ReThinking with Adam Grant: “Matt Damon on solving one of the planet’s biggest problems, in partnership with Gary White”

Date: February 24, 2026
Guests: Matt Damon (Actor, Activist) & Gary White (Co-Founder, water.org)
Host: Adam Grant

Episode Overview

In this insightful episode, Adam Grant sits down with Hollywood icon Matt Damon and social entrepreneur Gary White to discuss their collaborative efforts in combating the global water crisis. The conversation dives into how their partnership at water.org innovates access to clean water using microfinance, the entrepreneurial principles that drive their work, and the challenge of making water scarcity relatable to a global audience. The episode also explores resilience, scaling impact, and the power of creative partnerships for social good.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. The Power of Partnerships in Social Impact

• Partnership Selection:
  • Matt Damon credits his successes to his ability to choose exemplary partners and points to both his professional and philanthropic relationships.
    • “If I have a strength... it's partner selection. All of the things that I'm proud of… are in partnership with others.” – Matt Damon (03:19)
  • When seeking to make a philanthropic impact, Matt chose Gary White as his partner due to his expertise in the field.
• Gary on Working with Matt:
  • Gary appreciated Matt's genuine curiosity and deep questions about water.org’s approach, which established trust and alignment.
    • “We both have this curiosity, this bent towards innovation.” – Gary White (04:14)

2. Innovating Solutions: Water Credit & Microfinance

• Water Credit Model:
  • Inspired by Muhammad Yunus’ microfinance concepts, Gary and the team repurposed this model for water access, offering microloans to communities.
    • “It was a theory, it was a hypothesis that Gary had, and it’s just worked better than we ever could have hoped… 90% of loans are taken out by women, pay back at 98%.” – Matt Damon (07:25)
• Scaling Impact:
  • With this approach, water.org reduced the philanthropic cost per person from $25 to just $5, reaching 85 million people to date.
    • “In 2012, we reached our first million people… we reach a million every six weeks now… If we’d stayed just drilling wells… it would’ve taken us 600 years to reach the number of people that we’ve reached today.” – Matt Damon (08:08, 08:45)

3. Making the Water Crisis Relatable

• Challenge in Communication:
  • Both guests discuss how to make water scarcity a tangible, relatable issue for people in developed countries.
    • “If you grew up in the developed world, you were never more than five steps away from a clean drink of water… it’s very hard to relate to.” – Matt Damon (11:43)
• Humanizing the Problem:
  • Personal, specific stories are more impactful than statistics (referencing the “Baby Jessica effect”).
    • Matt’s story of a Zambian girl who could pursue her dreams only because she didn’t have to spend her days collecting water. (12:44)
    • Gary’s anecdote about Mama Florence in Uganda, who used a microloan not only for water but to create multiple income streams for her family. (15:48)

4. Driving & Measuring Impact

• Unique Model, Unique Challenges:
  • water.org’s disruptive approach means they lack direct competitors or industry benchmarks.
    • “We don’t have competition to compare ourselves to in this space because our model is unique… How do we raise the bar?” – Gary White (19:08)
• Adam’s Advice:
  • Suggested “zero-based budgeting” and innovation tournaments, letting teams blue-sky new ideas and set their own ambitious goals.
    • “The biggest mistake I see organizations make… is anchor on the past… I’ve become a big fan of zero-based budgeting... freedom to blue sky.” – Adam Grant (20:03)
    • “If people are committed and passionate, they will set their own goals higher than people above them tend to.” (21:51)

5. Building Team Resilience

• Lessons From Acting:
  • Matt draws a parallel between handling rejection in acting and setbacks in philanthropy.
    • “You just become inured to it. You just become really comfortable being rejected… You learn to let it just kind of roll off your shoulders and get on with it.” – Matt Damon (25:41)
  • Emphasizes learning from failures and having the flexibility to change course.

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• On Humility and Leadership:
  • “It’s humility… Matt exemplifies that, and that’s the culture we’re trying to build.” – Gary White (05:22)
  • “I’m great at humility.” – Matt Damon, laughing (05:23)
• On Opportunity:
  • “Talent is distributed evenly around the world. Opportunity is not. And that’s what water does. It brings a layer of opportunity...” – Gary White (02:20)
• Personal Epiphany:
  • “It’s not just the death… but it’s the stifled potential of human possibility… that was my epiphany.” – Matt Damon (12:44)
• On Human Impact:
  • “What $5 gives you... that’s what’s at stake... I’m going to play. And it just absolutely nailed me.” – Matt Damon, about the Haitian girl and time gained through water access (14:56)
• Scaling Through Finance:
  • “$7 billion in microloans… that’s $7 billion in philanthropy that didn’t have to be raised.” – Gary White (09:22)
• On Building the Dream Team:
  • “I’d start with my core team and ask them who do they want that’s going to amplify the work… But at another level, I’d like to have some of the top bankers in the country…” – Gary White (29:25)

Important Episode Timestamps

| Time | Segment/Topic | |-------------|---------------------------------------------------------------------------------| | 01:04 | Matt shares the “worst” career advice he ever received | | 02:20 | “Talent is distributed evenly…” opening commentary on opportunity | | 03:19 | Matt on partnerships; learning from Ben Affleck and applying it to Gary | | 05:22 | Gary on Matt’s humility and ethos at water.org | | 06:13 | Origin of the water credit model | | 07:25 | Repayment rates and scaling: The data behind water.org’s impact | | 11:43 | The challenge of making water scarcity relatable | | 12:44 | Matt’s Zambia story: Epiphany about water and opportunity | | 14:56 | Life-changing microloans: Stories from Haiti and Uganda | | 19:05 | Adam’s “office hours” segment: How to measure ambition and effectiveness | | 20:03 | Adam’s advice: zero-based budgeting & the value of innovation tournaments | | 25:41 | Matt reflects on resilience learned from acting rejection | | 28:10 | Lightning round: Changing one’s mind & favorite performances | | 29:25 | Gary’s dream team for scaling water solutions | | 30:33 | Final takeaways: How listeners can get involved ($5 can change a life) |

Key Takeaways for Listeners

• Water Crisis is Solvable: With innovative financial models and scalable strategies, access to clean water can be rapidly expanded.
• $5 is Transformative: Literally $5 can change a life by providing access to safe water—making impact within reach for everyone.
• Entrepreneurship Unleashed: Water access is a foundation for entrepreneurship and community advancement, especially empowering women.
• Resilience Matters: Both in the arts and in philanthropy, setbacks and failures are inevitable; the ability to learn and adapt is crucial.
• Everyone Can Help: Listeners are invited to learn more and support water.org’s mission, amplifying the message and the impact.

Final Thought

“We’ve conquered other diseases, we’ve conquered other big humanitarian issues… We think this is a moment for water.” – Gary White (30:45)

To support or learn more:
Visit water.org – $5 can provide someone with access to clean water.