February 02, 2023 Four Things We Actually Like About DAFs February 02, 2023/ Philip Rojc Donor-advised funds are the target of a lot of criticism, including in the pages of Inside Philanthropy — and for good reason. But setting aside their worst flaws, we have to admit that DAFs have a lot to offer. Read More
January 30, 2023 How the DAF Industry Controls the Data and Attempts to Control the Narrative January 30, 2023/ Dan Petegorsky, Guest Contributor Donor-advised fund sponsors like to present an upbeat picture of their field. In this guest piece, Dan Petegorsky makes a case for why that can be misleading — and how the DAF industry tilts the story in its favor.Read More
January 24, 2023 For-Profit Philanthropy Is Eroding the Legal Foundations of Charitable Giving January 24, 2023/ Dana Brakman Reiser and Steven A. Dean, Guest Contributors Alternative vehicles like LLCs and DAFs are reducing donors’ reliance on the traditional foundation. Authors of a new book on the topic outline how this undermines the legal basis of philanthropy — and what we can do about it.Read More
December 08, 2022 Rose-Colored Glasses: The Trouble With Industry Numbers on American Generosity December 08, 2022/ Philip Rojc This time of year, we see a lot of big numbers celebrating Americans’ outsize generosity. While there are things to celebrate, such industry-generated figures often gloss over concerning trends related to inequality.Read More
December 06, 2022 How Restricted Project Grants Distort the Missions of Nonprofits December 06, 2022/ Celia Wexler While we’ve seen some advances in the push for more general operating support, the norm is still restricted funding. Nonprofit veterans share the many ways project grants have led them astray and held back progress.Read More
December 01, 2022 Three Questions We Have About a Philanthropic Future Dominated by DAFs December 01, 2022/ Philip Rojc As of last year, American donors are putting quite a lot more into donor-advised funds than they are into foundations. Even as calls for reform persist, we consider what the future might look like should this trend continue.Read More
November 09, 2022 Do the Forbes Philanthropy Scores Give Foundation Donors Too Much Credit? November 09, 2022/ Chuck Collins and Helen Flannery, Guest Contributors Forbes has made a valiant effort to improve its rankings of billionaire philanthropy. However, guest authors from the Charity Reform Initiative argue that the scores still paint a somewhat inflated picture of generosity.Read More
September 26, 2022 To Make Education Philanthropy More Equitable, Pay Attention to Who’s Getting Funded September 26, 2022/ Michelle Molitor, Guest Contributor Drawing on a survey of over 200 grantseekers in education, guest contributor Michelle Molitor discusses prevailing structural inequities in grantmaking and what funders can do to shift that status quo.Read More
September 12, 2022 How the Brooklyn Community Foundation Brings Grantmaking to the People September 12, 2022/ Wendy Paris Interest in participatory grantmaking has grown over time, but few have embraced it like the Brooklyn Community Foundation. Here’s a look at how BCF centers community decision-makers in its elder funding and elsewhere.Read More
August 03, 2022 Philanthropy's Scarcity Mindset Is Hurting the Sector, Not Helping It August 03, 2022/ Philip Rojc Wealthy individuals and institutions say they want to give more. Majorities of the American public and nonprofit professionals want philanthropy to give more. There’s plenty of money to give. What’s the holdup?Read More
July 14, 2022 New Public Polling Shows Appetite for Bold Charity Reform July 14, 2022/ Chuck Collins and Dan Petegorsky, Guest Contributors Guest authors from the Institute for Policy Studies present new polling data showing members of the public are eager for philanthropy reforms that go far beyond modest proposals from recent years. 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 31, 2022 This Funding Initiative Has a Singular Goal: To Encourage Major Donors to Boost Their Giving May 31, 2022/ Connie Matthiessen The Crisis Charitable Commitment was created to hold funders to a higher standard. As in, give more. It recently debuted a slate of shovel-ready giving opportunities, including an advocacy push for higher taxes on the ultra-rich.Read More
April 26, 2022 A Tale of Two Valleys: Five Ways Philanthropy Can Change to Make Silicon Valley More Equitable April 26, 2022/ Martha Ramirez A new report highlights five shifts funders can make to more effectively combat inequality. Though it’s geared toward giving in the Bay Area, its advice rings true for philanthropists across the nation.Read More
January 10, 2022 Here Are the Top Philanthropy Stories We're Following in 2022 January 10, 2022/ Philip Rojc What are the big-picture trends shaping philanthropy in 2022? At the start of a new year, here’s an overview of some of the high-level stories our team is watching closely, from the rise of mega-billionaires to calls for reform.Read More
January 06, 2022 7 Questions for Lucy Bernholz, Author of “How We Give Now: A Philanthropic Guide for the Rest of Us” January 06, 2022/ Mike Scutari Lucy Bernholz’s new book is a deep dive into the ways in which everyday people give in the digital age. We check in with her to discuss the book and what she calls "the givingscape."Read More
January 05, 2022 Why Philanthropy Continues to Underfund Rural America—and What Grantmakers Can Do January 05, 2022/ Martha Ramirez For years, rural organizations have been sounding the alarm about philanthropic neglect. Here’s a look at why funders often ignore rural areas and what interested philanthropists can do to change that.Read More
December 22, 2021 How the Miser Became a Philanthropist: Revisiting a Holiday Fable in an Era of Modern-Day Scrooges December 22, 2021/ Philip Rojc The backdrop of Charles Dickens’ classic “A Christmas Carol” feels eerily familiar these days, as the gulf between the rich and poor widens. Will the Scrooges of today heed the warning of proverbial ghosts?Read More
December 15, 2021 Celebrating the Voice, Vision and Value of Black Women in Philanthropy December 15, 2021/ Connie Matthiessen Toya Randall is the creator of Voice. Vision. Value., a site elevating Black women in philanthropy. We talk to Randall about the challenges facing Black women in the sector, their unique perspectives—and what still needs to change.Read More
December 14, 2021 Are Billionaires Actually Listening? At Least One of Them Appears to Be December 14, 2021/ Philip Rojc What’s all this philanthropy talk for, if big philanthropists aren’t willing to pay it any heed? Thankfully, some do seem open to a more reciprocal dialogue, including the most prominent giver of the past few years.Read More