Understanding Philanthropy and its Intersection with Power, Politics, and Social Change

Catalog description

The United States has a vast nonprofit sector that features 1.3 million organizations. (And that doesn't include 250,000 religious institutions!) Approximately $1.5 trillion of earned and contributed revenue flows through the so-called third sector. In 2023, Giving USA reported that $499.33 billion of those funds came from philanthropy – given by a mix of individuals, foundations, and corporations. The use of philanthropic dollars is as diverse as the donors who give those dollars. But what is the best use of those dollars? Sustaining high performing nonprofits? Supporting catalytic action? Nurturing individual excellence in the arts or sciences? This course will explore the field of Philanthropy – what it is; how it works; who participates; its intersection with market forces, public policy, and government; and how it drives social change, sometimes in opposing directions.