NCRP
The Washington Legal Foundation just published its Summer 2010 edition of Conversations With…
This edition is dedicated to threats to philanthropic freedom and features Former Attorney General of the United States and Pennsylvania Governor Dick Thornburgh leading a discussion with Dr. Larry P. Arnn, President of Hillsdale College; Heather R. Higgins, President and Director of The Randolph Foundation; and Adam Meyerson, President of The Philanthropy Roundtable. The three reflect on the American tradition of philanthropy and the growing movement to impose further government regulation on the philanthropic world.
Further Reading
A new report dismisses arguments to control philanthropy by government
Suzanne Garment (editor of The Philanthropy Roundtable’s recent monograph How Public is Private Philanthropy?) has joined with Leslie Lenkowsky (Center on Philanthropy at Indiana University) to take on arguments for greater government control of philanthropy in a newly released working paper of the Washington Legal Foundation.
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Further Reading
An exclsuive interview on the state of philanthropy today
The Heritage Foundation’s The Insider probes Mr. Dan Peters, president of the Lovett and Ruth Peters Foundation and member of board at the Philanthropy Roundtable, on current challenges to charitable giving and how ACR is responding to those challenges. As Peters notes, “The focus needs to be on allowing the charitable and philanthropic sector to do the kind of work that it has historically done well. Philanthropy is far more efficient, far more focused, far more creative than the government mindset of just handing out money.”
Further Reading
A Discussion of NCRP’s New Benchmarks for Foundations
Date: Thursday, May 28, 2009
Location: Hudson Institute, Washington D.C.
Adam Meyerson, president of The Philanthropy Roundtable, joined a lively panel discussion about The National Committee for Responsive Philanthropy’s report Criteria for Philanthropy at Its Best: Benchmarks to Assess and Enhance Grantmaker Impact. The panel was hosted by the Hudson Institute’s Bradley Center and featured major voices, pro and con, in the debate including NCRP executive director AARON DORFMAN, SHERECE WEST of the Winthrop Rockefeller Foundation, and DONN WEINBERG of the Harry & Jeanette Weinberg Foundation. The Bradley Center’s WILLIAM SCHAMBRA moderated the discussion.
Visit the Hudson website for a transcript of the event.
Further Reading
Adam Meyerson debates Aaron Dorfman on NCRP’s ‘Criteria for Philanthropy at It’s Best’
Date: Tuesday, May 12, 2009
Location: New York City, NY
Adam Meyerson, president of The Philanthropy Roundtable, debated Aaron Dorfman, executive director of the National Committee for Responsive Philanthropy (NCRP), on the impact and merits of the new NCRP report Criteria for Philanthropy at Its Best: Benchmarks to Assess and Enhance Grantmaker Impact. The Debate was hosted by Philanthropy New York.
For a recap and follow up responses from both Meyerson and Dorfman, visit Smart Assets’ blog posting.
The Washington Times, William E. Simon, Jr., Co-Chairman, William E. Simon Foundation
Americans are unrivaled in their generosity. In 2007, Americans gave away a staggering $306 billion. That includes more than $100 billion for religious organizations, $43 billion for education, nearly $30 billion for human services and $23 billion for health-related charities.
Further Reading
The Huffington Post, Paul Brest, President of The William and Flora Hewlett Foundation
In this final post on the National Committee on Responsive Philanthropy’s Criteria for Philanthropy at its Best®, I will discuss its mandate that a foundation must provide “at least 50 percent of its grant dollars to benefit lower-income communities, communities of color, and other marginalized groups, broadly defined.”
NCRP makes a compelling case for philanthropy’s role in addressing poverty and racism as deep systemic and structural problems—so compelling that one can’t help but wonder why the Criteria are focused only on the United States when the vast majority of marginalized groups live in developing countries. Be that as it may, more foundation money for reducing poverty and discrimination, especially if spent strategically, would be valuable. But there are other important social goals as well…
Further Reading
Statement by Terrence Scanlon, President of Capital Research Center
A newly released report from the National Committee for Responsive Philanthropy (NCRP) signals the latest step in a continuing war on donors being waged by nonprofit radical advocacy groups with a leftwing political agenda. These groups, representing political activists and special interests, have developed a social theory to justify the claims they make on philanthropists’ money. According to them, philanthropy betrays its highest ideals unless it gives them grants…
Full the full statement, download the document below.
Further Reading
Article from Paul Brest, President of the William and Flora Hewlett Foundation, in The Huffington Post
Earlier this week, The National Committee for Responsive Philanthropy (NCRP) published a paper entitled Criteria for Philanthropy at its Best: Benchmarks to Assess and Enhance Grantmaking Impact. NCRP starts from the premises, which I share, that philanthropy is seriously underperforming in achieving “social benefit or impact” and in helping “solve the most urgent problems facing our nation and the world,” and that disparities of opportunity, wealth, and power, especially when systematically coupled with race and other personal characteristics, are high among these problems. From these premises NCRP derives prescriptions for both the proper ends and the proper means of philanthropy. With respect to ends, NCRP asserts that no foundation can have as important a goal—whether it be curing cancer or mitigating climate change—than addressing the plight of marginalized communities. Therefore, at least 50 percent of any foundation’s grants must be devoted to this cause…
Further Reading
Statement from Adam Meyerson, President of The Philanthropy Roundtable
“The Philanthropy Roundtable believes that the world of grant-making can benefit from a robust debate about standards of excellence in charitable giving. We therefore applaud the title of a new report by the National Committee for Responsive Philanthropy: Philanthropy at Its Best: Measurable Benchmarks to Assess and Enhance Grantmaker Impact. Unfortunately, the report does not live up to the title’s promise. NCRP’s standards for excellence are too narrow and arbitrary to be a useful guide for grantmakers seeking to improve their performance, or for media and watchdog groups seeking to assess charitable giving…”
Download the full Roundtable statement below.
For more on ACR and the philanthropic community’s response to the NCRP report click on the NCRP button below.
Further Reading
