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Philanthropy and Inequality

Philanthropy is Capable of Addressing Inequality Effectively

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Editors’ Note: Today, we begin a discussion on philanthropy and inequality with posts by HistPhil co-founder Maribel Morey and, below, by Faith Mitchell, president and CEO of Grantmakers in Health (GIH).  James Crawford, my great-great grandfather, was an American taxpayer who could not vote or own property. His children were able to attend school only when … Continue reading →

Philanthropy and Inequality

Will Ford’s Equality Initiative Be Radical or More of the Same?

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Editors’ Note: Taking the Ford Foundation’s equality program as a starting point of conversation, HistPhil is hosting a forum on the past and present relationship between philanthropy and inequality in the United States. Today, we begin this discussion with posts by HistPhil co-editor Maribel Morey and then by Faith Mitchell, president and CEO of Grantmakers in … Continue reading →

Philanthropy in the News

What it means to think historically about philanthropy

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Broadly conceived, HistPhil is dedicated to encouraging the philanthropic and nonprofit sectors to think historically about their work. What, precisely, this means in practice is still something of an open question. Two recent op-eds have helped me in approaching an answer. In The Chronicle of Philanthropy, Tom Watson celebrates the Ford Foundation’s recently announced commitment … Continue reading →

Philanthropy and Democracy

What if Tocqueville had travelled to Prussia, instead of the U.S.?

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Editors’ Note: Earlier this week, Olivier Zunz and Emma Saunders-Hastings discussed Alexis de Tocqueville’s views on philanthropy, with Saunders-Hastings arguing that the sector today is more aristocratic than democratic in the Tocquevillian sense. Responding to this ongoing conversation on Tocqueville’s observations of American life, Thomas Adam explains that philanthropy is not unique to democracies nor does it necessarily signal a … Continue reading →

Philanthropy and Democracy

Is American Philanthropy Really Democratic in the Tocquevillian Sense?

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Editors’ Note: In an earlier post, Olivier Zunz outlined Alexis de Tocqueville’s thoughts on associations and philanthropy. Here, Emma Saunders-Hastings argues that, while many individuals have noted Tocqueville’s remarks on philanthropy as highlighting the special place of philanthropy in American life, the sector today is more aristocratic than democratic in the Tocquevillian sense.   Alexis de Tocqueville’s Democracy in America gives … Continue reading →

Philanthropy and Democracy

Alexis de Tocqueville on Associations and Philanthropy

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Editors’ Note: In the past weeks, HistPhil contributors such as Larry Kramer and Olivier Zunz have made mention of Alexis de Tocqueville in their respective Q&As. Here, Olivier Zunz goes into further detail on the nineteenth-century French scholar’s thoughts on associations and philanthropy. In a subsequent post, Emma Saunders-Hastings asks whether American philanthropy today is democratic in the … Continue reading →

In remembrance

Peter Dobkin Hall (1946-2015)

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Editors’ Note: On April 30, American philanthropic and nonprofit history lost one of its leading scholars. Peter Dobkin Hall’s work — ambitious, provocative, and meticulously researched — helped define the field, sparking debate and seeding lines of research inquiry, as did his leadership in organizations and institutions such as ARNOVA, Yale’s Program on Nonprofit Organizations, and … Continue reading →

In remembrance

What I Shared With Peter Dobkin Hall

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Editors’ Note: On April 30, American philanthropic and nonprofit history lost one of its leading scholars, Peter Dobkin Hall. Today, HistPhil offers reflections on the man and his work from two of Hall’s colleagues. The first tribute is by David C. Hammack, followed by this second one by George E. Marcus. Another moving tribute to Hall, from legal scholar … Continue reading →

From the Editors

On OpenDemocracy: An Analysis of the Ford Foundation’s New Mission

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Earlier today, openDemocracy published an insightful piece by Erica Kohl-Arenas examining the Ford Foundation’s new mission to eradicate inequality. In “Can philanthropy ever reduce inequality,” the author questions whether the Foundation will stray from the history of U.S. philanthropy and attack “inequality at its roots” instead of simply promoting “the tradition of individualized ‘racial uplift’ or ‘self-help’ that calls for assimilation, … Continue reading →

