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Ellen Friedman

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Ellen Friedman is executive director of Compton Foundation.

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Our Democracy Is Faltering, but We Can’t Rely on Philanthropy to Save It

When private wealth and philanthropy continually come to the rescue, we lose sight of the benefits of a representative democracy in which taxes provide for the common good and elected representatives uphold and respect the democratic process.

There Is No Better Time Than Now for Philanthropy to Spend Itself Out of Existence

If we are to live our values, we must ask ourselves and our peers, “What are we saving our endowments for?” say three foundation leaders whose organizations are set to distribute all their assets in the next several years.