Explore the relationship between foundations, charities, donors, community groups, and government, paying attention to the structural level of the system. We hold the question: how do structure and relationships shape purpose?
"Grasping the structure of a subject is understanding it in a way that permits many other things to be related to it meaningfully. To learn structure in short, is to learn how things are related."
Jerome Bruner, American Psychologist & Educator, The Process of Education
As far as we know, giving is endemic to human societies. Along the way, in the West, informal giving practices gave way to formalized philanthropy, enshrined in legislation and enmeshed with the taxation system. To understand what purpose and power dynamics were encoded within this modern structure, we start by observing how resources flow and according to what regulations, policies and practices. If we follow the money, and trace the flow of resources, what can we learn about the relationship between philanthropic institutions, the state, charities, wealthy, and poor individuals? Who holds control? Ultimately, we’re opening up space to inquire: how does the structure of Western philanthropy fit with modern purposes and contemporary goals?
"The fundamental structures and operating models of foundations haven’t changed much over the last several decades. This is largely due to the combination of no outside force requiring them to change and few variations on the basic operating model to inspire innovation."
Nancy Roob, President and CEO of the Edna McConnell Clark Foundation & CEO of Blue Meridian Partners
Origin Stories delves into some of the history and practices that gave rise to Western institutional philanthropy, as well as some other cultural traditions of giving.
Money Stories takes a look at the structure that history has handed down to us, and tries to understand some of the implications for philanthropic purpose.
What might the form philanthropy has taken tell us about its functions: as a mechanism for redistributing wealth, for blunting the impact of wealth inequality, and/or for some other purposes?
Philanthropy has a structure that was purpose built. Does that purpose maintain?
We've called this theme Money Stories, but it could just as easily have been named Structure Stories. The perceived value of money in improving society for all has, in many ways, architected institutional philanthropy.
Supported by tax incentives, given license to disburse funds without much democratic oversight, and permitted to perpetually grow their endowments, foundations are treated as a clear public good.
Are they? When is the loss of tax revenue offset by the public value of philanthropy? As Mark Kramer & Steve Phillips show in "Where Strategic Philanthropy Went Wrong", there is an inverse correlation between social progress and philanthropic giving.
From 1990 to 2022, while real charitable giving doubled, the United States’ ranking on social progress compared to other countries dropped from 8th to 31st. This mismatch between charity and well-being is not limited to the United States. Countries with the highest per capita charitable giving—the United States, Canada, and the United Kingdom—tend to perform poorly on measures of social progress. The countries that perform best—Scandinavian countries, Germany, and Japan—give to charity as little as 2 percent of what the United States gives per capita, relying on government rather than philanthropy to meet their society’s needs.
Mark Kramer & Steve Phillips
Philanthropy’s critics -- be they reformers or revolutionaries -- are increasingly vocal. They raise questions about philanthropy’s accountability to today’s citizens, especially to those experiencing the most harm from inequality and the systems that maintain it. Many of these critics are donors themselves, deeply committed to a more socially and environmentally sustainable world.
First we look at some of the most significant players in the philanthropic system and the patterns of their interaction.
Philanthropy's Structures and relationships
Using a systems thinking approach, identify the connections between philanthropy and other systems. Looking at how resources flow will help us understand the structure of philanthropy and the resources at stake. Read it here.
Part of systems thinking is engaging with different perspectives to get a fuller picture of a complex reality and the human actors that animate it. Notice what your reactions to different perspectives tell you about what matters to you.
Perspectives on Philanthropic Structure
Entertain multiple expert perspectives on how philanthropy's structural elements relate and to what effect. There is no one way to make sense of how the parts fit together, but looking through a range of lenses can lead us to ask different questions and consider different interests. Read it here.
How we see and understand the structure of philanthropy is tied to our vantage point and values and logics. There's value in getting clear on what you see from where you sit.
Mapping relationships for yourself
Take your turn! How do you conceptualize the structures that bring philanthropy into relationship with other sets of actors? Use a blank worksheet to sketch out some different possibilities and name them. Read it here.
A guided tour through multiple cultures and times gives us many perspectives on what philanthropy is and what it was designed to do. Throughout we ask: What is the relationship between philanthropy, inequality, and justice?
Sara Eftekhar is a first generation Canadian-Iranian immigrant. She is also a health care worker and advocate. She has been involved in numerous local and international charities and organizations since a very young age in various capacities such as managing projects, fundraising, volunteering and being a board member. Her activism in the community through philanthropy has caused her to be cautious, critical, inquisitive and committed to social justice.
tanisi, my name is Savannah Larissa Sky Wiest. I am a queer Indigenous woman from Montreal Lake Cree Nation in Treaty 6 territory and I grew up in Regina, SK. Upon completing my bachelor of Indigenous Social Work from the First Nations University of Canada, I moved to traditional, unceded Coast Salish territory and began my career as a social worker. I moved to Calgary in 2019 as a social worker with youth in the education sector. I am part of The Stride, a Calgary Foundation initiative, and I am working to further a policy I wrote on teaching the true, colonial history of Canada within mainstream academia with a focus on resilience.
Dr. Ceema Samimi is an Assistant Professor at the College of Education and Human Development, in the University of Minnesota, Twin Cities. Their research examines the intersections of service organizations, societal systems, criminalization, and race, and how these intersections impact young people. As a mixed-race, poor, queer, non-binary person, their lived experience and social work practice, have shown them that education is often inaccessible to young people from marginalized backgrounds. They seek to do research that is not only useful to the community, but transforms systems into inclusive and loving environments.
