NonProfit Quarterly

APRIL 21, 2025

The foundations that have signed the Council of Foundations statement include some of the largest in the United States, such as the Ford Foundation and the Open Society Foundations. We shouldnt have the federal government come in and dictate our giving and our priorities.

Foundations 52

Foundations Civil Society Public and Social Policy Law 52

Stanford Social Innovation Review

MARCH 17, 2025

Certainly, because many nonprofits are being hamstrung by frozen or withdrawn government grants and must respond to many other policy challenges, philanthropy can play an exceedingly valuable role by investing counter-cyclically to ameliorate these headwinds.

Environmental 101

Environmental Civil Society Philanthropy Participation and motivation 101

Philanthropy 2173

OCTOBER 21, 2024

Pick an area of social, economic or political life and I can guarantee you people somewhere are trying to figure out how to govern energy systems, communication sites, health policy, economic policy, political campaigns, and nations in ways that account for our digital dependencies, something the 18th century thinkers were spared.

Civil Society 52

Civil Society Governance Public and Social Policy Energy 52

NonProfit Quarterly

JANUARY 28, 2025

Image Credit: Katt Yukawa on Unsplash Editors Note: This article was republished with permission from the Center for Effective Philanthropy. A recent report from the Lilly Family School of Philanthropy at the University of Indiana notes that the proportion of U.S. Donors Down, Dollars Down? But, today, that pluralism is under threat.

Nonprofit Administration and Development 118

Nonprofit Administration and Development Charitable Organizations Philanthropy Homelessness 118

Philanthropy 2173

NOVEMBER 30, 2023

I want to think about what it means - if anything - for civil society. First, it seems that no one in civil society or the U.S. Second, the OpenAI events show that the nonprofit governance model is not "strong" enough to outweigh the interests of investors.

Nonprofit governance 87

Nonprofit governance Governance Civil Society Non-Profits 87

Stanford Social Innovation Review

FEBRUARY 24, 2025

Were in a period of polycrisis, yet the business world, government, and civil society persist in their siloed approaches to solving it. It also includes making the case to government and helping those in the public sector understand how social innovation can achieve their goals.

Governance 83

Governance Philanthropy Collaborations Finance 83

NonProfit Quarterly

SEPTEMBER 12, 2024

To support South African democracy, philanthropy faces two challenges. The other is that global philanthropy itself is under threat as South African “populist” opposition advocates for so-called “ foreign agent laws.” A Government of National Unity As a response to the dwindling support, the ANC agreed to form a coalition government.

Philanthropy 94

Philanthropy Public and Social Policy Poverty Civil Society 94

Stanford Social Innovation Review

MARCH 23, 2023

From Experimentation to Diffusion of Urban Innovations The innovative role of dynamic cities has been referred to as government by experiment. Experimentation is particularly important for climate governance, where cities have developed new ideas at an impressive rate.

Civil Society 119

Civil Society Public and Social Policy Construction Governance 119

Philanthropy 2173

FEBRUARY 26, 2023

It is derived from lessons learned preparing the Integrated Advocacy report and this article on media coverage of civil society and covid. Just as digital practices and public policy shape online expression and assembly, civil society also shape digital practices and policies. They are entwined with each other.

Public Policy 97

Public Policy Civil Society Philanthropy Governance 97

Philanthropy 2173

FEBRUARY 15, 2023

I have received some self-searching emails about the claims of sexual harassment in the Effective Altruism community, by people in the community (I am not in it) but those are about "culture" and "governance" not the work itself so much.* This is a sector-wide issue.

Civil Society 52

Civil Society Governance Culture Associations 52

Stanford Social Innovation Review

MARCH 11, 2025

The Systemic Climate Action Collaborative is bringing civil society, philanthropy, and public and private institutions to align climate ambitions, pool resources, and share knowledge. Siloed solutions to philanthropy will just not work under the polycrisis paradigm.

Agriculture 69

Agriculture Environmental Civil Society Collaborations 69

Philanthropy 2173

NOVEMBER 4, 2022

We founded the Digital Civil Society Lab at Stanford in 2014 to examine and act on the ways digital dependencies effect civil society. How does a global exoskeleton of corporatized infrastructure and government/corporate data surveillance change how people take collective action? Today, not so much.

Civil Society 52

Civil Society Governance Associations Foundations 52

Philanthropy 2173

MARCH 17, 2020

Governments expanding their surveillance capabilities under the guise of public health, but neatly omitting any plans to "turn it off" when situations change. We all live in digital civil society now. In January, the Digital Civil Society Lab released a report about how this is true, why it matters and what to do about it.

