Big Ideas, Big Giving: The Legacy of Hewlett Foundation’s Larry Kramer
After more than a decade at the helm of the $13 billion foundation, Larry Kramer will step down at the end of the month. IP’s David Callahan looks back on wha... Read more.
The D.C. Power List: The Most Influential Philanthropists Shaping National Policy
Top philanthropists have become ever more adept at working the levers of power in order to shape federal policy. Here are the living donors who wield the most i... Read more.
Inside the Howard G. Buffett Foundation’s Big Bet on Rwanda
IP reports from Africa on Buffett’s $435 million investment and lofty ambitions for transforming agriculture in Rwanda and beyond. The push includes a new uni... Read more.
What Can Philanthropy Do to Curb Polarization? A Conversation with Steve Teles
IP Editor David Callahan talks with political scientist Steve Teles about the surprisingly plentiful opportunities for funders to work across the ideological di... Read more.
We Surveyed Hundreds of Philanthropy Professionals. Here’s What We Found
Our latest survey of sector professionals brought some not-so-unexpected results alongside a few real surprises. Here’s where respondents stood on philanthrop... Read more.
Dear MacKenzie and Dan: Advice for America’s Biggest Donors
IP founder David Callahan lays out some big ideas for how MacKenzie Scott and her husband Dan Jewett can build on their historic philanthropy to better take on ... Read more.
The Most Powerful Heirs in Philanthropy
As the rich get richer, the descendants of the uber-wealthy will shape the world of philanthropy for decades to come. As such, we’ve compiled our first extens... Read more.
After a Year Like No Other, Three Foundation Leaders Talk About What Changed and What Comes Next
In a panel convened by the National Center for Family Philanthropy, moderated by IP’s David Callahan, the heads of the Barr, Libra and Marguerite Casey founda... Read more.
The Gates Foundation Faces an Uncertain Future. Here’s How That Might Play Out
The future of the world’s most important grantmaker is anything but clear, whatever its leaders may be saying. We play out a few of the possible scenarios—i... Read more.
Eli Broad Exemplified the Promise and Peril of Big Philanthropy
Eli Broad, who died last week, was a larger-than-life philanthropist. He tapped his fortune to bankroll ambitious initiatives in education, the arts and science... Read more.
Gara LaMarche on Wealthy Donors, Philanthropy and Progressive Politics
As Gara LaMarche prepares to leave his role heading the Democracy Alliance, a network of wealthy donors, he talks to IP editor David Callahan about his quarter-... Read more.
Spencer Overton on Leading a Think Tank Focused on Black America
IP editor David Callahan talks to Overton about his work to revive the Joint Center for Economic and Political Studies, the challenges of fundraising to scale a... Read more.
Felicia Wong on Challenging Neoliberalism and Reimagining Capitalism
IP Editor David Callahan talks with the Roosevelt Institute’s CEO about how she grew the New York-based think tank’s funding and influence by focusing on dr... Read more.
Neera Tanden on Building a Progressive Think Tank and Influencing Policy
IP’s David Callahan talks with Neera Tanden—who leads the Center for American Progress and has been tapped to head OMB—on the center’s work, the donors ... Read more.
Exit Interview: How Fred Ali Reinvented the Weingart Foundation
When Ali came to the L.A.-focused foundation in 1999, it was a nearly all-white institution that steered clear of backing advocacy and organizing. As he steps d... Read more.
Future of Big Philanthropy: 15 Heirs of Top Mega-Givers to Watch Closely
The children of America’s richest people won’t just control vast fortunes in the future. Some are already top givers themselves or have moved into leadershi... Read more.
MacKenzie Scott’s Big Giving Is Just Getting Started. What Should She Fund Next?
With her deep commitment to equity and her plan to give away billions, Scott is poised to become one of the most consequential philanthropists of our time. We o... Read more.
Stronger Government is a Must. But Billionaire Donors Are Here to Stay—and Can Do Good
It’s clearer than ever the U.S. would be better off with higher taxes on the wealthy, a more robust government, and less reliance on charitable giving. Still,... Read more.
Will the Pandemic Help Defuse a Growing Backlash to Philanthropy? Or Fan It?
As philanthropy steps up in a national crisis with emergency relief, will the recent growing attacks on it now evaporate? Or, in the dark times ahead, will the ... Read more.
Experts Have Long Warned About a Pandemic. Why Wasn’t Philanthropy Paying Attention?
Foundations are supposed to be good at playing the long game—peering around corners and over the horizon. But few funders have ever keyed into obvious and ter... Read more.
Whatever About the World: Top Donors Move Slowly to Engage Global Issues
The world may be getting more dangerous, and millions of children may die of preventable causes, but global issues just aren’t a big draw for today’s new cl... Read more.
Philanthropy in the 2020s: 16 Predictions
What does the next decade hold in store for the world of philanthropy? IP David Callahan looks into a crystal ball to offer a set of predictions about giving in... Read more.
The Bloomberg Philanthropy Files: What Can We Learn From $8 Billion in Giving?
With Mike Bloomberg entering the Democratic primary, IP’s David Callahan reviews his record of giving, looking at the strengths and weaknesses of a data-drive... Read more.
Inside Vulcan, a New Model for Solving Some of the World’s Biggest Problems
Before he died last fall, the billionaire Paul Allen built up a powerful in-house capacity at his company, Vulcan Inc., to tackle urgent issues like wildlife pr... Read more.
When Philanthropy Is Not Enough: A Top Donor Couple Takes a Broader Approach to Impact
Laura and John Arnold are well known for their foundation’s prolific grantmaking. But the couple has long been engaged in political giving, too. And now theyâ... Read more.
“Impossible to Justify.” A Political Scientist Takes on American Philanthropy
Rob Reich has become one of the nation’s preeminent scholars of philanthropy by asking hard questions about the role of private giving in democracies. In an i... Read more.
Inside the Omidyar Network, New Thinking About a Changed World
The main philanthropic organization of eBay founder Pierre Omidyar and his wife Pam has gone through some big changes in the past year. With a new strategy, itâ... Read more.
The Sandler Way: Where Big Philanthropy Meets the Art of Common Sense
Herb Sandler—who passed away today at the age of 87—was emblematic of a cadre of living donors that has been reshaping philanthropy. In this 2015 profile of... Read more.
Seven Mistakes That New Billionaire Philanthropists Make—and How MacKenzie Bezos Can Avoid Them
With the news that she will give away her $37 billion fortune, MacKenzie Bezos is set up to become one of the world’s biggest philanthropists. IP Editor David... Read more.
Billionaires to the Rescue: What’s the Role of Philanthropy When Government Falls Short?
A rising tide of local crises and public disinvestment is pulling private funders into roles once thought of as government’s domain. How are these dynamics pl... Read more.
