Bornstein Poverty Q6
Philanthropies should do adequate due diligence on successful nonprofits providing services and trust them to effectively address the impacts of poverty. Too often philanthropies strictly design grant terms in ways that either do not address poverty or provide a “one-off” program that may provide short-term benefits to recipients but do not raise a family out of poverty.
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Additional thoughts
In our experience, many philanthropies support events that enhance the quality of life in the community for people who do not need the financial help to keep food on the table or the lights on. Cultural events are important to support innovation, critical thinking and an enjoyable quality of life but a balance should be struck to bring up those in poverty where subsistence is the only focus so that they too can stabilize and have the luxury of stretching their horizons beyond the necessities of life. More emphasis on positively impacting the daily life of a family in poverty would be helpful.
