August 09, 2022 Inside the Howard G. Buffett Foundation's Big Bet on Rwanda August 09, 2022/ David Callahan 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 university, a large irrigation project, and close government partnership.Read More
June 14, 2022 What Can Philanthropy Do to Curb Polarization? A Conversation with Steve Teles June 14, 2022/ David Callahan IP Editor David Callahan talks with political scientist Steve Teles about the surprisingly plentiful opportunities for funders to work across the ideological divide on issues like housing, criminal justice and more.Read More
June 06, 2022 We Surveyed Hundreds of Philanthropy Professionals. Here's What We Found June 06, 2022/ David Callahan Our latest survey of sector professionals brought some not-so-unexpected results alongside a few real surprises. Here’s where respondents stood on philanthropy reform, billionaire giving, racial justice and more.Read More
May 25, 2022 Dear MacKenzie and Dan: Advice for America’s Biggest Donors May 25, 2022/ David Callahan 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 America’s entrenched economic and political inequality.Read More
January 19, 2022 The Most Powerful Heirs in Philanthropy January 19, 2022/ David Callahan 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 extensive list of the heirs to family wealth who are making waves in the sector. Read More
May 25, 2021 After a Year Like No Other, Three Foundation Leaders Talk About What Changed and What Comes Next May 25, 2021/ David Callahan 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 foundations talk about how their institutions—and the sector—have evolved.Read More
May 21, 2021 The Gates Foundation Faces an Uncertain Future. Here’s How That Might Play Out May 21, 2021/ David Callahan 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—including the foundation’s dissolution.Read More
May 06, 2021 Eli Broad Exemplified the Promise and Peril of Big Philanthropy May 06, 2021/ David Callahan 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. His turbo-charged giving offers both inspiration and cautionary lessons.Read More
March 08, 2021 Gara LaMarche on Wealthy Donors, Philanthropy and Progressive Politics March 08, 2021/ David Callahan 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-century in philanthropy, starting with his work with George Soros in the 1990s.Read More
March 02, 2021 Spencer Overton on Leading a Think Tank Focused on Black America March 02, 2021/ David Callahan 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 think tank, and the need to invest in Black policy experts.Read More
February 12, 2021 Felicia Wong on Challenging Neoliberalism and Reimagining Capitalism February 12, 2021/ David Callahan 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 drivers of inequality and advancing a new set of rules to govern the economy.Read More
February 02, 2021 Neera Tanden on Building a Progressive Think Tank and Influencing Policy February 02, 2021/ David Callahan 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 who support its $50 million budget, and the role of think tanks in shaping policy.Read More
January 22, 2021 Exit Interview: How Fred Ali Reinvented the Weingart Foundation January 22, 2021/ David Callahan 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 down from his job, Ali talks to IP Editor David Callahan about Weingart’s transformation.Read More
April 21, 2020 Stronger Government is a Must. But Billionaire Donors Are Here to Stay—and Can Do Good April 21, 2020/ David Callahan 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, in coming decades, giving by the rich is only going to become more important. Read More
March 24, 2020 Will the Pandemic Help Defuse a Growing Backlash to Philanthropy? Or Fan It? March 24, 2020/ David Callahan 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 concentrated wealth of foundations and billionaires draw even more scrutiny?Read More
March 11, 2020 Experts Have Long Warned About a Pandemic. Why Wasn’t Philanthropy Paying Attention? March 11, 2020/ David Callahan 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 terrifying biosecurity risks, spotlighting a weakness in the sector.Read More
January 06, 2020 Philanthropy in the 2020s: 16 Predictions January 06, 2020/ David Callahan 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 the 2020s. Read More
November 26, 2019 The Bloomberg Philanthropy Files: What Can We Learn From $8 Billion in Giving? November 26, 2019/ David Callahan 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-driven technocratic approach in an era of ideological and tribal political conflict. Read More
July 18, 2019 Inside Vulcan, a New Model for Solving Some of the World’s Biggest Problems July 18, 2019/ David Callahan 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 protection and climate change. IP editor David Callahan takes an inside look at its unique strategy for impact. Read More
July 18, 2019 When Philanthropy Is Not Enough: A Top Donor Couple Takes a Broader Approach to Impact July 18, 2019/ David Callahan 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 they’re bringing these two strategies together in a single organization, Arnold Ventures. Read More