The Clinton Global Initiative (CGI) was founded in 2005 by President Clinton. Doug Band, counselor to President Clinton, was also heavily involved in the formation.^[13] Clinton has credited Band with being the originator of CGI and has noted that “Doug had the idea to do this. Band left his paid position at CGI in 2010, preferring to emphasize his Teneo business and family pursuits, but remains on the CGI advisory board. The overlap between CGI and Teneo, which Bill Clinton was a paid advisor, drew criticism. One of its major donors is Norway’s government—20 million Norwegian kroner per year as of 2013.

In 2007, President Clinton started CGI U, which expanded the model of CGI to students, universities, and national youth organizations. CGI U has been held at Tulane University, the University of Texas at Austin, the University of Miami, the University of California, San Diego, The George Washington University, Washington University in St. Louis, Arizona State University, and University of California, Berkeley. Panelists and speakers have included Jon Stewart, Madeleine Albright, Vandana Shiva, Bill and Chelsea Clinton, Stephen Colbert, Jack Dorsey, Greg Stanton, U.S. Rep. Gabrielle Giffords, Shane Battier, Salman Khan (founder of Khan Academy), and U.S. Rep. John Lewis.