What’s the best way to spend $100 million to fix one huge problem in the world today? That’s the challenge laid down by the MacArthur Foundation in Chicago, distributors of the “genius grant”.

They created the 100&Change competition to inspire solutions for some of the looming disasters facing people, places or the planet. The prize is a colossal grant, one hundred million dollars over three years, for the project which can make the most lasting difference to people’s lives.

The foundation received nearly two thousand submissions. They have narrowed down the list to eight ideas. In this second programme, Ed Butler and a panel of expert guests hear the details of four of the final eight challengers, with ideas to transform the quality of the food we eat and to train eye surgeons to restore sight to vast numbers in Nepal, Ethiopia and Ghana. Is $100 million enough to tackle these challenges and what are the consequences, intended or not, of philanthropy on such a big scale?

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