Graham Taylor was a leader in the movement for schools of civics and philanthropy. As founder of the Chicago School of Civics and Philanthropy, Taylor served as President and Professor. The study focuses on the development of the study of philanthropy through following the pedagogy of Graham Taylor beginning with his early efforts during the late…

Public education funding relies on revenues from a variety of sources, from local taxpayers to federal programs targeting students with specific needs. The vast sum of funding collected--in excess of $600 billion annually--often masks which entities fund the education of our nation's youth. Questions of funding adequacy and equity across school…

This article focuses on the increased power of venture philanthropy to shape education in urban communities of color in the USA. The author situates venture philanthropy's expanded influence in urban school districts in the nexus of urban disinvestment, neoliberal governance, wealth concentration, and economic crisis. The author argues that…

Strengthening after-school programming for city youngsters has long been an objective of The Wallace Foundation, a national philanthropy based in New York City. In its work over the years, Wallace has found that weak financial management of the nonprofits running many high-quality programs hampers their ability to improve and expand. In 2009,…

Community colleges are enjoying a rare moment in the limelight right now. But part of what is being revealed by that light is just how much scrambling two-year institutions must do to keep up with increasing demands and decreasing budgets. With the recession sending many laid-off workers back to school for job retraining, and with President Barack…

Dozens of schools are slated for aggressive interventions over the next three years under a new, multistate effort that aims to clear hurdles that have hindered previous attempts to improve underperforming schools. Education officials in Colorado, Delaware, Illinois, Louisiana, Massachusetts, and New York have agreed to partner with Mass Insight…

Chicago has become a hotbed of "venture philanthropy" in education, as two local foundations contribute not only money, but also the hands-on work of some of the city's wealthiest and most influential residents, to help improve the schools in the nation's third-largest district. These two venture-philanthropy funds consist of the…

For the past couple of decades, customer relationship management has been quietly establishing itself as the way everybody does business. Migrating to the education community only in the past five years or so, it has acquired a more genteel transcription of its acronym: constituent relationship management. However one decodes the letters, CRM is…

In late 1999, philanthropist Susie Buffett wanted to make the smartest possible investment to improve public education in her hometown of Omaha, Nebraska. She and her then-foundation president, Dan Pedersen, spoke with Superintendent John Mackiel regarding how he would choose to use private funds to enhance opportunities for Omaha's 46,000…

Julius Rosenwald (1862-1932) made enormous contributions to African American education, rural education, and many aspects of American life. Even so, he remains a little known figure to many. To a large extent, his impact was the result of an ability to build and maintain effective partnerships. This brief history summarizes Rosenwald's thoughts on…

This statewide study of Illinois foundations indicates that by researching where foundation grants have gone in the past, a pattern of giving can be deduced. (Editor)

At the request of the Illinois Community College Board's (ICCB's) Committee on Foundations, the ICCB surveyed the state's public community college district to determine the purposes, resources, and activities of the colleges' foundations. The study found that all of the community college districts, except one, have foundations to assist them in…

What is the current financial condition of Illinois independent colleges and universities? What changes have occurred in the past five years, and what are the prospects for the immediate future? Have independent colleges and universities been able to maintain or improve quality in the past five years? What has been the impact of state programs to…

A study was conducted to establish a baseline profile of business and education linkage activities in Lake County, Illinois. Data were collected through a survey questionnaire sent to 242 public and private K-12 schools in Lake County. Two rounds of mailings resulted in the return of 109 usable forms, or 45 percent of the population. Telephone…

Endowment funds, created from private donations, have recently become a new funding source for public schools. Once endowed, these funds provide schools with extra monies that earn interest until they are needed. This publication describes how to start, develop, and profit from public school endowment funds. Initial considerations in setting up an…