Friday, June 22nd at 9:00 AM PST, MacArthur Foundation President, Jonathan Fanton, and Founder and CEO of Linden Lab (makers of Second Life), Philip Rosedale, will lead a discussion in Second Life about the role of philanthropy in virtual worlds.

In his June 12th blog post, Fanton explains the Foundation's interest in Second Life:

I believe that the importance of virtual worlds may be less about their growth as economies, and more about their capacity for collaboration and human development. Activities in virtual worlds already are supported by MacArthur and other foundations, but we have much to discover about the right role for philanthropy itself in virtual worlds.

You can get more details about the event on the Foundation's site.

If you attend, be sure to connect with Susan Tenby/Glitteractica Cookie (pictured above), Tech Soup's Online Community Manager. She manages the Nonprofit Commons Project, a virtual community of practice for nonprofits to explore the opportunities and benefits of Second Life, and organizes weekly Friday meetings for people interested in how nonprofits can use Second Life.

Update 6.22.07: See the article in the New York Times via Beth's Blog.

Photo of Glitteractica Cookie by Beth Kanter