The December 2017 issue of Alliance is out. It’s been completely re-designed (for the first time in over a decade) and includes an in-depth feature on philanthropy and the media. Guest edited by the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation’s Miguel Castro, we profile philanthropists who own or back media, showcases existing foundation programmes on investigative journalism and combating fake news and offer perspectives on philanthropy from leading media titles such as Spiegel Online, The Guardian and the BBC. In addition, I also write about why enlightened foundations should fund us – the philanthropy media. The new issue also contains the first ever interview – anywhere – with the founder of the Netherlands-based Adessium Foundation, Gerard van Vliet.

All of this content is free to view thanks to sponsorship from the Democracy and Media Foundation.

You might also have seen in recent weeks some powerful and profound critiques of current philanthropy practice penned by members of the Alliance editorial board, Halima Mahomed and Timothy Ogden.

Halima’s piece highlights the tensions between often lauded corporate philanthropy programs and the tax avoidance practices of their parent corporations. Against the backdrop of the Panama and Paradise papers, Halima writes about the ‘tax elephant in the philanthropy room’ www.alliancemagazine.org/analysis/global-corporations-avoid-millions-tax-philanthropy-benefitting

Tim’s piece (co-authored with Laura Starita) looks at foundation investments in arms and tobacco. The piece explains why foundations invest in arms and tobacco companies, calls for greater transparency about these investments and sets out conditions under which such investments might be justified.www.alliancemagazine.org/analysis/conflict-interests-foundations-invest-arms-tobacco

Both pieces seek to take on difficult issues in a constructive, nuanced and thoughtful way. As a ‘critical friend’ to the sector, my job as editor of Alliance is to raise issues for discussion and open up debate. Please feel free to comment at the foot of both pieces or send me your reaction and we’ll consider it for publication on the Alliance blog. 

Happy reading!

Our new issue is out this week on 5 September 2017. In it, we discuss philanthropy’s diversity predicament. Here’s my editorial:

Philanthropy reflects the elites not the streets

‘Nothing about us without us’ was a slogan coined by disability rights activists to communicate the idea that no policy should be decided by any representative without the full and direct participation of members of the group(s) affected.

Many working in philanthropy would be sympathetic to this principle. Being in touch with the people you aim to serve is not just a sound moral imperative but also likely to make an effective philanthropic strategy. A lack of diversity on boards and at staff level ‘probably limits their intelligence about what is happening on the ground’ notes European Foundation Centre chief executive, Gerry Salole, who suggests that foundations would be well advised to ‘reflect the streets’.

Yet, judging by the contributions to this issue, philanthropy’s own workforce remains dogged by a lack of diversity, representation and inclusion. Gaps between richer/whiter people (the foundations) and poorer/darker people (the beneficiaries) emerge strongly in the issue.

Some will shrug their shoulders and say: ‘so what?’ After all, society gives philanthropy freedom to decide how to allocate resources without telling it who should be employed to do the job. Moreover, institutional philanthropy is a product of the privately accumulated wealth of elites – it’s an ‘elitist sport’, as Salole put it in an Alliance interview last year.

A central question, then, is how to reconcile philanthropy’s elitism and relative freedom on the one hand with a case for democratizing it on the other?

This is the challenge examined in our special feature. Our guest editors and contributors offer perspectives from India, Indonesia, South East Asia, Europe and the US. They document the lack of diversity in foundations, why they see this as problematic, and what they think should be done. There are some bold and provocative proposals.

Their challenge to philanthropy is: if you want to do the most good, you need to reflect the make-up of wider society. To an alarming number of its own practitioners, philanthropy simply appears out of touch.

While our guest editors and some contributors are optimistic that progress can be made, I’m more sceptical. Rather than trying to make philanthropy something it’s not, maybe it’s time to acknowledge that philanthropy’s make-up might be a symptom of society’s most pressing challenges as much as a solution to them.

I invite you to join the debate.

For the full issue see http://www.alliancemagazine.org/magazine

Our new issue is out. Read it here http://www.alliancemagazine.org/magazine/issue/june-2017/

‘We are far more united and have far more in common with each other than things that divide us.’

