Taking on Philanthropy’s Toughest Critiques with Beth Breeze
Philanthropy has been the subject of intensifying criticism, so how should donors think about their role in creating a better world? Beth Breeze, Ph.D., director of the Centre for Philanthropy at the University of Kent, has spent more than a decade examining and responding to critiques of philanthropy, most recently authoring the 2021 book, “In Defence of Philanthropy.” In conversation with Phil and Grace, she makes the case that the critics are largely getting it wrong, overlooking the positive results of giving and the unique role that civil society and nonprofits play in any thriving democracy.
Guest Info:
Beth Breeze, Ph.D. is director of the Centre for Philanthropy at the University of Kent. Beth began her career as a fundraiser for a youth homelessness charity and spent a decade working in a variety of fundraising, research, and charity management roles, including as deputy director at the Institute for Philanthropy. Motivated by the lack of substantive research underpinning practice, Beth completed a Ph.D. on contemporary philanthropy at Kent in 2011, and has been working there ever since.
Beth has written and edited seven books, two of which have won the AFP Skystone Research Partners book prize. She has also written a wide range of research reports including ten editions of the annual ‘Coutts Million Pound Donors Report.’
Credits:
Podcast Production: Rococo Punch
Music: APM Music
Artwork: Jay Kustka
Resources:
In Defence of Philanthropy by Beth Breeze
University of Kent Centre for Philanthropy
Winners Take All: The Elite Charade of Changing the World by Anand Giridharadas
Munk Debate on Billionaire Philanthropy: Rob Reich vs. Beth Breeze
The Roddick Foundation
Empire of Pain: The Secret History of the Sackler Dynasty by Patrick Radden Keefe