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New to philanthropy

Learn more about how philanthropy works. Explore the origins, functions, and parts of institutional philanthropy.

In this section you will find blog posts that help you...

Understand structure

So much of philanthropy isn’t visible from the outside. We tend to see foundations in terms of their fundraising and grantmaking functions, but not in terms of investments, governance, and taxation. Get acquainted with how the system of philanthropy works.

See the echoes of history

Did you know we can trace institutional philanthropy back five thousand years to Mesopotamia and the rise of grain surpluses? Find out how that history is relevant today, and probe the complex relationship between philanthropy and inequality.

Imagine possibilities

Meet sector leaders who are reimagining philanthropic narratives and core purposes -- and, in the process, questioning assumptions around perpetuity and financial growth.

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Girl smiling in black headscarf and green top with mountains in the background.

Theme: Money Type: Core concepts

Philanthropy's Structures & Relationships

Using systems thinking, identify connections between philanthropy and other systems. Resources flows offer a starting point to understand the structure of philanthropy.

Theme: Intergenerational Type: Introductory

Introduction to Intergenerational Stories

Grapple with the idea of relationships across time. How much should foundations focus on the urgencies of the present, right wrongs of the past, or lay the groundwork for future generations?

A black & white posed photograph with three men seated behind a table with documents atop it, and four men behind them. all are wearing suits.

Theme: Origin Type: Core concepts

Timeline of Institutional Philanthropy

Gain insights into the origins of present-day philanthropy by getting curious about the purpose, values, beliefs, and power dynamics, behind past practices.

A group of people look off into the distance as they watch a sunset on top of a hill

Theme: Money Type: Provocative

Perspectives on Philanthropic Structure

There is no one way to make sense of how philanthropy's structural elements relate, but looking through a range of lenses can lead us to ask different questions and consider different interests.

A photo of the Chinese Mutual Aid storefront, taken from across the street. Above the sign is a mural and a truck is parked in

Theme: Origin Type: Core concepts

Map of Giving Practices

Find new perspective on what modern, Western philanthropy is and isn't by surveying other practices of giving and the philosophies that underlie them.

Three people connected through holding each other's back

Theme: Intergenerational Type: Core concepts Type: Case study

Present Focus

Encounter three foundations who focus on strategies to address urgencies in the here and now. Read about their experiences with spending down, philanthropic reform, and mission-aligned investment.

Large white roll paper is taped up on floor to ceiling windows, covered in colourful post-its, with three empty chairs in the foreground.

Theme: Origin Type: Generative

Reflecting on How the Past Shapes the Present

Trace the narratives and beliefs from the past that have influenced your experience and perspective of philanthropy today.

A shirtless man holding a large club in an old factory setting

Theme: Intergenerational Type: Core concepts Type: Case study

Past Focus

What are the moral obligations foundations have towards righting wrongs of the past? Learn about two foundations who have gone down the road of reparations.

A crowd of people in a downtown metropolitan environment highlighting a man holding up a plastic bottle

Theme: Intergenerational Type: Core concepts Type: Case study

Future Focus

Perpetual endowments are well established within the philanthropic sector, some say as a source of stability across generations, some say as a means to hoard resources.

Theme: Money Type: Generative

Mapping Relationships for Yourself

How do you conceptualize the structures that bring philanthropy into relationship with other sets of actors?

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