Alex Hemingway is an Economist and Public Finance Policy Analyst at the CCPA’s BC Office. His work focuses on the state of public finances and services in BC, including education, health care, social programs and regulation. He also works on tax fairness—looking at the links between how our tax system is structured and the problem of growing inequality. Alex is finishing a PhD in Political Science at the University of British Columbia, where his research looks at the relationship between economic inequality and inequality of political influence. He holds two master’s degrees from the London School of Economics, as well as a BA in psychology from Simon Fraser University, with a focus on evolutionary psychology and human morality.
Sheila Block is a senior economist and a public commentator with the Canadian Centre for Policy Alternatives. Sheila’s research specializes in Canada's labour market, public finance, and inequality. She has worked as both a political advisor and a public servant in the Ontario government and as an economist in the labour movement. Sheila has an Honours B.A. in Economics from the University of British Columbia and a Master’s degree in Economics from the University of Toronto.
Brigitte Alepin is a Harvard trained independent Quebec tax expert and policy advisor, parliamentary witness, media personality, and outspoken critic of corporate tax evasion and fiscal inequality. Ranked in February 2016 among the 50 most influential tax experts in the world by the International Tax Review, Brigitte practices taxation mainly for the benefit of small and medium-sized companies and their leading shareholders. She also acts as an expert in tax policies and public finances on behalf of governments and major Canadian and international organizations.
Dr. Susan Phillips is a Professor at the School of Public Policy and Administration in Carleton University. She is the Founder and Program Director of the Master of Philanthropy and Nonprofit Leadership. Her research focuses on the evolving relationship between government and civil society, particularly concentrating on comparative analysis of the policy, regulatory and financing frameworks that enable (or constrain) the work of civil society organizations and philanthropy. Dr. Phillips is a Research Fellow of the Carleton Centre for Community Innovation (3CI), and is involved with the Regulatory Governance Initiative (RGI) and the Centre for Women in Politics and Public Leadership.
Liban Abokor is the executive director of the non-profit organization Youth LEAPS. He has previously advised on and contributed to creation of the Premiers Council on Youth Opportunities, Ontario's Youth Action Plan, Youth Opportunities Fund, Youth Employment Fund and Toronto Community Housing's Participatory Budgeting Process. Liban studied at York University to pursue a Bachelors Degree in Political Science and a Certificate in Social Work at the University of Toronto. He previously held roles as Board Director and Chair of the Granting Committee at the Laidlaw Foundation and Vice-Chair of the Board at Central Neighbourhood House.
PurposePhil worked with a team of emerging artists to interpret abstract concepts in each episode, producing cover art and a complementary piece.
Kyla Yin James (they/she)
Cover art Kyla Yin James is an illustrator and designer whose work is inspired by mythology, the unconscious, subcultures, sociopolitical systems, and their mixed heritage. They love exploring their connection to intergenerational experiences. Kyla’s work is filled with symbolism that creates surreal and speculative scenes questioning the status quo. Through their work, they explore the ways they approach the different thought worlds they grew up in. Kyla describes their practice as thinking and feeling out loud, sorting through the symbols and ideas they’ve encountered.
My cover illustration speaks to the theme of structure, how structures are built through relations. Bonsai trees are an example of something from nature that humans prune to fit their own needs.
As such bonsai trees draw parallels to the nonprofit industry. Giving is a part of human nature but the industry is formed by structures imposed on this part of our nature. Portraying hands instead of leaves on the tree illustrates how interconnected each person is -- bonded through something both grown through relations and adjusted based on outside influences.
Rawan Hassan (she/her)
Complementary art Rawan Hassan is an artist/designer based in the unceded land of the Coast Salish people, specifically the land of the Squamish, Tsleil-Waututh, and Musqueam (Vancouver, Canada). Her artwork explores realism and the abstract, through patterning, linework and pencil drawings. Her goal is to create work that reflects the cultures, experiences and perspectives she grew up and continues to evolve with.
Exploring the themes of intention and outcome, this artwork showcases the disconnect between the culture around charity work and the non-profit industrial complex.
Inspired by Ceema Samimi’s story of cut out paper stars, the star patterned background represents the good intentions behind charity work, along with the culture developed through community orientated work. While at the forefront (the outcome) the knot represents the tight loop of the non-profit industrial complex, and how reliant the donor, foundation, charity and client relationship is with one another. The vault lock on top symbolizes how controlled the stream of money is within the system.
Resources
1
Jerome S Bruner, The Process of Education (Cambridge: Harvard University Press, 1960).
2
Alison Powell, Willa Seldon, and Nidhi Sahni, “Reimagining Institutional Philanthropy (SSIR),” ssir.org, April 2019, https://ssir.org/articles/entry/reimagining_institutional_philanthropy.
3
Mark Kramer and Steve Phillips, “Where Strategic Philanthropy Went Wrong (SSIR),” ssir.org, June 2024, https://ssir.org/articles/entry/strategic-philanthropy-went-wrong#.
Using systems thinking, identify connections between philanthropy and other systems. Resources flows offer a starting point to understand the structure of philanthropy.
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.
To explore tensions between the structure of philanthropy and various of its possible purposes
