March 18, 2012

To Solve Society’s Problems, Grant Makers Need Focus and Patience

By Joel Orosz

A philanthropic proverb tells us that “people have problems, but foundations have departments.”

Ah, that was in the good old days. Now people have persistent problems, but foundations have attention-deficit disorder. The major social ills foundations seek to heal—racism, generational poverty, failing schools—are enormously complex, intricately interconnected, and deeply rooted in America’s history and culture. Big foundations respond to these social ills