5.4 The Danger of For-Profit Philanthropy
Document Type
Book Chapter
Publication Date
9-1-2026
Editor(s)
Michael Moody & Beth Breeze
ISBN
9781032790510
Publisher
Routledge
Language
en-US
Abstract
Alternative vehicles and modes of giving – like LLCs, donor-advised funds and strategic corporate giving conducted in-house – are increasingly eroding elite donors’ reliance on the traditional private foundation. These “for-profit philanthropy” approaches, which transplant practices, players and norms from the business sector into the charitable sphere, appealingly offer donors greater flexibility and privacy than foundations would.
Recommended Citation
Dana Brakman Reiser & Steven Dean,
5.4 The Danger of For-Profit Philanthropy
,
in
The Philanthropy Reader
436
(Michael Moody & Beth Breeze ed., 2nd Edition
2026).
Available at:
https://scholarship.law.bu.edu/faculty_scholarship/4300
Comments
This second edition of The Philanthropy Reader features a revised collection of carefully selected readings, sharing cutting-edge research, historically informed perspectives, and key current issues in philanthropy today including contentious topics and influential writings that have arisen since the first edition.
Both global and interdisciplinary in its approach, this edition builds on the book’s established reputation as an essential resource for navigating the complex and varied dimensions of philanthropic practice. With over 100 extracts from key texts and major thinkers, this reader accurately and comprehensively covers a field that is growing in significance and expanding in scope. Readers will be well-equipped for thoughtful and nuanced engagement in philanthropic theory and practice through this book’s diverse material on core concepts, persistent challenges, incisive critiques and counter-critiques, and major debates and contemporary trends. In addition to the extracts curated into six sections, the editors provide both a general overview and individual section introductions that set the scene for studying and thinking about philanthropy, making this text invaluable for those teaching the subject.
Essential reading for students in philanthropy courses worldwide, this text will also be of interest to reflective practitioners across the philanthropic and nonprofit sectors: donors and grantmakers, advisers, fundraisers, and others.