What the Ford Foundation Could Be Doing with Henry Ford’s Fortune
More than a century ago, uber-capitalist Henry Ford brought us the assembly line, the mass production of automobiles, a doubling of the wage of his workers, and the birth of…
donor intent
A Conversation with IPS’s Helen Flannery and OSU’s Brian Mittendorf (Part 1 of 2)
The think-tank fellow and accounting professor talk to Michael E. Hartmann about their research and writing on donor-advised funds (DAFs) in general and why they’re controversial—along with different kinds of…
A Conversation with IPS’s Helen Flannery and OSU’s Brian Mittendorf (Part 2 of 2)
The think-tank fellow and accounting professor discuss ways to think about any potential legal and regulatory reforms of donor-advised funds.
Big Philanthropy’s Lost Children
Brooke Orr, the protagonist of Rumaan Alam’s captivating recent novel, Entitlement, lands what she thinks is a great new job as a program officer at a big New York philanthropic foundation. The…
“Roger Federer Philanthropy”
Retired tennis great Roger Federer’s well-received commencement address at Dartmouth College last June is worth the time for you to read or view for several reasons, but among them are…
Models, Not Manuals
“Facing outward on the low bar, the gymnast performs a pike sole circle backward through handstand with flight and a half (180 degree) turn to hang on the high bar.”That…
Hoovering Up Henry Ford’s Money: Free Money Versus Free Enterprise
At the end of 1976, Henry Ford II, resigned from the Ford Foundation board of directors. In his resignation letter, he advised the foundation's board, “I'm just suggesting to the…
Hoovering Up Henry Ford’s Money: Revolutions and Bullhorns
For nonprofits that really want the Ford funding spigot wide open, it is difficult to understate the importance of portraying supporters shouting through bullhorns, engaging in street demonstrations, and preaching…
Hoovering Up Henry Ford’s Money: Crime and Democracy
Claiming that their preferred flavor of multi-whatever democracy has never existed and pledging to put it in place is clearly a winning message for aspiring grantees. Perversely, Ford’s philanthropoids also…
Hoovering Up Henry Ford’s Money: Shaping the News
Ford grants are also showered upon those who help inject left-wing messages into media and culture. Since the beginning of 2023, those in charge of Henry’s money have shipped out…