These were the words of Jo Cox in her maiden speech to the UK Parliament on 3 June 2015. On 16 June 2016, just over one year later, Cox was murdered on her way to a meeting in her constituency.

This issue’s special feature, guest edited by King Baudouin Foundation’s Stefan Schäfers, explores the complex and sensitive relationship between philanthropy and solidarity. Schäfers argues that to maintain our shared humanity and common bonds we must acknowledge that solidarity ‘is used in different contexts, by different people and for different reasons’ and our language of solidarity must adapt to these realities. 

In a powerful joint statement, foundation associations in the US, Canada, Brazil and the UK come together to write about what they have in common and how they are creating space for their members to navigate the issues of the day. 

This issue is dedicated to the family and friends of Jo Cox, and to all those who aspire to live up to philanthropy’s ideals – to love humanity – who continue to show that we have far more in common with each other than things that divide us.

The spring 2017 edition of Alliance is out with a special feature on the links – and gaps – between philanthropy scholars and practitioners.

http://www.alliancemagazine.org/magazine/issue/march-2017/

Here’s the text of my editorial introducing the new issue:

Philanthropy is now achieving global academic visibility. The world’s first school of philanthropy opened in the US in 2013 and new philanthropy centres and chairs have emerged in recent years in Africa, India and Europe. Such interest is likely to intensify as philanthropists assume growing influence over public policy and practice. Yet the study of philanthropy remains relatively small compared to scholarship and teaching on politics, government and business. To date, there is limited awareness of why it might be important to study philanthropy, what we need to know about philanthropy and how much priority should be given to informing policy and practice.

This edition of Alliance seeks to offer readers an introduction to these questions and to open a bridge between academics and practitioners. We begin with an outline of current provision. This survey, while not definitive, documents the remarkable growth in philanthropy studies in the last five years and highlights the range of disciplines, topics and levels in which the academic world engages philanthropy.

A series of articles highlight why scholarship on philanthropy is important and what it can offer. Paul Ramsbottom and Patricia Rosenfield describe the largely untapped potential of history and historical archives to foundation practitioners, while René Bekkers emphasizes the need for and uses of reliable giving data.

We also look at the remarkable growth in teaching about philanthropy. Here we offer viewpoints from student-led courses on effective altruism and experiential philanthropy to executive education for existing foundation professionals.

We then go on to consider what practitioners say they need from academia, especially in regions and countries in which institutional philanthropy is emerging. We hear from Bheki Moyo about plans for Africa’s first chair in philanthropy, as well as from pioneering figures in India, Chile, Mexico and Canada. These perspectives show how academic interest in philanthropy is developing in response to the particular context that each country or region faces.

As academic interest in philanthropy heats up worldwide, we also seek to draw out some of the challenges and difficult issues along the way: from balancing academic rigour and practitioner relevance to the spectre of conflicts of interest as philanthropy essentially funds research into itself.

Finally, this edition continues the controversial debate on whether foundations should be compelled to make mandatory payouts. In our last issue Cathy Pharaoh argued that mandatory payouts make little sense and lead to the worst of both worlds – no long-term increase in resources and a reduction in the freedom of foundations to decide on their own spending levels. Jake Hayman and Angela Kail continue the debate on these pages and we invite you to join them by contributing your views.

The December 2016 issue of Alliance is here

http://www.alliancemagazine.org/magazine/issue/december-2016/

#ShiftThePower: The rise of community philanthropy

According to Jennifer Buffett and Peter Buffett, ‘the most radical way to advance meaningful change is to shift economic, social and cultural power to those who don’t have it.’  This edition of Alliance looks at the rise of community philanthropy – the idea that development should be owned by local people and not imposed from the outside.

Community philanthropy’s advocates argue that, in addition to being socially just, this approach is the key to sustainable development. Others argue that community philanthropy needs to go further in tackling some difficult issues if it is to fulfil its promise. This edition coincides with and features participants from the first ever Global Summit on Community Philanthropy taking place in Johannesburg on 1-2 December 2016.

