NATIONAL COMMITTEE FOR RESPONSIVE PHILANTHROPY CONTINUES TO DRAW FIRE

The report, released this month by the National Committee for Responsive Philanthropy, argued that foundations should meet a handful of benchmarks to practice “philanthropy at its best,” including making half their annual grants to “lower-income communities, communities of color and other marginalized groups, broadly defined.”

Several foundation leaders have called that benchmark overly prescriptive and argued it could exclude philanthropies that pursue missions such as the arts, medical research and education — areas that might not always directly affect the groups identified by the committee. In addition, the committee lobbies Capitol Hill, so some fear the report could spur stricter regulation of foundations’ activities. Read More