Philanthropic practice

Cooper Industries is a leading manufacturer of electrical products, tools, hardware, and automotive products. Headquartered in Houston, Texas, Cooper employs over 41,000 people on six continents.

The Goldfarb Foundation, a small family foundation based in Boulder, Colorado, was established in 1992 by its president Peter Goldfarb, who is one of three trustees. The Foundation's grantmaking mirrors Goldfarb's longtime involvement in the arts, education, and Buddhism, and grants are made primarily to organizations working in the arts and education. Goldfarb is himself a professional director, actor, and teacher.

Edited by Warren F. Ilchman, Stanley N. Katz, and Edward L. Queen II 1998, 382 pages, Indiana University Press. Bloomington, Indiana

The Henry Luce Foundation was founded in 1936 by Henry R. Luce, cofounder and editor-in-chief of Time Inc. The Foundation's assets total approximately $700 million and support programs in American art, Asia, higher education, public affairs, theology, and women in science.

1999. 48 pages. National Center for Family Philanthropy, 1220 19th Street NW, Suite 804, Washington D.C., 20036, 202-293-3424.

The Vancouver Foundation, the largest community foundation in Canada, was founded in 1943. Its assets totaled approximately $515 million at the end of 1997. The Foundation supports the activities of charitable organizations throughout British Columbia (BC). Advisory committees assist with decision-making in six of the Foundation's grantmaking areas. Committee members serve for three years and have the responsibility of reviewing grantmaking goals annually.

Donors' Guide to Gulf Coast Relief & Recovery
2006, 71 pages. New York Regional Association of Grantmakers, 79 Fifth Avenue, Fourth Floor, New York, NY 10003-3076, 212-714-0699

PDF available for download at the organization's website.

Giving in the Aftermath of the Gulf Coast Hurricanes
2006, 29 pages. Foundation Center, 79 Fifth Avenue, New York, NY 10003, 800-424-9836

PDF available for download at the organization's website.

2006, 277 pages. Routledge, 270 Madison Avenue, New York, NY 10016

Operating outside governments and markets, able to take risks and accept failure, free to cross sectors and redefine professional boundaries

Mary Bain, who was Sidney Yates' longtime political and staff director, died recently. She was ninety-five.

Very awkward to speak politely about money in public, and yet it is so awkwardly at the heart of our culture. Here is Sophocles, in his Antigone. Creon is speaking, ironically misinterpreting the noblest of motives for the basest: "Money! There's nothing in the world so demoralizing as money. Down go your cities, Homes gone, men gone, honest hearts corrupted, Crookedness of all kinds, and all for money."

We also have Timothy from the New Testament: "The love of money is the root of all evil."