Gates Foundation Should Match Its Massive Global Giving With a Massive Commitment to Accountability
Despite pledging billions to help communities around the world, the Gates Foundation has no formal mechanism for tracking the potential environmental and social harms of their investments. Such accountability systems are critical to effective philanthropy.
As Threats to Abortion Access Grow, Emergency Philanthropic Funding Isn’t Nearly Enough
A new collaborative effort in New Mexico among nonprofits, philanthropy, and government is showing what effective responses to the reproductive health care crisis can look like.
Trust in Science Has Eroded Since the Pandemic Began. How Should Philanthropy Respond?
Both historical mistreatment of people of color and widespread misinformation have diminished confidence in medical science. Grant makers can foster a culture that acknowledges and addresses science’s imperfections.
Want to Help Communities Thrive? Invest in Residents Eager to Disrupt the Status Quo.
A Wisconsin area known as the Fox Cities is showing what’s possible when individuals are given the support needed to bridge divides and work together to create healthy and hopeful communities.
A Set of Ethical Principles Can Help Philanthropy Regain Public Trust in the Field
With the release this week of guidelines for building trust in the philanthropic world, the head of the Council on Foundations is calling on grant makers to hold each other accountable for maintaining high ethical standards.
Volunteers Can Teach the Professionals a Lot About Raising Money — if They Let Them
As donors themselves, volunteer fundraisers understand what makes potential donors tick — and often in ways the professionals don’t. Greater respect for their skills and increased collaboration with development staff are sorely needed.
Advancing Health Equity Should Include Supporting Those Living With Rare Diseases
More than 25 million Americans suffer from rare diseases, yet research and advocacy to combat these illnesses receive limited philanthropic support. Grant makers have an obligation to make addressing rare diseases part of their efforts to ensure that everyone has access to care.
As in other conflicts around the globe, sustaining donor interest in the war in Ukraine is an ongoing battle. But grant makers can have a lasting impact if they focus on building strong, stable, and peaceful societies.
Donors Leery of Supporting Grassroots Organizing Need to Rethink How They Approach Such Work
The perceived messy work of building movements often scares away grant makers, but these efforts are critical to creating equitable societies. Donors need to adopt new practices and strategies to measure and support them.
The End of AmazonSmile Is an Opportunity for Nonprofits to Revisit Their Values
Its free money for nonprofits came with a cost. It led groups to push aside fundamental beliefs to accept easy cash from a corporate behemoth whose business model harms the very communities they aim to protect.