Think Tanks & Research
Most Recent
This Low-Profile Donor Is Giving $30 Million for SCOTUS Reform. Will Others Join Him?
Jim Kohlberg’s surprise commitment to the Brennan Center for Justice raises the question of how many others will join the court reform movement — and if their money will land in time to make a difference.
Bill Drayton on Ashoka’s Work to Make “Everyone a Changemaker”
Ideas like “social entrepreneurship” and “changemaking” show up everywhere today, and that has a lot to do with Drayton and the global organization he founded. Here’s a look at Ashoka’s work and backing, and what’s next.
Gates Sticks With U.S. Antipoverty Giving, But Deeper Structural Questions Remain
In a year-end update, the Gates Foundation announced $100 million in new stateside antipoverty commitments. But amid sky-high wealth inequality, the chances that billionaire giving will get to the roots of the problem remain slim.
A Foundation’s Bid to Build Access and Change Narratives Around Government Spending
As a torrent of federal funding comes online, the Marguerite Casey Foundation is aiming to help shift public resources toward historically excluded communities and change the conversation around government spending.
After Nearly a Century Funding Science, the Sloan Foundation Is Searching for Answers Near and Far
We checked in with the president of the Alfred P. Sloan Foundation, one of the country’s longest-running backers of science, math, economics and technology, to learn about the foundation’s wide-ranging mix of interests.
Philanthropy’s $9 Trillion Blind Spot
By the numbers, government spending dwarfs philanthropy. Guest author Loren McArthur argues that by pushing forcefully for a more progressive tax system, funders can harness that scale to advance equity-oriented goals.
The D.C. Power List: The Most Influential Philanthropists Shaping National Policy
Top philanthropists have become ever more adept at working the levers of power in order to shape federal policy. Here are the living donors who wield the most influence in the nation’s capital.
Jeff Yass Is One of America’s Biggest Political Donors. What Does His Philanthropy Look Like?
With a fortune of $28.5 billion, the Wall Street winner has deep libertarian beliefs that form the basis for his vast political giving and more modest philanthropic record — which does come with some interesting twists.
What a Big Gift to the Heritage Foundation Says About the State of Conservative Philanthropy
The Diana Davis Spencer Foundation recently committed $25 million to the Heritage Foundation, not surprising giving its longtime support. But the gift also reflects tensions in conservative giving.
Arts, Education, Conservative Policy and More. How the Kovners Are Tapping a Hedge Fund Fortune
Bruce and Suzie Kovner are major backers of arts institutions like the Juilliard School, along with several right-leaning think tanks. The New York couple’s giving holds some interesting twists too.
Billionaire Paul Singer Is an Activist Investor, GOP Megadonor and Philanthropist. What Does He Fund?
Ultra-wealthy investor and GOP power broker Paul Elliott Singer has a sizable foundation that backs Jewish causes, conservative think tanks and more. Here’s what we know.
After Pooling Their Money to Take on Corporate Monopoly, Funders See Signs of Progress
The Economic Security Project’s Antimonopoly Fund spent three years backing a variety of fronts in the battle against bigness. The movement has notched some wins, but will funders stick with it over the long haul?
Think Tank Leaders Don’t Lack for Ideas, But Fundraising Can Still Be Brutal
Think tanks play a vital role in philanthropy’s efforts to incubate ideas and affect the course of policy. But on the left at least, many think tank leaders find themselves perennially chasing grants.
Crusaders: The Philanthropic Funders That Helped Bring an End to Roe v. Wade
Seeing themselves as underdogs in an increasingly ungodly nation, zealous anti-abortion funders played a role in conservatives’ long quest for philanthropic leverage. For them, the Supreme Court has been a choice prize.
What Can Philanthropy Do to Curb Polarization? A Conversation with Steve Teles
IP Editor David Callahan talks with political scientist Steve Teles about the surprisingly plentiful opportunities for funders to work across the ideological divide on issues like housing, criminal justice and more.
