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Revisiting the idea of perpetuity
As most know, the US has the friendliest public policy towards private charity among developed nations. Gifts to charities and foundations are tax-deductible with only minor limits. In most cases, foundations’ earnings are tax-exempt as …
Sense of urgency prompts Brainerd sunset
Driven by a sense of urgency about ecological issues facing our planet, and by founder and president Paul Brainerd’s desire to see the results of his foundation’s efforts in his lifetime, the Brainerd Foundation is …
Mo Ibrahim Foundation – Promoting good leadership in Africa
‘Leadership is the single most important factor in determining the future of African countries,’ said Mo Ibrahim in a recent interview for Kenya’s Nation newspaper. ‘By governing well in the interests of all their citizens, …
The Rosenberg Foundation – Supporting a class action against Wal-Mart
Established in 1935, the California-based Rosenberg Foundation is committed to nurturing promising efforts to create a more just and economically inclusive society. It has long supported impact litigation as one of the critical tools – …
It’s all about effectiveness …
This issue of Alliance raises the question why foundations are so often failing to respond to emerging global crises. Many foundations would argue that their greatest value lies in their long-term view and that their …
Who’s up for changing the world?
How far are foundations willing to go to try to solve what they see as the most urgent problems facing the human race? The received wisdom about the foundation world goes something like this: because …
Dreamers of small dreams
Many foundations have grand missions stating wildly optimistic aspirations rather than recipes for direction and action. In some cases the mission is so all-encompassing that nothing short of global revolution, combined with divine intervention, is …
Aid in the 21st century: who’s in the driver’s seat?
Official development assistance (ODA) has altered dramatically over the last ten years – more money, better directed and administered, with greater stress on reducing poverty and greater ownership of the recipients over the whole of …
Philanthrocapitalism goes global
When I coined the term ‘philanthrocapitalism’ in 2006 in an extended essay for The Economist, I had no idea that it would spark such debate. It is often caricatured as no more than an interest …
Philanthropy – whose canvas?
Matthew Bishop defines ‘philanthrocapitalism’ as ‘some of the world’s most talented and successful people … turning their minds to problems like education, disease, climate change and terrorism’. In some ways that’s the problem. As David …