Civil Society 40

Civil Society Public and Social Policy Public Policy Governance 40

Philanthropy 2173

MARCH 27, 2020

I've been arguing for several years now that civil society is dependent on digital systems, which are not neutral, designed with civil society in mind, or inately democratizing. This is the entire premise of the Digital Civil Society Lab. That's another way of saying civil society is digital civil society.

Civil Society 40

Civil Society Governance Activism Associations 40

Stanford Social Innovation Review

MAY 11, 2023

Twenty-five percent of the entire Amazon Basin is on legally recognized Indigenous Territories, which are generally better protected than even government parks and reserves. Even less support has reached rightsholder women , despite the essential role of women in forest management and their exclusion from many governance structures.

Civil Society 119

Civil Society Environmental Public and Social Policy Governance 119

Philanthropy 2173

APRIL 23, 2020

These days I'm not just writing and teaching about digital civil society, I'm watching as people all around me come to realize they're living it everyday. Governments are using the pandemic as an excuse to ban gatherings. Meaningful community organizing is really hard under shelter-in-place conditions.

Civil Society 52

Civil Society Public and Social Policy Public Policy Governance 52

Momentum Nonprofit Partners

FEBRUARY 12, 2024

This undermines the independence and autonomy of the nonprofit sector, blurring the lines between philanthropy and political influence. Clear guidelines on financial reporting, governance structures, and conflict of interest policies can foster transparency without compromising sensitive donor information.

Civil Society 89

Civil Society Public and Social Policy Philanthropy Nonprofits 89

NonProfit Quarterly

SEPTEMBER 10, 2024

At the same time, within this austerity framework, nonprofits increasingly fill holes in sectors ranging from education to healthcare to journalism to social services that we depend on the most and that have been receiving less and less government support. Nonprofits are a feature of tax law and corporate governance laws.

Public and Social Policy 123

Public and Social Policy Law Governance Nonprofits 123

Philanthropy 2173

OCTOBER 9, 2020

In so doing, we have enclosed civil society within the bounds of the marketplace and public sector, obliterating any meaningful sense of an independent sector. In so doing, we have enclosed civil society within the bounds of the marketplace and public sector, obliterating any meaningful sense of an independent sector.

Civil Society 40

Civil Society Nonprofit governance and management Public and Nonprofit Management Universities 40

Stanford Social Innovation Review

AUGUST 30, 2023

We spoke with more than 80 people, representing workers, scholars, unions, the private sector, civil society, philanthropies, and multilateral agencies. Governments around the world must set guardrails and work towards building alternative economic futures, where worker rights and sustainable local economies are centered.

Race and Ethnicity 145

Race and Ethnicity Public and Social Policy Civil Society Governance 145

Stanford Social Innovation Review

SEPTEMBER 8, 2022

Johnson Center for Philanthropy, which points to dozens of breakthroughs where open Form 990 data enabled new insights and practices. Making more robust use of open 990 data requires that nonprofits, foundations, researchers, and the IRS and federal government alike commit to sustained action. A Key to New Insights and Practices.

Public and Social Policy 126

Public and Social Policy Nonprofit governance and management Public and Nonprofit Management Governance 126

NonProfit Quarterly

NOVEMBER 19, 2024

As philosopher Elizabeth Anderson argues in Private Government , people now live most of the time within private authoritarian bureaucracies or firms in which they own nothing, have no authority, and constantly must resist incursions in their private life. is interdependent with the obligations that go with membership in the polity.

Public and Social Policy 102

Public and Social Policy Universities Sociology Civil Society 102

Stanford Social Innovation Review

FEBRUARY 27, 2024

Philanthropy must facilitate the rapid spread of solutions by investing in networks. In my more than 20 years in philanthropy, I’ve observed five essential network features that drive exponential climate solutions. This networking led to the inclusion of civil society, businesses, and local organizations to enhance equity in the plans.

Public and Social Policy 132

Public and Social Policy Energy Nonprofit Administration and Development Collaborations 132

Candid

JULY 2, 2021

The Bill & Melinda Gates , Ford , and Open Society foundations have announced commitments of $2.1 The Generation Equality Forum's organizers estimate that the three-day convening will generate a total of $40 billion in new investments, including $17 billion in government commitments.

Civil Society 91

Civil Society Health Governance Leadership 91

Stanford Social Innovation Review

JULY 12, 2023

By Lior Ipp If you’ve been working in philanthropy for longer than a week, you’ve probably come across a report, analysis, or opinion piece about systems change. It’s everywhere. There are peer groups, conferences, webinars, blogs, and even schools dedicated to systems change.

