Editors’ Note: HistPhil co-editor Benjamin Soskis traces the negative vibes shifts in the world of big donors to the spread of philanthro-pessimism, the product of a “stewardship trough,” reflecting a crisis of confidence in the power of the wealthy to change the world for good with their giving. Are the vibes off in the world …
Editors’ Note: Pete Jordan discusses the worldview and associated philanthropies of one of the twentieth century’s most successful investors, Sir John Templeton (1912-2008), based on his new book, God’s Philanthropist: John Templeton and the Pursuit of Progress (Oxford, 2026). For many grant-seekers whose ideas challenge the status quo or push fields into uncharted waters, the …
Editors’ Note: Recorded on Monday, Oct. 19th, 2026, this was a virtual discussion between former Hewlett Foundation President Larry Kramer and philanthropy scholar, Dr. Inderjeet Parmar, author of a recently published article critical of the Foundation’s response to perceived crises in US democracy. Kramer and Parmar discussed their respective experiences leading and studying the Hewlett …
Editors’ Note: In this post, Inderjeet Parmar summarizes a journal article he wrote on the Hewlett Foundation, as part of a special section on “The Pathologies of Philanthropy,” edited by Arun Kumar, Sally Brooks, and Jessie Sklair, published in Economy and Society in June 2026. As Parmar notes: “Evidence presented in the main article underscores a damning …
Editors’ Note: Benjamin Soskis examines the emerging trans-ideological coalition in defense of civil society in the U.S., the commitment to “prudential pluralism” that fuels it, and the conception of history on which it stands. If this is a time of peril for U.S. civil society, it is also a time that has established civil society’s …
Editors’ Note: Continuing the live forum on philanthropy vs. charity, George McCully challenges common knowledge by explaining how philanthropy has a longer history than charity. Earlier this week, the forum’s first contributor, Jeremy Beer, offered his thoughts on the charity-philanthropy dichotomy and suggested why a traditional charitable ethic still has much to teach us in the 21st century. The distinction … Continue reading
Several weeks ago, Social Velocity’s Nell Edgington sent us a series of questions asking us to compare and contrast past and present American philanthropy. She has now posted our responses on Social Velocity’s blog. Please visit her site and check out this latest post: “Learning from Philanthropy’s Past: An Interview with the HistPhil Blog.” In this Q&A, Stan discusses two … Continue reading
Editors’ Note: This post launches a new HistPhil forum on the history of the split between charity and philanthropy, and on its contemporary relevance. (And don’t worry, we haven’t wrapped up our philanthropy and education forum entirely yet either). To open the forum, Jeremy Beer, author of The Philanthropic Revolution: An Alternative History of American Charity, offers … Continue reading
Editors’ Note: Continuing the site’s forum on philanthropy & education, Michael Limberg presents some of his ongoing dissertation research on early twentieth century U.S. development in the Near East. By 1920, field workers and administrators of the New York-based humanitarian agency Near East Relief realized they had a problem: they had been extremely successful, perhaps too successful, … Continue reading
Yesterday and today, NYU School of Law’s National Center on Philanthropy and the Law is holding its annual conference, this year on the topic of “Elasticity of the Boundaries: What Is (and Isn’t) Charitable.” HistPhil‘s own Stanley N. Katz delivered an opening paper on the history of those boundaries, “Should We Kill the Goose that Laid the … Continue reading
HistPhil‘s forum on education and philanthropy will be wrapping up in the next few weeks, but we have some exciting plans for the months ahead that we’d like to share with you–and would love your help with. First, we’ll be hosting a forum on the split between philanthropy and charity, featuring posts from Jeremy Beer, … Continue reading
Editors’ Note: This Friday, in Washington, DC, Boston College Law School’s Forum on Philanthropy and the Public Good will be hosting a conference, “The Rise of Donor-Advised Funds: Should Congress Respond.” Among the scholars and policy-makers convening to discuss DAFs is Lila Corwin Berman, Associate Professor of History at Temple University, who will be presenting on … Continue reading
Editors’ Note: Continuing the philanthropy & education forum, Marshall I. Steinbaum and Bernard A. Weisberger discuss the politics of knowledge in U.S. economics associations and universities in the late nineteenth century. Though the authors do not write directly on philanthropy, the piece provides an opportunity to think about the ways that, even today, cultural contexts and individual trustees and … Continue reading
