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Foundations should advance social change, argues report

Howard Lake | 2 December 2002 | News

The Joseph Rowntree Reform Trust’s report “From Charity to Creativity” calls on endowed foundations to fund social change and not be content to fill in the gaps in government funding.

Authors Helmut Anheier and Diana Leat argue that foundations are some of the most free and independent organisations in society so should use that position to promote alternative solutions and fund social change. They argue that endowed charitable foundations have changed little in 200 years: “endowed foundations should… concentrate on doing those things only they have the potential to do better than other institutions,” they say.

The criticism of a lack of innovation is not shared by Nigel Siederer, former chief executive of the Association of Charitable Foundations. He told the Guardian: “lots of foundations do try and effect social change, but it’s not obligatory.”

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Read “Trust deeds” by Alison Benjamin at SocietyGuardian.

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