:dart: **Topic:** [Unlearning Philanthropy](https://www.eventbrite.com/e/unlearning-philanthropy-with-sara-reisman-tickets-72550996985)
:date: **Date:** Sun, Sept 22 @ 3:00pm
:where: #nyabf19 MoMA PS1
:dart: **Facilitator:** Sara Reisman [:bird:]
:dart: **Moderators:** Shifter (Avi Alpert and Rit Premnath)
:family: **Who's here?** Avi, Rit, Brett, others... (~50 ppl)
<sup>(add name if you feel like it)</sup>
Notes:
- Philanthropy defined: good will to fellow members of human race
- Conceptual link to charity. Religious has obligatory tones of charity. Philanthropy is volunteered.
- Small village - philantropist would know your need and help before needing to be asked
- Influenced by US Gov't - 1917
- Non-profits - exempt from Fed Income Tax. Values are counter to sources of funds - tear gas, pain meds etc.
- Based on existing networks
- We need an equitable, responsive model. Rubin's 2015 to move to Open Call. Removal of hard agenda or parameters. Values embedded in form - fair pay, disability access, relevance, diversity of audience. Less of an opportunity for folks to "shoehorn" projects into a set theme. Values range from healing, cultural innovation, local, equitable. Many non-profits don't operate this way.
- Issue - funders want credit. The funding becomes cultural capital. Naming satisfies ego. This is emotional fundraising - the kind you see at VIP hours. Yet, there is a value in naming and knowing where the money comes from.
- sidenote - but, what's the threshold?
- Maimonedes ladder
- Federal and state funds are not enough - even city run projects still rely on private donors to execute artistic projects.
- Many more MFA's than there are opportunitis available
- Perhaps grants should go to a more participatory practice of grant-making within institutions
- Contributor -Art and Theory progam is experimenting with a lottery for top qualified and selected applicants.
- Audience - should institutions become leaner? Why expand?
- Audience - Give 10% of income to charity - another model.
- Audience - where is the threshold between good, not so good, poor, toxic philanthropy?
- Audience - Institutions on hook for defining this.
- Contributor. Triple Canopy - reassessing values
- Affective altuism.
- Audience. Philanthopy is a defense mechanism for elite. In early 20 century, wealthy paid taxes but also took care of otherrs to keep societal balance.
- Is crowdfunding a model?
- Kickstarter is firing employees for trying to unionize.
- There's not a shared conversation amongst fellow Foundations. No consortium or standard. There's a personal relationship to philanthropy itself. Many folks don't want to be transparent.
- Resource - Grantmakers in the Arts is building some community.