# Post Capitalist Philanthropy: a radical rethinking of giving in the age of collapse

- Link: https://fundraising.co.uk/books/post-capitalist-philanthropy-a-radical-rethinking-of-giving-in-the-age-of-collapse/
- Published: 2022-10-17T19:48:00+01:00
- Author: Howard Lake

**Activists and philanthropy advisors Alnoor Ladha and Lynn Murphy ask the question
that most people working in the sector prefer to avoid: can philanthropy ever be
a genuine force for transformation when it is itself a product of the system it 
seeks to change?**

_Post Capitalist Philanthropy: Healing Wealth in the Time of Collapse_ is one of
the most provocative and talked-about books in philanthropy circles in recent years.
Published in October 2022 by Daraja Press in partnership with the Transition Resource
Circle, it has found a wide readership among foundation professionals, NGO leaders,
and activists grappling with the limits and contradictions of conventional philanthropic
practice.

The book’s starting point is uncomfortable: philanthropy, the authors argue, is 
an externalisation of capitalism, both a consequence of the system and a mechanism
for protecting it. A small group of people accumulate large sums of wealth through
an extractive system and then create a sector through which they can set the agenda
for civil society, while receiving tax breaks, lobbying influence, and social legitimacy
that further concentrate their power. The sector encompasses the full political 
spectrum from conservative to progressive, and from passive (funding research) to
active (funding direct action), but regardless of motivation, the authors contend,
it remains embedded in and shaped by the logic of capital.

## 100 interviews

Rather than offering a simple critique, Ladha and Murphy draw on over a hundred 
interviews with activists, philanthropists, philosophers, social scientists, and
what they call “wisdom keepers” to map out what they term “ontological shifts”, 
changes not just in how we redistribute wealth, but in how we perceive and embody
our relationship with the world. The book moves from the history of wealth accumulation
and neoliberalism through a dissection of philanthrocapitalism, and on towards what
the authors call “life-centric models”: emerging alternatives rooted in gift economies,
solidarity, and relational ways of organising.

## No simple answers

The book does not pretend to have simple answers. Its questions are designed to 
unsettle: Would any desirable post-capitalist future still include a sector called
philanthropy? Would an elite few still have the power to decide the civic agenda
of others? And why would anyone invested in the current system be interested in 
creating post-capitalist realities, especially if that means having a smaller share
of the pie?

For UK fundraisers and charity leaders, this book is likely to be challenging reading,
deliberately so. But it raises questions about power, accountability, and the purpose
of philanthropic giving that are directly relevant to anyone working at the intersection
of money and social change, and it is increasingly cited in discussions about trust-
based philanthropy, participatory grantmaking, and decolonising development practice.

## **About Alnoor Ladha** and Lynn Murphy

**Alnoor Ladha** is an activist, journalist, and political strategist. From 2012
to 2019 he was co-founder and executive director of the global activist collective
The Rules, and holds an MSc in Philosophy and Public Policy from the London School
of Economics.

**Lynn Murphy** is a strategic advisor for foundations and NGOs working in the global
South. A former senior fellow and programme officer at the William and Flora Hewlett
Foundation, she holds a PhD in international comparative education from Stanford
University and resigned from mainstream philanthropy as, in her own words, a “conscientious
objector” to neocolonial giving. Both are co-directors of the Transition Resource
Circle.

## **Reviews**

> “This book asks a daring question: can wealth be reappropriated to restore balance
> to our broken world? A key resource for anyone eager to rethink philanthropy and
> economics in the 21st century.” 
> **Jason Hickel, Visiting Senior Fellow, London
> School of Economics; author of _The Divide_ and _Less is More_**

> “In _Post Capitalist Philanthropy_, Ladha and Murphy walk us through the deep 
> logics of neoliberalism, the foundations of globalisation and the ideology of 
> corporate free trade… the authors dissect philanthrocapitalism, and they indicate
> the possibilities of reclaiming the true economies of the gift, of solidarity,
> of caring and sharing.” 
> **Dr Vandana Shiva, environmental activist and food sovereignty
> advocate**

The book is available to purchase from [Blackwell’s](https://blackwells.co.uk/bookshop/product/Post-Capitalist-Philanthropy-by-Alnoor-Ladha-Lynn-Murphy/9798986531007)
and [Amazon.co.uk](https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B0BGNMDQH8).

A **free PDF** of the book is available to download from the [Transition Resource Circle website](https://www.transitionresourcecircle.org/).

Further information about the book, including a webinar series with the authors,
is at [postcapitalistphilanthropy.org](https://www.postcapitalistphilanthropy.org).