Think Tanks & Research
This Low-Profile Donor Is Giving $30 Million for SCOTUS Reform. Will Others Join Him?
James (Jim) Kohlberg isn’t a “big philanthropist.” He has been involved in the nonprofit world, mostly through joint projects with his parents’ foundation and serving for a decade on the board of ecoAmerica, an environmental organization, but he is … [Read more...] about This Low-Profile Donor Is Giving $30 Million for SCOTUS Reform. Will Others Join Him?
Bill Drayton on Ashoka’s Work to Make “Everyone a Changemaker”
Four decades ago, when Bill Drayton founded Ashoka, the terms “changemaker” and “social entrepreneur” weren’t part of the lexicon. Drayton coined them to describe the global movement he was launching, which he envisioned as a community of innovators … [Read more...] about Bill Drayton on Ashoka’s Work to Make “Everyone a Changemaker”
Gates Sticks With U.S. Antipoverty Giving, But Deeper Structural Questions Remain
The end-of-year “season of giving” isn’t a new phenomenon. Charles Dickens, after all, chose the winter holidays to school Ebenezer Scrooge — and Victorian England — on the scourge of poverty and the corrosive effects of wealth hoarding. The timing … [Read more...] about Gates Sticks With U.S. Antipoverty Giving, But Deeper Structural Questions Remain
A Foundation’s Bid to Build Access and Change Narratives Around Government Spending
Ever since President Ronald Reagan joked, "The nine most terrifying words in the English language are: I'm from the government, and I'm here to help,” it's been a common refrain. Government is inefficient, government doesn't work, government should … [Read more...] about A Foundation’s Bid to Build Access and Change Narratives Around Government Spending
After Nearly a Century Funding Science, the Sloan Foundation Is Searching for Answers Near and Far
Now pushing 90, the Alfred P. Sloan Foundation is one of the country's longest-running private science funders, with grantmaking to support a mix of research areas that it believes are crucial to the nation's health and prosperity. This has made it … [Read more...] about After Nearly a Century Funding Science, the Sloan Foundation Is Searching for Answers Near and Far
Philanthropy’s $9 Trillion Blind Spot
This article was originally published on June 7, 2023. The most recent debt ceiling debacle is the latest chapter in the nation’s decades-long political contest over federal spending and taxation. In the view of many conservatives, the ballooning … [Read more...] about Philanthropy’s $9 Trillion Blind Spot
The D.C. Power List: The Most Influential Philanthropists Shaping National Policy
Jeff Yass Is One of America’s Biggest Political Donors. What Does His Philanthropy Look Like?
There’s a cadre of ultra-rich Wall Street billionaires — Ken Griffin, Stephen Schwarzman, Charles Schwab — whose libertarian, free-market convictions have proved a massive boon for GOP politicians over the years. Pairing copious Republican political … [Read more...] about Jeff Yass Is One of America’s Biggest Political Donors. What Does His Philanthropy Look Like?
What a Big Gift to the Heritage Foundation Says About the State of Conservative Philanthropy
In case you missed it, the Heritage Foundation, arguably the nation’s most influential conservative think tank, just got what it described as “one of the largest gifts in [its] 50-year history” last month: $25 million over five years from the Diana … [Read more...] about What a Big Gift to the Heritage Foundation Says About the State of Conservative Philanthropy
Arts, Education, Conservative Policy and More. How the Kovners Are Tapping a Hedge Fund Fortune
Bruce Kovner, worth $6.6 billion at age 77, has come a long way since his boho days driving taxi cabs in New York City while writing and taking classes at Juilliard. The Harvard grad changed career paths and ended up founding a hedge fund in the … [Read more...] about Arts, Education, Conservative Policy and More. How the Kovners Are Tapping a Hedge Fund Fortune
Billionaire Paul Singer Is an Activist Investor, GOP Megadonor and Philanthropist. What Does He Fund?
If you’ve heard of the activist investor Paul Elliott Singer, it might be for his infamous 14-year legal fight to force Argentina to repay sovereign debt he had acquired at fire sale prices, at one point even attempting to seize a vessel from the … [Read more...] about Billionaire Paul Singer Is an Activist Investor, GOP Megadonor and Philanthropist. What Does He Fund?