New Works in the Field

The 19th Cent: When Humanitarianism Meant Something Different

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Editors’ Note: Below, Abigail Green discusses some of the central claims in one of her most recent academic pieces, “Humanitarianism in Nineteenth-Century Context: Religious, Gendered, National” (The Historical Journal, Dec. 2014).  In a subsequent post, Amanda Moniz responds to Green’s article.  Teaching at Oxford, I’m familiar with the idea that ‘you have to understand the past to understand the present’: … Continue reading →

New Works in the Field

Responding to Abigail Green’s “Humanitarianism in Nineteenth-Century Context”

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Editors’ Note: In another post on this site, Abigail Green discusses some of the central claims in one of her most recent academic pieces, “Humanitarianism in Nineteenth-Century Context: Religious, Gendered, National” (The Historical Journal, Dec. 2014). Below, Amanda Moniz responds to Green’s article.  Historian or practitioner, our shared interest in the past, present, and future of philanthropy and humanitarianism makes us a … Continue reading →

New Works in the Field

SHAFR’s Annual Conference: Discussing Philanthropy, Humanitarianism, and Human Rights

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Editors’ Note: In late June, the annual meeting of the Society for Historians of American Foreign Relations (SHAFR) took place in Washington DC; and in an earlier post on this site, we noted that some of its panels would be of interest to HistPhil readers. Here, Amanda Moniz provides us with a snapshot of conversations on philanthropy, humanitarianism, and … Continue reading →

From the Editors

In The Boston Review: Forum on the Logic of Effective Altruism

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In the current issue of The Boston Review, Peter Singer opens a debate on the logic of effective altruism. Respondents include Daron Acemoglu, Angus Deaton, Jennifer Rubenstein, Larissa MacFarquhar, Leila Janah, Emma Saunders-Hastings, Rob Reich, Paul Brest, Iason Gabriel, András Miklós, and Catherine Tumber. This forum is definitely worth a read for anyone interested in analyzing what it means … Continue reading →

Philanthropy and Historical Research

A Call for More Transnational Histories of Philanthropy

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Editors’ Note: To our readers in the U.S., welcome back from a long holiday weekend! We continue our discussion of the field with the below post by Thomas Adam. In the next week, we will be discussing philanthropy and humanitarianism on the global stage. As always, though, please reach out to HistPhil‘s editors with commentary and … Continue reading →

Philanthropy and Democracy / Philanthropy and Historical Research

Q&A with Hewlett Foundation President Larry Kramer

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Editors’ Note: The following is a conversation between Hewlett Foundation President Larry Kramer and HistPhil co-founder Maribel Morey. It was conducted via email in February and early March, and inspired by Kramer’s 2015 Roberts Lecture at Penn Law “‘To Adjust These Clashing Interests’: Negotiation and Compromise as Core Constitutional Values.” A constitutional scholar and historian who is now a foundation president, Larry Kramer … Continue reading →

Philanthropy in the News

What is New about Sean Parker’s Vision for Philanthropy?

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Editors’ Note: Whether it was meant to or not, the publicity roll-out for tech mogul Sean Parker’s Parker Foundation makes a series of historical arguments and raises a host of questions that are worth grappling with. What is really new about what Parker calls “hacker philanthropy?” What should we make about Parker’s arguments, best expressed in his Wall … Continue reading →

Current Events and Philanthropy

Obergefell (2015): A Time for Reflection on the Role of Philanthropy in a Democracy

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This past Friday, the U.S. Supreme Court held in Obergefell v. Hodges that the Fourteenth Amendment requires a state to license a marriage between two people of the same sex and to recognize similar marriages licensed and performed out-of-state. Of course, this decision will be celebrated by marriage equality activists and supporters, like myself, and … Continue reading →

Philanthropy and Historical Research

A Historian in a Management-Oriented Field

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Editors’ Note: With this piece by Peter C. Weber, we continue our discussion on the history of philanthropy.  It is not always easy being a historian of philanthropy in a field that is an increasingly management-oriented one. As I am starting my first academic position as Director of Nonprofit Leadership Studies at Murray State University, … Continue reading →