October 22, 1998 | Read Time: 1 minute
Many foundations agree that ethics is a growing topic of public concern these days. But a new survey of officials at 50 foundations found that only 22 said that ethics plays a “very extensive role” in the day-to-day activities of their organizations.
The Institute for Global Ethics, in Camden, Me., conducted the survey with a $10,000 grant from the David and Lucile Packard Foundation, in Los Altos, Cal.
The institute surveyed foundation officials or representatives at 50 foundations of all sizes and types over the past six months.
Ninety per cent of the respondents said they believed that their own foundation functioned ethically, but they noted that ethical lapses in the field were damaging philanthropy’s good standing.
Foundation executives said they were concerned by ethical challenges involved in giving away money, especially when deciding whether to support charities that provide direct services or those that fight for fundamental changes in social, political, or other systems.
The survey findings have led Packard to give the institute $600,000 to develop an interactive training system that can be used by foundation executives, program officers, and board members who want to learn how to deal with ethical issues.
For more information, contact Graham Phaup, Vice-President for Development, Institute for Global Ethics, 11 Main Street, P.O. Box 563, Camden, Me. 04843; (207) 236-6658.
