The Sillerman Center for the Advancement of Philanthropy

02/04/2025

"For this to work, the public would also need to develop greater skepticism of the rich entrepreneurs who, with more cash than they could ever spend, donate portions of their wealth to favored causes. Lionized for their achievements and revered for their compassion, they bask in their status as society’s saviors. Meanwhile, the corporations they own extract wealth and externalize costs on a scale that dwarfs their largess. With one hand they generate supernormal profits by plundering society, and with the other they dole out a few crumbs to “save the world.” But they never will. The math simply doesn’t work."

There’s a reason so many seemingly well-funded causes fail to move the needle.

01/21/2025

"For each of these problems, there is a funder directive behind it: The funder is narrowly invested in a siloed issue or bill; the funder wants to donate c3 money and not c4 money for tax reasons; the funder can’t tell which organization or coalition is best positioned to take on a project, so it funds competing or even contradictory efforts; the “zombie” organization’s founder is a funder darling even though everyone on the ground knows that the organization doesn’t do what it says it does anymore."

"The left needs a model of philanthropy motivated fundamentally by rigorous learning. Only then will we develop a set of funders and partner movements with the capacity to do good strategy. And as the underdogs, only then will we win."

Progressive philanthropy lacks good strategy, so too many of our organizations are hollow—and that left us unable to prevent a second Trump term.

12/25/2024

As the year comes to an end, we are thrilled to share a recap of our 2024 projects!

Throughout the year, we:
- Commissioned a video to explain Sillerman's role within the field
- Completed a two-year research project on all of the key components of social justice philanthropy
- Facilitated a number of giving circles through which young people decided where grant dollars would be disseminated
- Did a deep dive on philanthropy's role to fight the censorship movement

We wish you joyful holidays and look forward to sharing our upcoming projects and events in 2025!

10/14/2024

We are thrilled to release our newest video on Social Justice Philanthropy -- an equitable approach to giving that addresses the root causes of social movements and empowers communities! Join the Sillerman Center in challenging the status quo and reshaping philanthropy for a more equitable future. Together, we can reimagine giving that works for all!

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10/12/2024

"At the end, it is made clear that just because you’re good at one thing (such as running a for-profit business or university), doesn’t mean you know how to do something that’s different (such as running a nonprofit or foundation)."

A bootcamp for clueless businesspeople who want to involve themselves in nonprofit! Posted on October 7, 2024October 9, 2024 by Vu [Image description: About a dozen people, mostly adults, sitting around a roaring campfire in the dark, surrounded by the silhouettes of trees. One person is holding a g...

09/23/2024

"However, a growing number of voices from within philanthropy—such as donor-organizers at Justice Funders and Resource Generation—are calling for philanthropic assets to be liberated from extractive Wall Street funds and channeled to grassroots movements fighting for transformation. This is urgently needed, as Wall Street investing perpetuates and profits from the prevailing extractive economy, characterized by unchecked militarism, exploitation of land and labor, and overconsumption."

Foundation assets keep rising, but community organizations struggle for resources. How can this be changed? One step is to move beyond an “endowment” mindset.

09/17/2024

"A significant part of our work is to find inequitable systems and use whatever means we have to fix them. And to do that, we need to think critically. Before you jump in and use a “niceness and civility” lens to criticize people and movements that are trying to address harmful practices, stop to consider whether you’re engaging in Toxic Niceness."

Are you engaging in Toxic Niceness and perpetuating inequity? 7 questions to ask yourself Posted on September 16, 2024September 17, 2024 by Vu [Image description: A fluffy puppy being embraced by a kitten. In the background is a white heart-shaped jigsaw puzzle with the word Love written on it in re...

09/10/2024

"While most resources pour into communities in reaction to major weather-related events, those investments are often short lived, as our attention quickly turns to the next disaster. In fact, a report by the Center for Disaster Philanthropy and Candid found that 51% of donor dollars go to response and relief efforts, while only 6% are dedicated to recovery and reconstruction, and a mere 4% support resilience efforts."

Guest author Tiffany Benjamin argues that disasters aren't just "natural," and that funders must proactively address underlying disparities to limit the damage weather hazards can do.

09/03/2024

Philanthropy Massachusetts 55th Annual Meeting is a few weeks away! Register to hear A. Browne Dianis speak about her work at the Project and local philanthropy leaders reflect on how our local philanthropic sector can boldly lead, take risks and be nimble.

08/28/2024

"What’s next in the United States? Clearly, the federal report is an important acknowledgment by the federal government of horrific wrongdoing. Yet, in terms of addressing and remedying the harms, it’s but a small step. Newland, who headed the study team, echoes Haaland and acknowledges this, saying that 'our shared work should mark the beginning of a long effort to heal our nation.'"

A federal study documents the 150-year history of “Indian boarding schools,” in which children were systematically taken from their parents—and calls for a federal apology.

08/23/2024

"The math never worked for me. Private foundations, whose mission is to serve and deploy resources to the community, are only legally required to give out 5% of their assets annually (excluding staffing and overhead costs) to the community, while holding on to the other 95%. This outdated formula has been in place since the 1969 Tax Reform Act. It’s time for philanthropy to give communities a raise by changing the giving floor to at least 10%. Endowments will be smaller, but communities will be stronger."

Judy Belk, who stepped down from a longtime role leading The California Wellness Foundation last year, shares some candid thoughts on the sector — and three things she might have done differently to disrupt the status quo.

08/19/2024

You know the Sillerman Center loves our giving circles, and Grapevine is a platform that truly understands the importance of the giving circle movement!

"The growth of the [giving circle] movement is partly due to people’s desire to connect, both to their giving and to other people. Social isolation and loneliness are on the rise, not just among older people, but also among other generations, including Gen-Z, as IP has written. But another reason for the explosive growth of the giving circle model is the way it lends itself to tech-driven implementation, such as through the giving-circle-focused platform Grapevine."

To learn more check out this article:

Giving circles have taken off in recent years. We connected with entrepreneur Emily Rasmussen to get the inside story on her platform, Grapevine, which aims to make it easy for people to start or join one.