Spring 2007: After the Watershed Moment: What Happens Next for Philanthropy
Philanthropically speaking, when we look back on 2006, we will remember it as the year of historic proportions. While the Gates/Buffett merger was breathtaking in its scope and impact, there were other notable announcements as well. Of equal weight was the growing integration of the public, private, and nonprofit sectors and their respective assets and components invested in outcomes-driven work to solve societal problems and/or fix issues. This then begs the question, where do we go from here? We asked members of Rockefeller Philanthropy Advisors’ Senior Management Team to share their thoughts as we move forward in 2007 and beyond.
Summer 2006: Faith, Hope and Social Change: One Year After Katrina and Rita
As the anniversaries of Hurricanes Katrina and Rita approach, I recall the profound rage that welled up within me as I watched the horrific images on television and heard the haunting accounts that still remain with me on public radio stations WNYC and WBAI. I was glued to the outpouring of emails from my friend the musicologist and cultural historian Ned Sublette who forwarded alerts, reports and reflections from the likes of well-known figures like Bill Quigley as well as unknown evacuees. I looked at www.nola.com, The Times-Picayune on-line. I spoke with my daughter, my friends and colleagues. I was frustrated, angry and needed outlets to express those feelings. The dismay and the pain of bearing witness to so much suffering by our brothers and sisters demanded a response – both personal and professional. Directing donors and funders to effective relief agencies and efforts was important but not enough. I knew that while disaster relief would attract the largest sums of money, long term recovery wherein issues of equity, racism and justice could be addressed would be the place where philanthropy could truly make a difference. It made a lot of sense to me to help design and create this kind of philanthropic response, and what has resulted is the Gulf Coast Fund for Community Renewal and Ecological Health (the “Gulf Coast Fund”), a collaborative, pooled fund at Rockefeller Philanthropy Advisors.
Spring 2006: A Tale of Three Cities
“It was the best of times; it was the worst of times…” So begins Dickens’ great novel about one of the most tumultuous periods in human history. It was a time of enormous contrasts—between rich and poor, well-being and misery, and political privilege and powerlessness. Today we face similar contrasts in the world: on the one hand, we have colossal economic productivity, technologies that can maneuver vehicles on Mars and cure cancer, democracy at work in Chile and Liberia, information networks spread around the world; and, on the other hand, a growing chasm everywhere between the well-off and the poverty-stricken, pandemics like AIDS and quite possibly bird flu, corruption as a way of life in almost all political systems, environmental destruction on a global scale, and terrorism and violence enhanced with ever more powerful and insidious weapons.
Fall 2005: Environmental Health & Justice: A New Wave of Grantmaking
Innovations in chemistry over the last 50 years have produced tens of thousands of man-made chemicals. Are these safe? How do we know? What is the life cycle of all these chemicals? How are these chemicals regulated? Are the benefits these chemicals provide for human society greater than their negative impact? Since Rachel Carson’s 1962 classic Silent Spring was published over forty years ago, we have seen the emergence of a global environmental health movement that has organized itself in response to the pervasive and often devastating effect that industrial toxic chemicals have had on humans, animals and the natural environment.
Winter 2005: Reflections on the Past, Present & Future: The Legacy of Rockefeller Family Philanthropy
On November 18, 2004, Rockefeller Philanthropy Advisors hosted an event at the Asia Society in New York City that explored the history of the Rockefeller family, their legacy of giving, and the philanthropic principles that have been central to the family through the generations. In the case of the Rockefeller family, the values of early generations and their family history have informed the philanthropy of current generations, helping to shape their priorities and perspectives on giving.
Fall 2004: Where’s the Horizon? Giving While Living, Defining the Endpoint, or Endowing for Perpetuity
How long should a giving program or foundation last? Is it best for donors to distribute all their philanthropic resources in their lifetime? Or should a giving program or foundation be established with a defined goal and endpoint – whether it’s 10, 20 or 30 years? Or is it most effective to endow a foundation that will have permanent giving capacity? Each option has strong proponents, along with clear advantages and distinct drawbacks, and this issue of Linkages examines these three different philosophies.
