Public Policy, Politics and Philanthropy - How close to the chasm can one go?

The Philanthropic Initiative (TPI) presents:

Public Policy, Politics, and Philanthropy: How Close to the Chasm Can One Go?

October 21, 2003

Featuring:

Rebecca Rimel, president and CEO of The Pew Charitable Trusts

Andrew Dreyfus, president of the Blue Cross Blue Shield of Massachusetts Foundation

Rodney Berry, president of the Public Life Foundation of Owensboro, Kentucky

William Schambra, director of Hudson Institute's Bradley Center for Philanthropy and Civic Renewal

H. Peter Karoff (moderator), founder and chairman, The Philanthropic Initiative

Click here to access audio and video recordings of the discussion.

Event Description

On October 21, 2003, Bill Schambra took part in a webcast panel discussion hosted by The Philanthropic Initiative (TPI), a Boston-based nonprofit that works with philanthropists to make their giving more strategic, effective, and fulfilling.

The event, entitled "Public Policy, Politics and Philanthropy - How close to the chasm can one go?" sprung from the fact that grantmakers do engage in public policy – and they do it at different points along a continuum, from informing citizens about policy issues to funding nonprofits doing direct advocacy. Recognizing that donors interested in using public policy as one method for promoting positive social change must decide what makes sense given their human and financial resources, core values, and ideas about philanthropy, the panelists’ presentations and the subsequent discussion addressed the following questions:

What is the appropriate and best role for philanthropy in the public policy space?
How far can a donor go?
What can we learn from past experience?
What are different approaches for different types of donors?
How has the public sector effectively leveraged philanthropic resources?

Further Information

For more information on the host of this event, please visit The Philanthropic Initiative at http://www.tpi.org/.