Agreeing to Disagree: Philanthropy and the Marketplace of Ideas
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Foundations and individual philanthropists are often criticized for the positions they take on politically fraught, hot-button issues. As policy and cultural issues become increasingly politicized, philanthropic actors may sometimes be seen as well-resourced partisans, taking advantage of their tax-exempt status to tip the scales in favor of their particular views. While today’s panelists may disagree on issues and support grantees on opposite sides of various debates, each vehemently argues for the others’ right — and even responsibility — to generate and spread knowledge, seed new ideas, and experiment with solutions in order to contribute to a healthy and robust democracy.
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