July 6, 2007 | Read Time: 2 minutes
When Diana R. Sieger, president of the Grand Rapids Community Foundation, in Michigan, took the helm of the organization 20 years ago, the line between public and private support for charitable endeavors was more clearly drawn, she writes in her President’s Point of View blog. “It was 1987 and while public/private partnerships were being touted, actual examples were still hard to come by,” she writes.
This year, however, a local project to open all the city swimming pools, which had been in danger of closing due to a loss of government funds, drew significant support from foundations, corporations, and individuals, she writes. It’s “a good story,” Ms. Sieger writes, “ but the story continues and where it goes is anybody’s guess.”
In 2005, her organization gave more than $345,000 to build, renovate, and supply libraries connected to elementary schools of the Grand Rapids Public Schools system.
Although she says her foundation was happy to help with the project, this and the effort to keep the swimming pools open prodded her to think about the increasing demand on private philanthropists to support programs that were once sponsored by government. She sees this trend accelerating in her home state of Michigan due to a projected $2-billion budget deficit in the state’s next fiscal year.
“My thought is that once private dollars replace public dollars, even if it couched in all sorts of caveats, contingencies, and no “promise” of future support, the die has been cast,” Ms. Sieger writes. “One of my colleagues noted “has it done any harm?” I’m not so sure that is the question. Has it done any good and can the private sector continue to support these efforts over the long term even though compelling and laudable?”
Do you think that private grant makers are bearing too much of the burden for supporting projects once financed by government? Click on the comments link below this post to share your thoughts.
