Philanthropy

Philanthropy
Philanthropy and Higher Education
“The world of philanthropy abounds with contradictions and absurdities,” National Association of Scholars (NAS) chairman Keith Whitaker said as he introduced a thoughtful 90-minute NAS webinar on philanthropy and higher education earlier this week.
by Michael E. Hartmann on July 6, 2020

Foundation Watch, Philanthropy
Cats and Mice, Donors and Their Foundations
Specifically, Brian Galle finds that a philanthropic foundation’s “overhead, or the ratio of administrative expenses to grants made, jumps by about 12% as soon as the organization’s last living donor…
by Michael E. Hartmann on July 1, 2020

Foundation Watch, Philanthropy
What Was the Biden Cancer Initiative?
For countless wealthy elites and politicians, philanthropy is just another name for marketing—supporting the community so that the community supports you. As we’ve shown with our stories on the…
by Hayden Ludwig on July 1, 2020

Philanthropy
Credit for Financial Creativity, and a Question Facing Conservatives
The Ford Foundation, a towering pillar of establishment liberal philanthropy in America with an endowment of $13.7 billion, will issue a combination of 30- to 50-year bonds to borrow another…
by Michael E. Hartmann on June 22, 2020

Philanthropy
Among Billionaire Donors, Ambition, and Humility
In August 2010, 40 billionaires signed The Giving Pledge—promising to give away at least half of their wealth during their lifetimes. As of March 2020, a total of 120 couples,…
by Michael E. Hartmann on June 17, 2020

Philanthropy
Government-Funded Nonprofits: Two Pillars
Ask a sampling of Americans what “charitable giving” means to them, and they will give varied, but broadly predictable responses. Many will go straight for examples from their own lives,…
by Robert Stilson on June 11, 2020

Philanthropy
Government-Funded Nonprofits: Taxpayers’ Investment
Ensuring respect for the taxpayers’ investment reflects the understanding that federal funding to nonprofits represents a compulsory investment in that nonprofit by the taxpayers, with the “returns” primarily being program…
by Robert Stilson on June 11, 2020

Philanthropy
Government-Funded Nonprofits: Taxpayers’ Beliefs
The second conservative pillar of federally funded nonprofit stewardship is respect for the taxpayers’ beliefs. Specifically, conservatives might justifiably object to seeing their tax dollars flow to private groups that…
by Robert Stilson on June 11, 2020

Philanthropy
Government-Funded Nonprofits: Grantee-Plaintiffs
At least one phenomenon blends issues related to both the taxpayers’ investment and the taxpayers’ beliefs: federal grantees that file lawsuits against the federal government, sometimes against the very same…
by Robert Stilson on June 11, 2020

Book Profile, Philanthropy
Scales of Philanthropy, and “Shares” of Wealth
“We should talk about philanthropy,” Sam Harris says a little more than halfway through Episode #205 of his always-interesting Making Sense podcast last month. “Obviously, I think we should encourage philanthropy as much as we can. I…
by Michael E. Hartmann on June 9, 2020