The Liberating Promise of Philanthropy : Stories of Grant-Makers in the South

Very little has been written about the way in which grant-making foundations shaped and were shaped by the South. Now Martin Lehfeldt, former president of the Southeastern Council of Foundations, and Dr. Jamil Zainaldin, president emeritus of the Georgia Humanities Council, have harnessed their combined expertise to fill in that gap with this comprehensive but accessible history.  The story they weave begins with the thinking of our country?s Founders and the role they envisioned for philanthropy in the new republic, unspools its narrative thread through the Civil War, Reconstruction, and two world wars, and ends with a thorough examination of modern philanthropy in the region. They appropriately conclude by chronicling the emergence of the Southeastern Council of Foundations (SECF), the geographically largest regional association of grant-makers in the country. David Hammack, Haydn Professor of History Emeritus Case Western Reserve University, calls this book "an extraordinary addition to our histories of philanthropic foundations." Sherece Y. West-Scantlebury, CEO of the Winthrop Rockefeller Foundation, says it contains "a valuable set of both explicit and implicit lessons for the current and coming generations." This milestone contribution to our understanding of philanthropy's place in the American experiment will be read with interest by anyone with an interest in Southern history, but especially laborers in the vineyards of the nonprofit sector.