Civil Society 98

Civil Society Public and Social Policy Philanthropy Food 98

Stanford Social Innovation Review

FEBRUARY 8, 2024

When contemplating migration that can deliver massive income gains to low-income households and benefits to both sending and receiving economies—but must maintain public support in a difficult political climate—public, private, and civil society actors all play important roles in a complex system’s effective functioning.

Public and Social Policy 144

Public and Social Policy Finance Recruitment Poverty 144

Philanthropy 2173

MARCH 5, 2020

Original post Since we started the Digital Civil Society Lab I’ve been invited to countless conferences, workshops, and philanthropic or corporate launches of “some kind of tech” for “some kind of good.” What commercial applications call externalities, civil society and the public sector exist to address. Not enough.

Civil Society 59

Civil Society Ethics Participation and motivation Universities 59

Stanford Social Innovation Review

APRIL 13, 2023

With a growing realization of philanthropy’s power to shape social change agendas—and an aim to make better use of philanthropic funds and better address structural causes of inequity—these practices rebalance power and place decision-making authority closer to the nexus of change.

Collaborations 115

Collaborations Organizational Development Civil Society Nonprofit governance and management 115

NonProfit Quarterly

FEBRUARY 21, 2024

Access to news is key to an engaged civil society, and without it, social worlds shrink and become suffused with disinformation and bias. Mainstream media sometimes offers the kind of investigative reporting that exposes bad corporate actors and sheds light on the power structures governing politics and the economy.

Public and Nonprofit Management 135

Public and Nonprofit Management Nonprofit governance and management Civil Society Foundations 135

Stanford Social Innovation Review

MARCH 13, 2024

Do lead naming gifts actually stimulate high-level philanthropy from other donors and is that what motivates HNWIs to make such charitable contributions? My research finds otherwise and implicates current legal constructs and fundraising practices that continue to privilege the self-interests of donors over beneficiaries and society.

Ethics 122

Ethics Public and Social Policy Universities Philanthropy 122

NonProfit Quarterly

FEBRUARY 27, 2024

The report shows similar trends when it comes to “working in a planning group with government,” “responding to requests for information from government,” and “releasing research to public or government” (11).

Health 81

Health Civil Society Governance Public Policy 81

Philanthropy 2173

OCTOBER 27, 2020

Alt Headline: Thoughts on Non-public digital infrastructure for civil society. Registering nonprofit organizations and requiring certain reporting is one of the key ways that governments set the bounds of civil society. Its one of the many manifestations of civil society as an artifact of government action.

Civil Society 40

Civil Society Nonprofit governance and management Public and Nonprofit Management Governance 40

NonProfit Quarterly

APRIL 8, 2025

Which is why today we are announcing a public solidarity sign-on campaign to support philanthropys freedom to give. We know the risk of standing up to a hostile government. Philanthropy is often slow by design. And when we tell our story, lets do it in plain languagenot philanthropy speak. But complacency is complicity.

Philanthropy 139

Philanthropy Civil Society Foundations Law 139

Candid

DECEMBER 17, 2024

How funders can help civil society prepare for climate-related shocks Support organizing groups and build climate connectivity Just as voter data drives outreach efforts, climate data must become similarly accessible and meaningful. The early design work was supported by Schmidt Futures and U.S.

Civil Society 98

Civil Society Governance Philanthropy Energy 98

Stanford Social Innovation Review

SEPTEMBER 11, 2024

By Tim Hanstad To build an equitable and sustainable society, the social sector cannot take the place of the government, as Mark Kramer and Steve Phillips recently observed ; “Only government has the capacity to address social and environmental problems on a national scale.

Public and Social Policy 130

Public and Social Policy Civil Society Governance Poverty 130

Stanford Social Innovation Review

SEPTEMBER 28, 2023

To date, most funders investing in artificial intelligence—including McGovern, Schmidt Futures, and Open Philanthropy—have focused primarily on understanding AI’s potential risks, or supporting AI’s positive impacts on society, in the longer-term. Understanding, and developing guidelines and guardrails for, government use of AI.

Civil Society 127

Civil Society Public and Social Policy Nonprofit governance and management Governance 127

Stanford Social Innovation Review

FEBRUARY 6, 2023

Within the social sector, nonprofit organizations and philanthropists are facing demands for greater inclusion, power-sharing, and more democratic governance. False Dichotomies by Matthew Bishop & Michael Green Philanthrocapitalism Is Not Social Change Philanthropy by Kavita Ramdas America is a failing state.

Civil Society 111

Civil Society Public and Social Policy Philanthropy Sociology 111