People & Projects

Donors Choose and the power of small-scale philanthropy

This crowdfunding platform has empowered hundreds of thousands of teachers across the country.

John and Laura Arnold create new LLC, focus on affecting policy change

In the past few years, several mega donors have used LLC’s as their giving vehicles, and now the Arnolds are joining this move away from traditional philanthropy.


Foundation Center and GuideStar announce merger

Foundation Center and GuideStar join forces to become a new nonprofit entity named Candid.

John Bogle, Boring Philanthropist

Philanthropists should learn from the late John Bogle’s humility and localism. Because of his selfless business decisions, we had one less billionaire philanthropist and millions more middle-class givers spread throughout the world.


Why ex-churchgoers flocked to Trump

This is a story about how the breakdown of civil society, not factories, inspired a Middle American movement around one man.

What I saw when I visited my old Boy Scout troop

What I saw at the Troop 209 centennial banquet was an organization that was blissfully free of politics, and which remained committed to the Scout ideal of respecting nature and helping others.


Crowdfunding the Wall

A viral GoFundMe page set up by Trump supporters to raise money for the president’s border wall raises questions about the significant overlap between philanthropy and partisan activism.

The legacy of Todd Bol and his Little Free Libraries

Improving communities and angering zoning bureaucrats since 2008.


How Salvation Army’s red kettles became a Christmas tradition

Around this time of the year, The Salvation Army’s red kettles become visible as part of holiday giving. How this British evangelical organization came to the US is interesting history.

Brad Pitt’s foundation debacle offers timeless lesson for donors

The lesson of this debacle is a timeless one for philanthropy—ask the poor what they want, don’t just give them what you think they should have.




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