CHESTNUT HILL, Mass., Oct. 20, 2015 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- At a time when American society has grown increasingly dependent on philanthropy to fund everything from our most fundamental needs to our highest ideals, two Boston College Law School professors are launching the Forum on Philanthropy and the Public Good to examine public policy issues in charitable giving, Boston College Law School announced today.
The forum's inaugural event takes place on Friday, October 23, 2015, at the University Club in Washington, D.C., where it will host The Rise of Donor-Advised Funds: Should Congress Respond?, which will look at the $50-billion charitable fund sector.
With support from organizations including the Ford Foundation and Carnegie Corporation, professors Ray Madoff and William Bagley say the non-partisan forum will serve as a much-needed philanthropy think tank.
"Philanthropy is often surrounded by a hazy glow," said Madoff, the forum director and an expert on philanthropy and tax law, whose commentary has appeared in the New York Times, Wall Street Journal and National Public Radio. "People assume that what happens under the umbrella of philanthropy must, by its very nature, be optimally serving the public good. But sometimes the rules governing philanthropy do not produce that result."
Bringing together scholars, practitioners and policy makers, the Forum on Philanthropy and the Public Good will examine whether the rules governing the philanthropic sector best serve the public good and whether Congress and regulators need to take action. Among the leading issues:
The Forum on Philanthropy is committed to a non-partisan approach to promote balanced discussions about philanthropy and the role of Congress in guiding how charitable dollars ultimately reach their intended beneficiaries.
"There has been too little discussion and debate about these fundamental questions surrounding philanthropy," said Madoff, the author of Immortality and the Law: the Rising Power of the American Dead. "We believe that a strong and open discussion of these issues will ultimately strengthen the role of philanthropy in advancing the common good."
Additional events sponsored by the Forum on Philanthropy include:
A diverse consortium of funders, including large and small public and private foundations, supports the work of the Forum on Philanthropy and the Public Good, including: the Ford Foundation, the Carnegie Corporation of New York, the William and Flora Hewlett Foundation, the David Bohnett Foundation, the Barr Foundation, the Lewis B. and Dorothy Cullman Foundation, Inc., the Chicago Community Trust, the Andrea & Charles Bronfman Philanthropies and the Community Foundation for Greater Atlanta.