Stanford Social Innovation Review : Informing and inspiring leaders of social change

The Liberty Hill Foundation concentrates on helping community activists create lasting change in Los Angeles.

Field scans are crucial for providing data about what has been funded and where funding gaps lie.

Growing numbers of foundations, government agencies, and corporations in Europe are adopting venture philanthropy practices.

Pioneering groups of foundations and philanthropists have pooled their talent and resources to help solve social sector problems too big for any one to tackle alone.

Grantmakers can use a quantitative framework to help them decide which advocacy programs to invest in, and advocacy organizations can use it to determine which approaches might be most effective.

The Citi Foundation shifts its grantmaking operations to offer hands-on financial training.

The nonprofit Erste Foundation is an engine behind the for-profit Erste Group as well as its largest shareholder.

The Center for Disaster Philanthropy aims to help donors make informed, smarter giving decisions.

The CEO of the largest merged community foundation in the world reflects on the changing interests and identity of its donors.

The Africa Governance Initiative aims to support a new generation of African leaders building strong, transformative government institutions.

A look at Silicon Valley’s surprising disconnect and opportunities that all local funders should consider.

A new guide offers a framework for credible, realistic policy action that governments can take to turn social entrepreneurship into a major force for innovation.

The word from the trenches on how funders can make life easier for everyone.

Five lessons on creating a venture capital fund inside a foundation—a look at the Knight Enterprise Fund.

A look back at government regulation, philanthropy, “social blank” movements, and third sector grit.

Most social problems now addressed by charities cannot be appropriately addressed by for-profit entities, whether or not those entities pledge to restrict or recycle their profits.

With the threat of a sequester looming, the charitable sector risks being boxed in.

A look at best practices for the foundation community, drawn from the work of Connect US Fund.

How private giving can contribute to the needs of American democracy.

A slippery slope: from good-willed private philanthropy in support of public goals to a system in which private goals predominate.

To become more effective, nonprofits and foundations are turning to various sources for advice. Some look to experts, others turn to crowdsourcing. Experts and crowds can produce valuable insights, but too often nonprofits and funders ignore the constituents who matter most, the…

Thanks to rapid advances in computer and communication technologies, it is possible for stakeholders in the nonprofit sector to disclose more, to know more, and to demand more through increased transparency and collaboration. In October, a group of the largest US foundations…

Analyzing the Gates Foundation’s impact on global social change.