Family Foundation

In June 1998 the New York Regional Association of Grantmakers held a forum on "Conflicting Visions of Philanthropy" and I was invited to place the recent criticism of the field of philanthropy in historical perspective. [See page 44 for a short report on the session as a whole.] My objective at the forum, and in this revision of those remarks, is to put the problem in bold historical relief and to provide a context for understanding the long tradition of criticism of foundations and philanthropy. In doing so, I want to make five basic points.

1.

The past year has brought forward several thoughtful investigations into the future of nonprofit leadership. Among other commentaries, Investing in Leadership by Betsy Hubbard (Volume 1) and Kathleen P. Enright (Volume 2) — published by Grantmakers for Effective Organizations — and Daring to Lead, 2006, by Jeanne Bell, Richard Moyers, and Timothy Wolfred — published by CompassPoint and the Meyer Foundation — are thoughtful and meaty.

This article is dedicated by the author to the memory of Mois Cruz Sánchez. Moisés, like Filemon, was a native of San Juan Mixtepec in La Mixteca in Oaxaca. He was a migrant farmworker. His dream was that Mixteco citizens in his village elect one of their own to the village governing body, independent of the local caciques [political bosses]. He fulfilled that dream and was elected mayor of his village four years ago. He also worked for the transnational organizing of the Mixteco people and founded an organization for that work.

In October 2005, the Canada Council for the Arts published preliminary findings in a study, "Comparisons of Arts Funding in Selected Countries." This research on the part of the Council is intended to "support the case that additional arts funding is needed in Canada in order for Canadian arts organizations and artists to thrive and to function on the same level as their peers in other countries." Its findings are available on the Canada Council's web site.

Donors' Guide to Gulf Coast Relief & Recovery
2006, 71 pages. New York Regional Association of Grantmakers, 79 Fifth Avenue, Fourth Floor, New York, NY 10003-3076, 212-714-0699

PDF available for download at the organization's website.

Giving in the Aftermath of the Gulf Coast Hurricanes
2006, 29 pages. Foundation Center, 79 Fifth Avenue, New York, NY 10003, 800-424-9836

PDF available for download at the organization's website.

2006. International Federation of Arts Councils and Culture Agencies , 372 Elizabeth St, Surry Hills Sydney, PO Box 788, Strawberry Hills 2012 NSW, Australia, info@ifacca.org

2006, 277 pages. Routledge, 270 Madison Avenue, New York, NY 10016

Operating outside governments and markets, able to take risks and accept failure, free to cross sectors and redefine professional boundaries

2006, available online. Center for Arts Policy, Columbia College Chicago, 600 S. Michigan Ave., Chicago, IL 60605, 312-344-7985

What do Cirque du Soliel and acid mine drainage have in common? And how do they relate to arts and democracy? You can explore these questions and learn about many other surprising combinations in this mind-expanding new "cyber series" now being distributed free of charge by the Center for Arts Policy at Columbia College Chicago.

2006, 27 pages. Metropolitan Regional Arts Council, 2324 University Avenue West, Suite 114, Saint Paul, Minnesota 55114, 651-645-0402, www.mrac.org

Download pdf at The Bush Foundation website

"Harmony is not an arts destination. We seek the arts at the core of everyday lives. We simply want a more solid community, a well-rounded community, beauty in our lives." — Paula Michel, Harmony Arts Council

"Return with me now to those thrilling days of yesteryear