Rob Short from Cork and Emer Dooley from Limerick are founder members of Social Venture Partners (SVP) in Seattle.

They both used to work for Digital in Galway. Mr Short has been nine years with Microsoft where he is now a group development manager. Ms Dooley turned down a chance to work at Microsoft and travelled widely as a computer consultant before she took her present teaching post at the Business School in the University of Washington.

Rob says that those involved in SVP are supposed to give their skills as well as money to the projects to help children and education.

"There is a growing concern in the US about the split between the haves and the have-nots," Mr Short says. "Take Seattle. There are those lucky enough to work for Microsoft who have tons of money, but then you go down to south Seattle and the schools are falling apart.

"They don't have the opportunity. If you don't get education here, you're stuck, absolutely stuck. These people are trapped. There's a widening happening. People are very aware of that. They are also aware of how lucky they are."

Mr Short and Ms Dooley have given money to the Irish-America Partnership for projects in Ireland and have also contributed to the United Way umbrella body in the US which channels donations to other charities. Microsoft lends executives to United Way and pays them while they work for the charity.

When they are not working, Mr Short and Ms Dooley are climbing and skiing in the nearby Cascade Mountains, or across the nearby border in Canada. An expedition to the Andes is planned.