Voices from the Field

Indian Americans have a long history of philanthropy, and the tradition continues to thrive with the current and next generation. In this piece, Sharmila Rao Thakkar explores the various trends and motivations behind Indian American philanthropy—as well as share more about the first-ever India Giving Day that took place on March 2, 2023 and that will become a new annual… Read More

Editor’s Note: This article is part of an ongoing series on the many forms of family philanthropy, in partnership with the National Center for Family Philanthropy, and produced by Inside Philanthropy’s editorial team. If there were a Disney film about family philanthropy, it might open with a scene from Michael Eisner’s childhood. The L.A.-based philanthropist, former chairman and CEO of… Read More

At CAF America, we support donors who want to build long-term partnerships with local organizations and create meaningful impact, anywhere in the world. This model is particularly relevant when communities we grant to are impacted by natural disasters, political crises, or other emergencies. After responding to the many global emergencies that have occurred over the past few years—from wildfires in… Read More

Editor’s Note: This article is part of an ongoing series on the many forms of family philanthropy, in partnership with the National Center for Family Philanthropy, and produced by Inside Philanthropy’s editorial team. Founded in 1999 and headquartered in Newport Beach, California, Tarsadia Foundation supports nonprofit organizations that provide educational opportunities for the underserved, support health and wellbeing of the… Read More

The Walton Family Foundation is committed to redefining collaboration to have greater impact in the communities it serves. New insights from Generation Z are helping chart a course forward. Sam Walton believed “great ideas come from everywhere if you just listen and look for them.” Look and listen. These actions are at the core of how we learn, opening the… Read More

The San Francisco Bay Area is one of the most prosperous places in the United States, home to technological giants, entrepreneurial universities, and cities where more billionaires per capita reside than almost anywhere else in the world. But the Bay Area is also one of the nation’s most economically unequal places, marked by widening income inequality and under-resourced nonprofits. Alarmed… Read More

Many of us are familiar with the tension between the needs of nonprofits and the giving levels of foundations during economic downturns. At a moment when many nonprofits seek to address increasing challenges in their communities, foundations’ endowments decrease in value, leaving many funders with hard decisions to make about decreasing, increasing, or maintaining grant budgets at previous levels. This… Read More

When I joined Laurene Powell’s team to formalize and scale philanthropy at Emerson Collective, my first goal was to build on the generosity and energy of her early philanthropy. Laurene’s early work in philanthropy was in founding College Track—an organization dedicated to confronting systemic barriers in high education, today serving nearly 4,000 students per year nationwide. From this experience, she… Read More

Over the course of my career in philanthropy and government, I’ve been fortunate to participate in many high-level meetings where key decisions have been made.  All too often, I was the only woman in these rooms—whether I was at the table or in a supporting role. It’s hard to believe that it’s necessary to make the point that women need… Read More

Using Values & Passion as Your Giving Guide Stars Wherever it takes you, the journey towards achieving maximum philanthropic impact starts with your convictions and beliefs about how you might change the world for the better. Values are your guide stars. They guide the choices you make, and the most satisfying and effective philanthropy is built on those deeply held… Read More