Rep. John Lewis, who devoted his life to racial justice and equality, died July 17, 2020 at 80. As a student, he, with many others, “was inspired to go to non–violence workshops, to study love, […]
This paper is the culmination of five years’ work evaluating Ford Foundation’s portfolio of grants, “Community Philanthropy and Racial Equity in the American South.” It is based on reflective, focused, and appreciative conversations with nearly 100 philanthropic organizations operating in both African American and White American settings. […]
This piece seeks to show opportunities for philanthropy to intervene in the often-dismal life trajectory of vulnerable populations. Written while a Resident Scholar at the Clinton School of Public Service (Center for Community Philanthropy) at […]
Philanthropy by definition is a noble endeavor. Yet people want to know, “what good does philanthropy do?” The answer is hard to get, partly because philanthropy doesn’t really want to know, and evaluation doesn’t really know how to serve up good answers. This article illuminates the dilemma. […]
The killing of Trayvon Martin raises the prospect of a deadly racial disparity: unequal enforcement of “stand your ground” legislation. A stand your ground law states that a person may use force in self-defense when […]
Op-Ed: Philanthropy Must Address Structural Inequities (pdf) Pathways to Progress: Moving Philanthropy Closer to Social Justice and Racial Equity. Developed with support from the Ford Foundation. By Steven E. Mayer. Until foundations address the structural inequities […]
Sleuthing for Evidence If “making a difference” is my goal, where would I look for evidence of success? Well, it is easy to look in all the wrong places. My previous post, (Effective Philanthropy: Making […]
“We must reject the idea – well-intentioned but dead wrong – that the primary path to greatness in the social sectors is to become ‘more like a business.’” This is Jim Collins’ opening statement in […]
Living in Minneapolis I’ve followed the life of our dearly beloved Prince perhaps more than others have. I’d heard nothing, though, about Prince’s philanthropy. So at his untimely death, I was very struck by Van […]
Since I made such a big thing about dignity in my last post, can we acknowledge something like a “dignity gap?” Not trying to introduce new jargon, but the notion is this: We’re familiar with […]
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