January 11, 2007 | Read Time: 1 minute
NEW BOOKS
Creative Philanthropy
by Helmut K. Anheier and Diana Leat
The philanthropic world is suffering from “low-key malaise,” a result of foundations’ unfulfilled potential and often ambiguous role in society, write Helmut K. Anheier, a professor and director of the Center for Civil Society at the University of California at Los Angeles, and Diana Leat, a visiting professor at CASS Business School, in London.
“Foundations are free to be imaginative and creative, working across sectoral, organizational, professional, and disciplinary boundaries, without the stifling constraints of short-term, ill-conceived performance-measurement criteria,” the authors write, and suggest ways foundations can approach grant making creatively.
The book has three sections. The first offers background information on foundations, current debates about philanthropy, and the authors’ definition of “creative philanthropy.”
They focus on foundations that not only take an innovative approach to solving society’s problems, but also are able to let other people know about their publications, programs, and theories.
The second section provides short examples and expanded case studies of creative philanthropy, such as the Fannie Mae Foundation’s Knowledgeplex Web site: “a one-stop forum for gathering and sharing information and practice news on current housing issues, national housing-policy debates, and the latest in housing research.”
The final section discusses the practical elements: Who becomes a creative grant maker? How does a foundation begin and manage such an approach? How does a foundation market its good ideas?
Publisher: Routledge, 270 Madison Avenue, New York, N.Y. 10016; http://www.routledge.com; 277 pages; $44.95; ISBN 0-415-37091-4.
