First off, this idea is not new. I heard about it while watching an episode of Top Gear in which the Dragon's Den (UK) folks were featured. I thought it was such a good idea that I should help spread the word. Maybe some folks around here who have the resources to do so can implement something similar, even if it is on a small scale. Or, if you know of similar charities that exist, please post about them. Here's a description of the concept.

A trust fund is setup in which donors make regular contributions. Trust fund managers are tasked with identifying candidates for job positions that would normally be unattractive but that the trust fund believes are important. Should an identified-suitable candidate land one of these job positions, the trust fund would multiply their salary by an appropriate factor in order to make the position attractive to them.

For example, perhaps a poor rural community school is in need of a science teacher. The salary for this position, however, is unattractive to a lot of otherwise qualified candidates. Consequently, the community is at risk of having inadequate scientific education, a risk that might trigger the standard of living in the community to further degrade over time and create a vicious feedback loop. But a suitable science teacher is intrigued by the opportunity. She is currently teaching in a private school in the city making more than double the money. She would love the challenge of teaching the kids in this community. But the financial tradeoff makes it impractical for her. She applies to the trust fund, is identified as being a great fit for the position, applies for the position and lands it. The trust fund then agrees to multiply her salary by 2.5x so that she is making more than she would in her current position.