The US Studies Centre and Philanthropy Australia hosted a special event focusing on foundations and philanthropic giving with presentations from two of America's leading voices on the topic.
The event, co-hosted by Sydney Ideas, included a presentation on "The Responsibility of Philanthropy" by Stephen Heintz, president of the Rockefeller Brothers Fund, followed by the launch of US Foundation Funding for Australia, a new report examining grantmaking by US foundations that focus on Australia. The report was presented by Bradford K. Smith, the president of the Foundation Center of New York.
In a wide-ranging presentation, Heintz addressed the question of philanthropy’s responsibility to communities and to society. Heintz touched on the approach of the Rockefeller Brother’s Fund and his own experiences to outline his thoughts on why philanthropy that works for the common good needs to be open and transparent, needs to be accountable to the organisations whom it funds and those it seeks to help, and needs to directly engage and share power with the communities in which it operates. Philanthropy, he said, cannot rely simply on the presumption that it will always automatically be seen as inherently good, but must think about the broader consequences of its decisions and actions.
In his presentation, Smith detailed the past, current, and future trends and organisations involved in US foundation giving in Australia and demonstrated the values of openness and availability of philanthropic data and information for advancing the social sector through more effective philanthropy. The report was prepared by the Foundation Center with the support of the US Studies Centre and Philanthropy Australia.
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