Product Description

In American Foundations, Mark Dowie argues that organized philanthropy is on the verge of an evolutionary shift that will transform America's nearly 50,000 foundations from covert arbiters of knowledge and culture to overt mediators of public policy and aggressive creators of new orthodoxy. He questions the wisdom of placing so much power at the disposal of nondemocratic institutions.As American wealth expands, old foundations such as Ford, Carnegie, Rockefeller, Pew, and MacArthur have grown exponentially, while newer trusts such as Mott, Johnson, Packard, Kellogg, Hughes, Annenberg, Hewlett, Duke, and Gates have surpassed them. Foundation assets now total close to $400 billion. Though this is a tiny sum compared to corporate and government treasuries, and foundation grants still total less than 10 percent of contributions made by individuals, foundations have power and influence far beyond their wealth. Their influence derives from the conditional nature of their grant making, their power from its leverage.Unlike previous historians of philanthropy who have focused primarily on the grant maker, Dowie examines foundations from the public's perspective. He focuses on eight key areas in which foundations operate: education, science, health, environment, food, energy, art, and human services. He also looks at their imagination, or lack thereof, and at the strained relationship between American foundations and American democracy.Dowie believes that foundations deserve to exist and that they can assume an increasingly vital role in American society, but only if they transform themselves from private to essentially public institutions. The reforms he proposes to make foundations more responsive to pressing social problems and more accountable to the public will almost certainly start an important national debate.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #830920 in Books
• Published on: 2002-08-23
• Original language: English
• Dimensions: 1.09 pounds
• Binding: Paperback
• 360 pages

From Booklist
Investigative journalist Dowie--author, most recently, of Losing Ground: American Environmentalism at the Close of the Twentieth Century (1996)--turns his attention to organized philanthropy, a world at once highly visible and widely misunderstood. Dowie draws on academic literature, foundation archives, and more than 200 interviews with foundation officers, critics, and grant recipients in assessing the recent history of foundations and projecting the changes they face. In the face of crisis, Dowie suggests, organized philanthropy has been "slow to see problems coming, slow to respond, and quick to justify every decision." Dowie applies a public perspective, analyzing how effectively foundations have contributed to public education, science, health care, the environment, the arts and humanities, and civil society. Government devolution is likely to make foundations even more powerful in the twenty-first century; Dowie urges that they need to adopt democratic reforms (like citizen trustees, grantee advisory boards, and strong social agendas) to justify their increased influence. The author's proposals may seem utopian, but his studies of specific foundations and their programs are fascinating. Mary Carroll
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Review

"As usual for the award-winning Dowie, this book is right on time." Jim Dulzo Metrotimes (Detroit)

"His studies of specific foundations and their programs are fascinating." Mary Carroll Booklist

"This book is a thorough review of the world of American philanthropy." Colin Greer Whole Earth

"This is an important work. Mark Dowie is offering a critique of philanthropy that is long overdue. This book I hope will spark debate within philanthropy and outside as well, and perhaps empower those whose feelings are reflected here to speak out without fear. Foundation staffs and boards should read it. It will be on the reading lists of the plethora of fundraising schools that are springing up all over the country. It should also be used in classes on civil society and contemporary America."--Steven Viederman, former President, Jessie Smith Noyes Foundation

"Mark Dowie, America's foremost investigative reporter, skewers the 'philanthocracy'--liberal as well as conservative--with masterful precision and care. If you have money, or you would just like to have money, consider this book assigned reading."--Barbara Ehrenreich, author of *Nickel and Dimed: On Not Getting By in America*

"American Foundations is a major and remarkable work. Dowie's specific judgments will be widely debated. His fiercely independent assessment of organized philanthropy is a wholesome challenge to the soporific and captive trade literature."--Michael Lerner, President, CommonwealPlease note: "Jenifer" is spelled with ONLY ONE "n" in this case.

"In Life Support, Michael McCally and his colleagues provide a superb and authoritative road map for the emerging environmental health movement. The issues dealt with are the most pressing issues of our time. We need true scientists to provide direction, and McCally has assembled their best and most authoritative judgments here."--Michael Lerner, President, CommonwealPlease note: The spelling of the word "judgments" has been changed.

About the Author

Award-winning journalist Mark Dowie is the author of Losing Ground: American Environmentalism at the Close of the Twentieth Century, American Foundations: An Investigative History (both published by the MIT Press), and four other books.