Dear MacKenzie and Dan: Advice for America’s Biggest Donors
IP founder David Callahan lays out some big ideas for how MacKenzie Scott and her husband Dan Jewett can build on their historic philanthropy to better take on America’s entrenched economic and political inequality.
Philanthropists Make a Splash Paying off Student Loans, but Few Are Pushing for Debt Cancellation
Students are naturally euphoric when a big donor steps in and pays off their debt. But even as the federal government mulls cancellations that might help millions, philanthropic support for advocacy around the issue is paltry at best.
Where’s David Rockefeller When We Need Him? Ukraine and the Case for Peacebuilding
Philanthropic funding for global peace and security has been trending down for a long time. Will the war in Ukraine make a difference? And how should peacebuilding philanthropy evolve to face 21st-century problems?
Round Four: Here’s What You Need to Know About MacKenzie Scott’s Latest List of Gifts
At long last, our two-time winner for Philanthropist of the Year has dropped another Medium post—this time with the names of grantees included. Here are some key takeaways.
Five Things to Know About MacKenzie Scott’s Latest Round of Gifts
The groundbreaking grantmaker left it to her latest grantees to publicize their gifts—or not. Since then, there’s been a steady stream of gift announcements, some of them massive. Here’s what you need to know.
Here’s What Stands Out About Hewlett’s Brainy Bid to Push Past Neoliberalism
The Hewlett Foundation is on a quest to fund a new “intellectual paradigm” that’ll replace neoliberalism and ground the future economy. It complements other economic justice funding, but is a clear outlier.
Lots of Climate Funders Back One of Real Estate’s Most Influential Professional Networks. What Gives?
Why do so many climate funders back the Urban Land Institute, a major professional network for the emissions-heavy real estate sector? We take a look at this intriguing corner of philanthropy.
How MacArthur Is Winding Down 40 Years of Nuclear Security Funding
The MacArthur Foundation has funded global nuclear security since the 1980s, and is now in the process of wrapping up the program as one of its “big bets.” We take a look at its capstone nuclear funding, and the state of the field.
In 2022, Philanthropy Must Engage Decisively with Political Violence
Today’s civic environment is a tinderbox for political violence that demands philanthropy’s attention. Guest authors Rachel Brown, Sadia Hameed and Heather Hurlburt diagnose the problem and offer next steps.
What Makes Funder Collaboratives Work? The Fund for a Safer Future Looks Back on Its First Decade
Collaborative funding is gaining steam, and the Fund for a Safer Future has been at it longer than most. Guest authors Tim Daly and Scott Moyer share lessons from 10 years of collaborative grantmaking for gun violence prevention.
An Ambitious New Commission Sets Out to Diagnose Civil Society’s Ills. But Will It Make a Difference?
Debuting with the somewhat tone-deaf goal of galvanizing middle and lower-class giving, a new 17-member commission wants to tackle some of the sector’s toughest conundrums. Whether it’ll manage that is uncertain.
Financial Sector Oversight Is Crucial to Tackling Inequality. So Where Is Philanthropy?
Philanthropic funders are mostly ignoring a key lever in the fight against poverty: financial sector oversight and regulation. While the industry lobby is formidable, increased attention could help protect hard-won local gains.
Who’s Funding the Climate Counter-Movement?
Long-running funding from a few dozen foundations helped create and sustain the network of organizations that push climate denialism, disinformation and delay. Movement scholar Robert Brulle fills us in.
After Trump, What’s Happening at DonorsTrust, the Right’s Favorite DAF?
Calling itself “the community foundation for liberty,” DonorsTrust channels hundreds of millions from anonymous donors to conservative policy groups. We take a deep dive into how it works and its influence in the sector.
For Decades, Philanthropy Pushed Neoliberalism. Can It Help Society Move Past It?
If neoliberalism is on its way out, what will replace it? At the end of a year of immense change, Hewlett brings its resources to bear on the question with a new five-year, $50 million initiative to succeed its Beyond Neoliberalism program.
