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Philanthropy Must Accelerate Spending and Broaden Collaboration
The sector's response to the sharp withdrawal of government funding and to threats against basic freedoms should start with the easy answers.
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A Looser Hold on Perpetuity
In a crisis, how can foundations justify perpetuity as a guiding star? Increasing payouts goes hand in hand with a trust-based philanthropy approach that prioritizes supporting our partners.
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A New Framework for Foundation Payout
The relationship between impact and time varies issue by issue.
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Philanthropy & Funding
Asian Philanthropy Can and Must Lead From Within
How Asian philanthropists are embracing adaptive, blended, and locally informed approaches to transform the uncertainty of global aid into opportunity.
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In Defense of Philanthropic Freedom
Those of us in philanthropy may not always agree, but we must defend each other's right to exist.
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Local Leaders Are Driving Systems Change. Philanthropy Must Follow.
Now is the time for funders to back local leaders who are making lasting improvements to people's lives and the systems that shape them, even amidst global disruption.
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Three Priorities for Science Philanthropy
How philanthropy can help sustain scientific discovery in a changing research landscape.
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Philanthropy Must Stand, Deliver, and Listen
Any response to this moment must include careful reflection on philanthropy's role in a democratic society.
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Drawing on Courage and Community for the Coming Challenges
The diversity and vibrancy of our sector give me optimism that we will meet the current crisis and weather future challenges in the years to come.
Philanthropy’s Response to the Radical New Reality
The nonprofit sector is experiencing seismic disruption. Since the start of 2025, the new US administration has aggressively slashed social spending, defunding and dismantling major domestic and international organizations and programs—and thus, the vital services they provide—in the process. Meanwhile, the tax-exempt status of nonprofits, funding for higher education institutions, and the tax status of philanthropic endowments are falling under threat.
How should philanthropy respond? In recent months, many foundations and donors have spoken out against government funding cuts or announced increases in their giving. Others have entered into new collaborations or set out to spend down their funds entirely. Yet the scale of potential shortfalls is staggering, and threats of punitive government policies are chilling by design.
This collection of articles, developed in collaboration with the team at the John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation, aims to help philanthropists and their partners think through the choices before them. Contributors include leaders and thinkers from a wide variety of funding institutions, beginning with MacArthur Foundation President John Palfrey. Their stories reflect on the current moment, explain the strategies their organizations are taking, and highlight both urgent challenges and points of light.
This series appeared in SSIR’s Fall 2025 Issue, including a new follow-up essay from MacArthur Foundation President John Palfrey.