The autumn edition of Alliance magazine is out.

http://www.alliancemagazine.org/magazine/issue/september-2016/

Philanthropy’s capacity to influence society has arguably never been greater or more sought after. Governments see in philanthropy a flexible source of capital and expertise and opportunities for public-private partnership. Philanthropy sees in government the opportunity to shape public policy, bring ideas to scale and seek recognition for its partners and, in some cases, for itself. Meanwhile, civil society relies on philanthropic funding to give it the freedom to challenge orthodoxy. Businesses, rhetorically at least, seek to position themselves as philanthropic and attuned to the needs of communities.

This issue of Alliance looks at the rise of philanthropic influence. In recent years, foundations have used their resources to effect change on diverse issues, some of which we spotlight. This is a cause for satisfaction to those who see philanthropic impact as a holy grail (and to those who are sympathetic to the changes achieved). Moreover, to guest editors Ingrid Srinath and Bhekinkosi Moyo in India and South Africa, philanthropy is an underused commodity. They paint a picture of hopes that far more wealthy citizens will not only contribute their wealth but do so in a way that shares power with beneficiaries and civil society.

But should countries with emerging philanthropic capacity be careful what they wish for?

My first edition as editor of Alliance magazine is out now.

http://www.alliancemagazine.org/magazine/issue/june-2016/

The landmark Paris Agreement, adopted on 12 December 2015, is central to global efforts to combat climate change. What contribution should philanthropy make to these efforts? Our June 2016 edition presents the latest science and data on climate philanthropy. The first part, edited by Michael Northrop of Rockefeller Brothers Fund, highlights the opportunities for philanthropy to consolidate the achievements at Paris especially in reforestation, renewable energy and cities. The second part, edited by Nnimmo Bassey and Terry Odendahl of Global Greengrants Fund, delves between the gaps to document the ways in which philanthropy must focus on climate justice and the needs of the most marginalized. The final section presents perspectives on the case for divesting assets from fossil fuels and ends with a shared view from guest editors on the journey ahead.

This edition of Alliance also features interviews with the Geneva-based Oak Foundation about its new climate justice initiative and Heron Foundation’s Clara Miller and Toni Johnson about the most radical idea in philanthropy.

I am delighted to be taking up a new position as Acting Editor of Alliance magazine in January 2016. Alliance is a leading source of news and analysis in the world of philanthropy, and I am looking forward to joining the team in my first editorial role.

At the end of this month, I will be stepping down from the Oxford Centre for the Study of Philanthropy. The need for more scholarship is undoubted and it has been a privilege to have had the opportunity to lay foundations for the Centre in its first phase building on my recent study of philanthropy education.

The full text of my new job announcement is below and a link to some earlier pieces for Alliance is here http://www.alliancemagazine.org/?s=Charles+Keidan

I look forward to working with you in 2016.

******

Alliance Magazine appoints new Acting Editor

We are very pleased to announce the appointment of Charles Keidan as Acting Editor of Alliance magazine. 

Charles joins the organisation with over a decade of philanthropy sector experience having previously worked as Executive Director of Pears Foundation and more recently the Oxford Centre for the Study of Philanthropy as well as teaching and research roles at Stanford University and City University London.

The Board of Trustees and all Alliance staff are enthusiastic about this appointment. We are planning many new developments for 2016 and we look forward to continuing to serve the sector and expand Alliance’s reach with Charles onboard for the first half of the year.

Alliance Publishing Trust will be recruiting for a permanent Editor in the New Year.  

Speaking of his appointment, Charles said “I am delighted to assume the role of Acting Editor of Alliance. During the decade that I have read and contributed to the magazine, I have come to regard Alliance as an invaluable source of insight and expertise on philanthropy. I know this view is widely shared across the global philanthropy community so it is a special responsibility, and honour, to take on this role. I look forward to working with the Alliance team and to building upon deep foundations laid by the Alliance Publishing Trust Trustees, the Editorial Advisory Board and, in particular, long-standing former editor, Caroline Hartnell.”

Charles can be contacted at charles@alliancemagazine.org