our mission
Equality at Large
Equality is one of society's most fundamental promises - and one of its most persistent challenges. Where we are born, the families we grow up in, our gender, race, economic circumstances and the opportunities available to us continue to shape our lives in profound ways.
activism group exists to understand these inequalities and to help change them. We bring together research, activism, entrepreneurship and investment to advance equality of opportunity in all its dimensions. Our ambition is deliberately broad.
What Drives Us
Equality is multidimensional. We believe that where you come from should not determine where you can go. Our work considers equality across interconnected dimensions.
Social Equality
The circumstances into which we are born continue to influence education, health, income, security and social mobility. Social equality asks how institutions and societies can ensure that social origin does not become social destiny.
Gender Equality
Formal equality has advanced dramatically, yet differences in care, economic opportunity, safety, representation and power remain. Gender equality requires looking beyond individual outcomes to the institutions and structures that shape them.
Racial Equality
Race and ethnicity continue to influence people's experiences of education, employment, housing, health, institutions and participation. Racial equality requires understanding both contemporary discrimination and the accumulated effects of historical inequality.
Intersectional Equality
People do not experience inequality one dimension at a time. Gender, race, social background, disability, migration status, age and geography can interact, creating forms of disadvantage that cannot be understood by examining each characteristic separately.
The Way We Work
From understanding inequality to changing it.
Research
We investigate the structures and mechanisms that create, reproduce or reduce inequality.
Activism
We help ideas travel beyond research - into public debate, institutions and society.
Advisory
We work with organisations, companies and institutions seeking to create meaningful social impact.
Investment
We support ideas, ventures and projects capable of expanding opportunity and participation.
Collaboration
We bring together researchers, activists, entrepreneurs, institutions and organisations that would not necessarily meet otherwise.
Turning ideas into action
Research matters when it changes what happens beyond research. activism group develops and supports initiatives that translate ideas about equality into practical action. Our work can include collaborations with researchers and activists, advisory projects with organisations and institutions, support for emerging initiatives, research fellowships and investment in ventures capable of expanding opportunity.
A place for ideas
Set in Zell am See in the Austrian Alps, the Austrian House is the home of activism group. Designed by Rem Koolhaas, it was conceived as a place to think, work, meet and create - bringing together researchers, activists, entrepreneurs, organisations and institutions around questions of equality and social change.
Christopher Schlaeffer
activism group was founded by Christopher Schlaeffer, a serial entrepreneur and international business leader. He has founded and built companies, held senior executive roles and served on the boards of businesses and nonprofit organisations. For Christopher, equality is the defining issue of our time. It shapes the lives and opportunities of billions of people and has been a central concern throughout his life. activism group reflects that conviction - an effort to understand inequality more deeply and contribute, in practical ways, to greater equality of opportunity.
Collective Change
Research & Activism
We connect researchers and activists to ensure evidence-based action reaches the institutions that shape our future.
Entrepreneurial Impact
We support ventures capable of expanding opportunity and participation, bridging the gap between theory and practice.
Structural Innovation
We collaborate with institutions to build better ones, questioning existing structures and creating new ones.