As an academic, I grapple with the role of private foundations in higher education; on the one hand, as a critical scholar-activist committed to radical social and economic change, and on the other hand, as a participant in foundation-funded academic projects. I recognize the contradictory position I occupy within an institution that has historically served the status quo. In this paper I attempt to deal with the question of whether foundation funds, historically made possible by our unjust social system, have the capacity to contribute to the systemic social and economic changes I--alongside like-minded colleagues--strive to realize. Specifically, I look at the role of foundations in American higher education for the purpose of agitating hegemonic ideas and challenging us to ask difficult questions about our day-to-day practices. (Contains 4 notes.)