Upcoming Events
November 19, 2009Luis Ubinas Discussion
Luis Ubinas, President of the Ford Foundation, will be speaking at the Heller School. He will be discussing new directions for mobilizing philanthropic resources for social change. The Sillerman Center will be co-sponsoring this important event.
4:30 pm Reception
5:00 pm Talk
The Zinner Forum, The Heller School
RSVP: sarahbs1@brandeis.edu
Events
October 29, 2009
Criteria for Philanthropy at Its Best
Aaron Dorfman, Executive Director of the National Committee for Responsive Philanthropy, discussed the committee's Criteria for Philanthropy at Its Best. Dr. Susan Ostrander of Tufts University and Henry Allen of The Discount Foundation participated as the academic and philanthropic respondents raising such questions as how philanthropy can advance social justice?
The Zinner Forum, The Heller School
September 22-24, 2009
Fall Forum: Grantmakers for Children, Youth and Families
Minneapolis-St. Paul, Minnesota
More Bang for the Buck: Small Foundations Engaging in Social Policy
The Sillerman Center led a skills-building session as part of the Annual Conference entitled Leadership in the Storm: Investing in Outcomes for Children, Youth and Families.
September 30, 2009
Breakfast with the Experts: Ready by 21
Elizabeth Gaines, State and Local Policy Director, Forum for Youth Investment - Presenter
Associated Grant Makers of Boston and The Sillerman Center hosted foundation staff and board members and Elizabeth Gaines as they discussed ways in which their agendas can align and be most effective for youth- particularly in these times.
Sillerman Center in the News
July 12, 2009
The Washington Post: Fresh Faces in Philanthropy
Childrens faces have often been used to promote fundraising in campaigns such as the March of Dimes. Now they aren't just poster children, but high profile CEOs of their own non-profit groups.
July 3, 2009
New York Times article: Raising Children Who Care in Times That Need It
A fast-growing concept in universities and colleges is to offer classes where students have real money to distribute to worthy causes.
Read the New York Times article
June 12, 2009
Boston Globe article: Philanthropy Courses and Students as Givers
Teaching Philanthropy: A Gathering for Academics
Faculty and students of the Sillerman Center, the Campus Compact/ Fidelity Charitable Gift Fund & Students4Giving project and the Sunshine Lady Foundation's Learning by Giving project who teach philanthropy courses where actual grants are awarded to non-profits convened in the Zinner Forum at the Heller School to meet and exchange ideas on the teaching of both the theory and practice of philanthropy.
What's New
May 2-3, 2009
Emerging Practioners in Philanthropy Pre Conference: Innovation and Legacy
The Place of the Next Generation in Philanthropy at the 2009 Council on Foundation's Annual Conference
Elenore Garton of The Sillerman Center and Jason Franklin of New York University, presented a training in Foundations and Public Policy: Leveraging for Impact
April 30, 2009Health Care Investing
Health Care funders were treated to a roundtable breakfast with nationally known health care economist and policy expert, Stuart Altman at the Heller School. Read more
THE SILLERMAN CENTER FOR THE ADVANCEMENT OF PHILANTHROPY, established in 2008, builds upon the expertise of the Heller School for Social Policy and Management at Brandeis University. The Center, committed to strengthening philanthropy that advances social justice through research, education, practice and leadership development. The Center's focus on social justice philanthropy is an outgrowth of the principles of justice to which Justice Louis Brandeis was committed.
The Sillerman Center for the Advancement of Philanthropy develops and diffuses knowedge by:
- Supporting Heller graduate students through fellowships, dissertation awards, and summer internships to ensure the field is preparing knowledgeable leaders
- Teaching Practicing Philanthropy, a graduate course to educate students in the complexities of being a grantmaker
- Sponsoring original research on social justice philanthropy and philanthropy that seeks to address important policy issues
- Developing events and offering workshops to promote a high level of discourse in the field
- Designing curricula to educate students and practitioners
- Sponsoring competitions to stimulate innovation and creative thinking in philanthropy
- Maintaining a network of strategic partnerships
The Sillerman Center for the Advancement of Philanthropy assists foundations and individual philanthropists to:
- Explore and engage in policy solutions to social issues
- Understand and use research and evidence to make informed grantmaking decisions
- Develop grantmaking programs that address inequities in society
- Host meetings on our campus
- Identify best practices and models based on evidence
- Examine the policy climate around specific issues
Policy is not some radical new philanthropic focus.
The August 2009 edition of Youth Today features an op-ed by the Sillerman Center's Director Andrew Hahn, on non-profit leaders needing to combat the conditions triggered by the recession by diversifying their funding base, shifting towards general support from project-based funding and collaborating (or merging) more with other organizations. It's hardly the dramatic measures President Obama has taken in other areas.
The April 2009 edition of Youth Today features an op-ed by the Sillerman Center's Director, Andrew Hahn,on The American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009. We need to mount strong summer programs that fulfill a need for youths and their communities..
The November 2008 edition of Youth Today features an op-ed by the Sillerman Center's Director, Andrew Hahn, on involving small staff size foundations and family foundations in youth policy.
Robert FX Sillerman receives Brandeis 2009 Alumni Achievement Award from Brandeis University President Jehuda Reinharz.