Opinion: Lean Times Seen for Philadelphia Philanthropy

A Philadelphia Inquirer columnist comments on the dwindling pool of major benefactors in the Philadelphia region, saying the area needs new donors to step up.

Columnist Karen Heller notes the departure of the Annenberg Foundation to Los Angeles, the growing national and international focus of the Pew Charitable Trusts, and the withdrawal from the philanthropic scene of H.F. “Gerry” Lenfest after donating $800-million in the past decade.

Many families of fortune “seem more interested in horses and houses, alma maters and vanity projects, rather than giving back to the community that fueled [their] wealth,” Ms. Heller writes. “We need better rich people.”