary of KIRKBI S/A, the investment holding company of the LEGO owner family. In addition, she is the Chair of Imagination Lab Foundation, and a board member of the Danish publisher Gyldendal. This combination with her experience at the LEGO Foundation gives a unique understanding of learning through play and the role of the LEGO Foundation in supporting children’s learning and development through play across the world. Sidsel holds a master’s degree in law from Aarhus University, in Denmark, and a master’s degree in European and International Business Law from Leuven University, in Belgium. With more than 20 years of experience as a lawyer, Sidsel joined KIRKBI A/S in 2016 and was an Executive Vice President and General Counsel until her appointment as CEO of the LEGO Foundation. Previously, she was a partner of the Danish law firm Bech-Bruun.
Michael Feigelson
CEO, Van Leer Group
Michael has worked for the Van Leer Group since 2007. Prior to his current role as CEO, he served as the Executive Director of the Bernard van Leer Foundation from 2014–2019. Before this, he held several other positions within the Foundation, including programme director, programme manager, and programme officer. Before Van Leer, Michael spent most of his career serving grassroots and non-profit organisations in Latin America, Africa, and Eastern Europe, working with homeless and displaced children and families. Early in his career, he also spent time as a business analyst at McKinsey & Company. He has degrees from Wesleyan and Princeton Universities, was honoured as a Thomas J. Watson fellow, and was a member of the World Economic Forum Global Agenda Council on Behaviour. He’s currently a trustee of Girls Not Brides, a global partnership to end child marriage. Michael loves to write, swim, bike, take photographs, and make music with his daughter.