Can foundations help society become more just? How can they address the underlying causes of poverty and injustice? Seeking answers to these questions brought 33 foundation leaders to the very heart of philanthropy’s promise, and possible contradictions. The occasion was an international conference on ‘Foundations and Social Justice: Visions, Strategies, Capacities’, organized by the Synergos Institute and locally hosted by the Oaxaca Community Foundation (OCF), in May 2003 in Oaxaca City, Mexico.