Editors’ Note: With this contribution, Thomas Adam continues the site’s philanthropy & education forum. Rising tuition fees and a lack of scholarship support for an increasing number of college students forces more and more students to finance their university education through student loans. According to the Institute for College Access and Success, in the seven … Continue reading
Today, Fortune published a piece by sociologist Linsey McGoey, “Do today’s philanthropists hurt more than they help?” The author applies the history of philanthropy in furthering her argument on the contemporary state of philanthropic giving in the United States, so we are bringing the piece to readers’ attention. In her indictment of contemporary philanthropic practices, McGoey specifically draws comparisons … Continue reading
Editors’ Note: The philanthropy & education forum continues with this contribution by William Schambra. One thing upon which friends and foes of school choice agree: without the Lynde and Harry Bradley Foundation, the initial education voucher experiment in Milwaukee would never have occurred. As fierce voucher opponent People for the American Way put it in 2003, … Continue reading
Yesterday, the Ford Foundation’s President Darren Walker posted a thoughtful essay on the history of philanthropy and inequality, along with an analysis of how to tackle global inequities today. Since the piece revisits many of the topics that HistPhil contributors discussed during the inequality forum, we wanted to bring the essay to readers’ attention. He also answers quite directly … Continue reading
Editors’ Note: Joan Malczewski continues the site’s philanthropy & education forum. William C. Chance established the Parmele Industrial Institute in Martin County, North Carolina, in 1910. Chance was an experienced educator with great ambitions, but it was difficult in the Jim Crow South to sustain an independent black school. Four years later, when his house was … Continue reading
The Twelfth International Conference of the International Society for Third Sector Research (ISTR) will be taking place this upcoming June-July 2016 at Ersta Sköndal University College in Stockholm, Sweden. I am reaching out to our readers in order to organize a potential panel on the history of philanthropy and foundations for the conference. If you’re interested in joining such … Continue reading
Editors’ Note: Alexander Russo continues the site’s ongoing discussion on philanthropy & education. One of the main concerns about the current era of school reform is that its approach is “top-down” rather than “bottom-up.” That is, the methods and approaches that are used are designed and implemented by consultants and district administrators rather than community … Continue reading
Editors’ Note: George McCully continues the site’s dialogue on philanthropy & education. Recent research into the meaning of the word “philanthropy” by reference to its etymology and history, has revealed that today’s customary usage is a pale reflection of the great tradition, which we would do well now to revive —especially in thinking about philanthropy … Continue reading
In the Summer of 1991 three people who conducted research on the UK voluntary sector and volunteering as well as working in voluntary organisations met at the Coach and Horses, a well-known public house in London’s Soho. After spending months complaining among themselves about the ignorance and lack of interest of people who worked in … Continue reading
Next Tuesday, the National Committee for Responsive Philanthropy will host their first Philamplify debate on “Reform Strategies in Education.” Philamplify is the novel evaluative tool that NCRP designed, using some of the principles of crowd-sourcing, in which the NCRP performs a deep investigation into a single foundation, but also opens up the process to the … Continue reading
Editors’ Note: Robin Rogers argues that philanthropy has undergone great change since the turn of this century, and particularly in the education sector. In her analysis of this “new” philanthropy, she engages with Johann Neem’s and Jeffrey Snyder’s recent contributions to the site’s philanthropy & education forum. Laurene Powell Jobs, Steve Job’s widow, just gave fifty million … Continue reading
Editors’ Note: Jeffrey W. Snyder continues the site’s philanthropy & education forum. Much of the emerging research on philanthropic involvement in K-12 education focuses on the “new” breed of extremely prominent funders like the Gates, Walton, and Broad foundations. These studies are undoubtedly important, and show how this newly emergent group has very defined preferences … Continue reading