Summer 2004: Nonprofit Sector in the Spotlight
This June, the Senate Finance committee held a significant hearing on far-ranging concerns about the nonprofit sector, and equally sweeping proposals about how to address these concerns. Widely publicized, the hearings featured testimony from more than a dozen witnesses, including two identified only as Mr. Car and Mr. House, who described fraudulent practices related to automobile donations and housing loans.
Spring 2004: Unlocking the Power of the Proxy
With corporate annual meeting season now underway, shareholders are receiving proxy resolutions and voting materials to inform them of issues for consideration at company annual meetings each year. Investors are encouraged to read the resolutions presented by other shareholders, and vote proxy ballots in accordance with their values.
Winter 2003: Effective Giving: Measuring What Matters
With the end of 2003 in sight, many donors are reflecting on what they’ve been supporting, and the choices they’ve made. Has their giving been effective? Are they achieving results? These uncertain, problematic times make the question even more pressing. While the world’s problems appear ever more urgent, questions of trust and accountability have thrown doubt on both donors and recipients. This issue of Linkages reviews some of the new approaches to assessing results in philanthropy, and suggests how some of these lessons learned can be appliedby individual donors.
Fall 2003: The Environment…New Allies and Approaches
In spite of many efforts over many years, there is widespread agreement that efforts to protect the environment need many more allies. This issue of Linkages focuses on approaches toward increasing public awareness of environmental issues.
Summer 2003: Strengthening Nonprofit Capacity and Effectiveness
With increased demands that nonprofits show results, many funders are helping nonprofits achieve their mission by focusing on their operations, not just their programs. Studies have shown that nonprofits could achieve greater impact by addressing gaps in their organizational capacity. With better information and improved measures, a stronger correlation between capacity building initiatives and social impact may well emerge. The organizations and programs included in this issue represent a wide range of successful domestic and international capacity building efforts around the world.
Spring 2003: Trends in Education: Meeting the Needs of the Whole Child
Our society is rethinking and reorganizing the ways we nurture our children. We are responding in part to significant demographic and cultural changes, while embracing new knowledge about brain function, child development and differences in learning styles. Responsibilities that once belonged to parents and extended families are more widely shared. Schools particularly are expected to do more than teach subject matter. For philanthropy there is significant opportunity to be found in this flux. At this time, particularly, support for education promises both immediate benefits in life prospects of children and a substantial investment in shaping the future. This issue of Linkages offers a wide angle snapshot of a field in transition.
January 2003: Global Efforts to Address Basic Human Needs
As we celebrate the new year, we must also face some alarming statistics about basic human needs worldwide. Today, more people are hungry, homeless and sick than ever before. Approximately one-fourth of the people on earth live in poverty, lacking access to the most basic needs such as food, clothing and shelter. According to the United Nations World Food Programme, there is enough food in the world today for every man, woman and child to lead healthy and productive lives. And yet, hunger afflicts one out of seven people on earth. According to statistics, there are over 1 billion homeless people on our planet who are either directly homeless or do not have adequate access to housing or shelter. In the United States, there are an estimated 700,000 to 2 million men, women and children who are homeless on any given night—living in public places or in emergency shelters. In Europe, that figure is 2.5 million. Feeding the world’s hungry is a monumental task undertaken by nonprofits such as the United Nations World Food Programme (the UN frontline agency in the fight against global hunger) and, more locally, America’s Second Harvest (the nation’s largest hunger relief organization).
Fall 2002: September 11th: One Year Later
news
- Microfinancing on a Macro Budget: May 2008
- A $1-Billion Call for Change: Fed up with America’s descent into debt, an investor starts a philanthropy to press for a new approach
- How some nonprofits successfully obtain funds for operating expenses—keeping the lights on and furthering their missions and programs in the process