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Foundations for Social Change
Critical Perspectives on Philanthropy and Popular Movements.
Do philanthropic foundations genuinely support social change, or do they quietly constrain it? This collection brings together leading scholars and practitioners to examine the complex, sometimes uncomfortable, relationship between organised philanthropy and popular movements for justice.
Foundations for Social Change is a multi-disciplinary collection that blends broad overviews and case studies to critically examine the relationship between US philanthropic foundations and movements for social change. Scholars and practitioners examine how foundations support and, in some cases, thwart popular social movements, and address how philanthropic institutions can become more accountable and democratic.
Social change philanthropy
The collection covers the full spectrum of social change philanthropy: from the legacy of progressive social justice funding, to the strategic philanthropy of conservative foundations; from the challenges of racial justice funding, to the role of foundations in the environmental movement. Individual chapters examine specific questions including whether liberal foundations are ultimately impediments or supports for social change, how grantees can be active agents rather than passive recipients in social movement philanthropy, and how wealth discourse shapes the identity of social change philanthropists themselves.
Although rooted in the US context, the questions this collection raises – about power, accountability, and the proper role of foundations in democratic societies – are directly relevant to UK fundraisers, grant-makers, and charity leaders grappling with the politics of philanthropic funding today.
About Daniel Faber and Deborah McCarthy
Daniel Faber is Professor of Sociology at Northeastern University, where he specialises in the sociology of philanthropy, the political economy of the environment, and globalisation. Deborah McCarthy is Professor of Sociology at the College of Charleston, South Carolina. Together they have written extensively on the relationship between philanthropy, social movements, and environmental justice.
Reviews
“Fascinating collection of essays on the role foundations have played, primarily in the US, in supporting social movements.” Rhodri Davies, Founder and Director, Why Philanthropy Matters
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Book Cover Image: Source from Rowman & Littlefield: https://rowman.com/ISBN/9780742549883/Foundations-for-Social-Change-Critical-Perspectives-on-Philanthropy-and-Popular-Movements
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