Module 4 EXPLORING PHILANTHROPY AS A CULTURAL TRADITION

• You will further understand philanthropy as an institution and a practice.
• You will grapple with the connection between philanthropic tradition and the distribution of wealth, power, and privilege over time.

This module is designed to help you see your pursuit of philanthropy in context. You will be challenged to consider your philanthropic practice as more than an experience in self-discovery. You will be asked to consider it as a political or cultural statement with real consequences in the world.

• Payton, Robert L. & Moody, Michael P. “Understanding Philanthropy: Its Meaning and Mission.” Indiana University Press, 2008. (Excerpts from introduction)
• Hall, Peter Dobkin. “Chapter 1 “Historical Perspectives of Non Profit Organizations in the United States” in “The Jossey Bass Handbook of Nonprofit Leadership and Management.”

• This module explores the practice of philanthropy and prompts you to connect what it means to be a philanthropist to your individual and collective social identities and privileges.