Voices from the Field

Philanthropy Needs a New Playbook to Fund Systems Change

Posted on March 30, 2020 by Michael Zakaras, Manmeet Mehta

We are living through an unprecedented, generation-defining moment, full of uncertainty and pain. Naturally, all of us—perhaps especially in philanthropy—are asking ourselves what we can do today to meet an urgent need. But the coronavirus pandemic also underscores the failures of systems—from healthcare to social welfare to wage inequality and food insecurity—that exacerbate the crisis. As we rebuild, we should… Read More

Foundations Can Get More Done by Giving Nonprofits More Power

Posted on October 23, 2015 by Kathleen Enright

For as long as foundations and individuals have given money to charitable causes, the power dynamic has been part of the equation. To many people, the idea that grant makers and nonprofits could work together on equal footing has seemed like a fairy tale, because one of them holds all the resources and decision-making power. In recent years, tension between… Read More