I had to read this article in the Palm Beach Post more than once to believe it was true: "Give us bigger slice, local leaders urge MacArthur charity." It seems the commissioners in Palm Beach County, Florida don't like the way the Chicago-based MacArthur Foundation's board is distributing its grants. It's founder, John D. MacArthur, who died in 1978, spent a great deal of time in his well-loved Palm Beach, and local politicians say that his foundation's giving should match that legacy.
The fact that a community is disgruntled about how or what a foundation funds is nothing new — but the fact that local political leaders are challenging that foundation in the press is indicative of a new era. What used to be quiet, private criticisms are now publicly splashed across news media. We all realize by now that society by and large does not realize what foundations do and how they add value, but now the issue has become critical as policy makers, from Congress to local county commissions, are questioning foundation practices and looking at foundation regulations - and assets - with a new eye.
The Philanthropy Awareness Initiative (PAI) will soon release a report that will show just how much (or how little) local policymakers know about foundations, and PAI's leader, Mark Sedway, will share findings and discuss the implications at the SECF 2010 Annual Meeting in Mobile, AL this November. I'm not optimistic about the results of that report, but I am eager to hear Mark's take on it all.
Maybe it is just a "witch hunt" in a time of economic strife, but those of us in the foundation world have no one to blame but ourselves. Philanthropy information has been notably absent in conversations about public policy for decades. We should have been sharing our stories long, long ago.
The fact that a community is disgruntled about how or what a foundation funds is nothing new — but the fact that local political leaders are challenging that foundation in the press is indicative of a new era. What used to be quiet, private criticisms are now publicly splashed across news media. We all realize by now that society by and large does not realize what foundations do and how they add value, but now the issue has become critical as policy makers, from Congress to local county commissions, are questioning foundation practices and looking at foundation regulations - and assets - with a new eye.
The Philanthropy Awareness Initiative (PAI) will soon release a report that will show just how much (or how little) local policymakers know about foundations, and PAI's leader, Mark Sedway, will share findings and discuss the implications at the SECF 2010 Annual Meeting in Mobile, AL this November. I'm not optimistic about the results of that report, but I am eager to hear Mark's take on it all.
Maybe it is just a "witch hunt" in a time of economic strife, but those of us in the foundation world have no one to blame but ourselves. Philanthropy information has been notably absent in conversations about public policy for decades. We should have been sharing our stories long, long ago.
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