As the nature of philanthropy in Canada has changed, the purpose of gifts to higher education is evolving away from infrastructure and towards the development of knowledge and the training of young minds. In this viewpoint, reflecting on my 20 years of experience working closely with funders, including business leaders with private foundations,…

This study explored foundation giving in the field of higher education philanthropy in Texas. Utilizing Fligstein and McAdam's conceptual framework, I found that a field-level analysis at the state level uncovered distinct profiles or groups of foundations hidden in the observed data over time. Texas was an interesting case because of its legal…

The majority of the world's children live in low- and middle-income countries, yet the majority of early childhood cognitive research is done with a small proportion of high-income countries. These findings cannot be assumed to apply across all contexts. It is therefore necessary to confront entrenched systems of power and privilege in early…

Performance measurement and research are key components of the operations of philanthropic organizations (both grant-making [GM] and grant-seeking [GS] organizations)--particularly those in the higher education subsector. Both conventionally and historically, performance measurement and research practices have been portrayed as rational tools that…

Sue Cunningham brings a global perspective to everything she does, and the benefit of this lens is clear in "Global Exchange," in which advancement leaders from around the world address the critical issues facing the sector. With voices from schools, colleges, universities, and foundations, "Global Exchange" represents a…

Philanthropic foundations are influential policy entrepreneurs in higher education, advocating new ideas, engaging in collaborative activities, and seeding research to inform the decision-making process. Despite occupying this role, the higher education literature has yet to examine how philanthropic foundations promote ideas between entities or…

(IOs) are influential policy actors in higher education. Yet, little is known regarding the role of philanthropic foundations in sponsoring IOs for policy promotion. By relying on longitudinal analysis of grants, semi-structured interviews, and social network analysis, this study examined the most central IOs within foundation-sponsored networks,…

This year's report provides a statement of the Foundation's activities (year ended June 30, 2017) and an extensive list of donors and funders supporting the Foundation in fiscal year 2017.

The Voluntary Support of Education (VSE) annual survey has collected data on fundraising outcomes in higher education institutions in the United States. It is regarded as the definitive source of information on philanthropic support of those institutions. Data from the survey are used to estimate total charitable support of all institutions of…

While a lot of research has been done on the role of philanthropy in the United States' higher education system, there is considerably less literature on U.S. and non-U.S. foundations that have funded international scholarship and fellowship programs that focus on social justice, particulary in the last two decades. This study shares findings and…

"The Intelligent Donor's Guide to College Giving" is a signature ACTA publication designed to help higher education donors navigate the giving process. This third edition features stories behind gifts that are bringing intellectual diversity and academic rigor to campuses across the country as well as lessons from controversies over past…

This article outlines the evolution of the relationship between the emergence of large-scale finance and industry in the American Gilded Age and Progressive eras and the shaping and funding of universities by foundations linked to the emerging industries. Scientism has been a means of gaining and maintaining legitimacy and research funding.…

This is the second year that the Voluntary Support of Education (VSE) survey--the longest-running and most-comprehensive survey of charitable giving to U.S. higher education institutions--has been under the auspices of the Council for Advancement and Support of Education (CASE). The brief that follows outlines basic findings from the 2019 survey,…

Despite clear evidence of the benefits of taking advanced math courses in high school, access to and success in these courses are not experienced equally. Only about half of California high school seniors enroll in an advanced math course, and nearly one-quarter of seniors do not take any math. To increase equitable access to advanced math, six…

According to 2018 research conducted by APM Research Lab, the research arm of the nonprofit public radio organization American Public Media, most Americans believe that government funding for higher education has increased or at least held firm over the last ten years. That is not the case, however. According to the Center on Budget and Policy…