After Pooling Their Money to Take on Corporate Monopoly, Funders See Signs of Progress
Looking back over the past 50 years or so, liberal philanthropy in the U.S. has a pretty poor track record on battling poverty and inequality, and promoting an economy that works for the majority of Americans. One primary reason for that is funders’ … [Read more...] about After Pooling Their Money to Take on Corporate Monopoly, Funders See Signs of Progress
Think Tank Leaders Don’t Lack for Ideas, But Fundraising Can Still Be Brutal
A lot of money is sloshing around in the nonprofit world these days, but there are distinct differences in how donors from the right and left approach philanthropy — especially when it comes to trying to change public policy. Consider the giving … [Read more...] about Think Tank Leaders Don’t Lack for Ideas, But Fundraising Can Still Be Brutal
Crusaders: The Philanthropic Funders That Helped Bring an End to Roe v. Wade
“I have a very simple rule, which is, I’m engaged in the battle of ideas, and I care very deeply about our Constitution and the role of courts in our society. And I don’t waste my time on stories that involve money and politics because what I care … [Read more...] about Crusaders: The Philanthropic Funders That Helped Bring an End to Roe v. Wade
What Can Philanthropy Do to Curb Polarization? A Conversation with Steve Teles
Steven Teles is professor of political science at Johns Hopkins University and senior fellow at the Niskanen Center, a think tank founded in 2015 to “promote an open society” and push back “against a new breed of populists animated by a vision of a … [Read more...] about What Can Philanthropy Do to Curb Polarization? A Conversation with Steve Teles
Dear MacKenzie and Dan: Advice for America’s Biggest Donors
Editor’s Note: This article was originally published on May 25, 2022. —Dear MacKenzie and Dan,Like most everyone else in the social sector, I have no clue how to get in touch with you two. I asked the folks at Bridgespan to hook me up, but they said: … [Read more...] about Dear MacKenzie and Dan: Advice for America’s Biggest Donors
Philanthropists Make a Splash Paying off Student Loans, but Few Are Pushing for Debt Cancellation
This week, L.A.’s Otis College of Art and Design got its largest-ever donation from a glitzy pair of donors. Apparently inspired by classes he took at the school as a teenager, Snapchat co-founder Evan Spiegel, once the world’s youngest billionaire, … [Read more...] about Philanthropists Make a Splash Paying off Student Loans, but Few Are Pushing for Debt Cancellation
Where’s David Rockefeller When We Need Him? Ukraine and the Case for Peacebuilding
What should we do about Russia’s invasion of Ukraine? For philanthropy, that’s been both a very easy question to answer, and an incredibly hard one. In the seven weeks since the crisis began, donors big and small have sent a flood of humanitarian aid … [Read more...] about Where’s David Rockefeller When We Need Him? Ukraine and the Case for Peacebuilding
Round Four: Here’s What You Need to Know About MacKenzie Scott’s Latest List of Gifts
Note: This article was originally published on March 24, 2022.It’s hard to believe that the last time MacKenzie Scott announced the name of a grantee was back in June of 2021, almost nine months ago. She has continued to dominate the philanthropic … [Read more...] about Round Four: Here’s What You Need to Know About MacKenzie Scott’s Latest List of Gifts
Five Things to Know About MacKenzie Scott’s Latest Round of Gifts
Late last year, the philanthrosphere waited with bated breath for a fourth announcement from MacKenzie Scott—what we hoped would be another multibillion-dollar round of unrestricted gifts to hundreds of nonprofits. Instead, we got “no dollar signs … [Read more...] about Five Things to Know About MacKenzie Scott’s Latest Round of Gifts
Here’s What Stands Out About Hewlett’s Brainy Bid to Push Past Neoliberalism
For the past two years, under the shadow of COVID, it has become even more clear that neoliberalism isn’t working. To paraphrase Felicia Wong, president of the Roosevelt Institute, neoliberal policy hasn’t delivered on its basic promise that … [Read more...] about Here’s What Stands Out About Hewlett’s Brainy Bid to Push Past Neoliberalism
Lots of Climate Funders Back One of Real Estate’s Most Influential Professional Networks. What Gives?
The son of real estate developers, Randall Lewis started going to Urban Land Institute (ULI) conferences more than three decades ago, when he was just getting started in the industry himself. From the beginning, he was struck by the organization’s … [Read more...] about Lots of Climate Funders Back One of Real Estate’s Most Influential Professional Networks. What Gives?
How MacArthur Is Winding Down 40 Years of Nuclear Security Funding
Since the close of the Cold War, nuclear armament has become a problem in the abstract for many. Data doesn’t support that. The number of nations believed to have nuclear capabilities has grown to nine. More than 13,000 weapons remain positioned … [Read more...] about How MacArthur Is Winding Down 40 Years of Nuclear Security Funding
In 2022, Philanthropy Must Engage Decisively with Political Violence
As the one-year anniversary of the January 6 insurrection arrives, voices including academics, retired generals and community leaders are warning of a heightened risk of civil conflict. It’s time for philanthropy to understand political violence as a … [Read more...] about In 2022, Philanthropy Must Engage Decisively with Political Violence
What Makes Funder Collaboratives Work? The Fund for a Safer Future Looks Back on Its First Decade
The impact and efficacy of funder collaboratives have received a lot of attention in recent years. CEP’s Phil Buchanan authored a Stanford Social Innovation Review article in 2017 reflecting on the challenges of funder collaboratives. Bridgespan … [Read more...] about What Makes Funder Collaboratives Work? The Fund for a Safer Future Looks Back on Its First Decade
An Ambitious New Commission Sets Out to Diagnose Civil Society’s Ills. But Will It Make a Difference?
If I told you that charitable giving from middle- and lower-income Americans was down right now, you’d probably say something like, yeah, no kidding. There’s a pandemic going on, one that has wreaked massive disruption on Main Street and thrown … [Read more...] about An Ambitious New Commission Sets Out to Diagnose Civil Society’s Ills. But Will It Make a Difference?
Financial Sector Oversight Is Crucial to Tackling Inequality. So Where Is Philanthropy?
Remember the GameStop short squeeze? It’s easy to forget after months and months of a crisis-laden news cycle and endless internecine bickering in Washington. But back in January, just as a newly inaugurated President Joe Biden prepared to launch his … [Read more...] about Financial Sector Oversight Is Crucial to Tackling Inequality. So Where Is Philanthropy?
Who’s Funding the Climate Counter-Movement?
The ExxonMobil representative on the Zoom call was bragging, listing a series of tactics his company had used over the decades to foil attempted responses to the climate crisis.“Did we join some of these ‘shadow groups’ to work against some of the … [Read more...] about Who’s Funding the Climate Counter-Movement?
After Trump, What’s Happening at DonorsTrust, the Right’s Favorite DAF?
When it comes to philanthropic support for right-leaning policy groups, it’s hard to get around the fact that year after year, a growing cascade of donor dollars is flowing through one outfit: DonorsTrust. Often criticized on the left as a channel … [Read more...] about After Trump, What’s Happening at DonorsTrust, the Right’s Favorite DAF?
