If Same Old Suspects Lead a Review, Philanthropy Won’t Profit

To the Editor:

The conservative economist Frederick Hayek, in his address accepting the Nobel prize, observed that it was ironic that economists were being called upon to correct the problems that they had created. I had the same reaction to Pablo Eisenberg’s suggestion that a new Filer-type commission on philanthropy “could be sponsored by leading non-profit organizations like the National Council of Nonprofit Associations, Independent Sector, the National Committee for Responsive Philanthropy, the Council on Foundations, and a few others” (“Filer Redux: Philanthropy at a Crossroads,” Opinion, February 10).

If $10-million of scarce philanthropic dollars are to be used to chart a path for philanthropy and the non-profit sector in the decades to come, then the process must reflect a more democratic impulse than is reflected by the proposed sponsors. It would have to include significant representation from the grassroots, community, and economic- and environmental-justice organizations that are more often than not overlooked by the national organizations he lists, and as well as by most funders. These groups must have a significant role in defining and implementing the agenda.

This approach could be a significant contribution to the practice of democracy in America. Otherwise, the product of a commission would look pretty much like most of the scholarly reports and conference summaries that now line our shelves.

Stephen Viederman
President
Jessie Smith Noyes Foundation
New York