American Foundations: An Investigative History
Investigative journalist Dowie--author, most recently, ofLosing Ground: American Environmentalism at the Close of the Twentieth Century(1996)--turns his attention to organized philanthropy, a world at once highly visible and widely misunderstood. Dowie draws on academic literature, foundation archives, and more than 200 interviews with foundation officers, critics, and grant recipients in assessing the recent history of foundations and projecting the changes they face. In the face of crisis, Dowie suggests, organized philanthropy has been "slow to see problems coming, slow to respond, and quick to justify every decision." Dowie applies a public perspective, analyzing how effectively foundations have contributed to public education, science, health care, the environment, the arts and humanities, and civil society. Government devolution is likely to make foundations even more powerful in the twenty-first century; Dowie urges that they need to adopt democratic reforms (like citizen trustees, grantee advisory boards, and strong social agendas) to justify their increased influence. The author's proposals may seem utopian, but his studies of specific foundations and their programs are fascinating.Mary CarrollCopyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved--This text refers to theHardcoveredition.