The words philanthropy and Pittsburgh are often linked. A Gift of Belief: Philanthropy and the Forging of Pittsburgh describes how individuals, families, companies, congregations, giving groups, and funders of many shapes and sizes defined and pursued the public good to benefit the Pittsburgh region. Published by The University of Pittsburgh Press in June 2021, the [...]
Category: community
Democratizing Philanthropy Through Community Foundations – Part 2
In my last post, I looked at three definitions of the phrase democratizing philanthropy: 1) expanding and connecting the base, 2) expanding access to the establishment, and 3) redistributing philanthropic power and ownership. All three definitions could describe a community foundation’s hope to be “the community’s foundation.” There are two related terms worth noting, both [...]
Democratizing Philanthropy Through Community Foundations – part 1
Thanks to my consulting work for the National Center for Family Philanthropy and Ekstrom Alley Clontz & Associates, I’ve been spending more time tuned into the field of community foundations. I still hear variations on the phrase “we want to be the community’s foundation.” This core value of democratized, accessible, community-owned, philanthropy dates to the [...]
Is the Value of Place Declining in Philanthropy?
All of us walk around with default lenses through which we view the world. The lenses are created through our experiences and relationships, the communities and cultures in which we’re raised, and more. When we’re at our best, we’re able to separate when those default lenses provide helpful perspectives and when they limit our thinking. One of my [...]
Tony Macklin 