Policy Patrons

Philanthropy, Education Reform, and the Politics of Influence

by Megan E. Tompkins-Stange

Foreword by Robert B. Schwartz

Series: Educational Innovations Series

216 Pages, 6.00 x 9.00 in

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9781612509129
Published: June 2016

$33.00

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9781612509143
Published: July 2020

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Policy Patrons offers a rare behind-the-scenes view of decision making inside four influential education philanthropies: the Ford Foundation, the W. K. Kellogg Foundation, the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, and the Eli and Edythe Broad Foundation. The outcome is an intriguing, thought-provoking look at the impact of current philanthropic efforts on education.

Over a period of several years, Megan E. Tompkins-Stange gained the trust of key players and outside observers of these four organizations. Through a series of confidential interviews, she began to explore the values, ideas, and beliefs that inform these foundations’ strategies and practices. The picture that emerges reveals important differences in the strategies and values of the more established foundations vis-à-vis the newer, more activist foundations—differences that have a significant impact on education policy and practice, and have important implications for democratic decision making.

In recent years, the philanthropic sector has played an increasing role in championing and financing education reform. Policy Patrons makes an original and invaluable contribution to contemporary discussions about the appropriate role of foundations in public policy and the future direction of education reform.

Megan E. Tompkins-Stange is an Assistant Professor at the Gerald R. Ford School of Public Policy, University of Michigan. She received her PhD from Stanford University in Education Policy and Organization Studies. Her work has been published in Nonprofit and Voluntary Sector Quarterly, the Harvard Journal of Law and Gender, and in The New Education Philanthropy: Politics, Policy and Reform.

"As inequality of all kinds continues to increase in the U.S. — and around the world — a serious debate about the role of inclusive, democratic processes in philanthropy and the foundation world would seem to be in order. Policy Patrons offers a hopeful glimpse into how such a discussion might begin." —Kyoko Uchida, Features Editor, Philanthropy News Digest

"The book offers a unique contribution to a growing scholarly literature on philanthropy and education aimed not only toward an academics audience but those in the policy sectors as well." —Kathleen deMarrais & Elizabeth M. Pope, Teachers College Record

"Policy Patrons is an important work in this emerging field of study." —N. Kraus, CHOICE Connect

"By providing access to the decision-making and communication processes as well as the investment strategies of four of the twenty largest foundations working in the US education field, the author makes an original contribution to the age-old debate about the role which philanthropic foundations can play in public policy reform in a liberal democracy." —Annabelle Berthiaume, Liens Socio

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Policy Patrons

Philanthropy, Education Reform, and the Politics of Influence

Policy Patrons

Philanthropy, Education Reform, and the Politics of Influence

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