Where We're Coming From
/Our Mission
Inside Philanthropy pulls back the curtain on how philanthropy operates, explaining who’s funding what and why, while pushing philanthropy to maximize its contribution to the common good.
Our Funding
Inside Philanthropy is funded almost entirely through user subscriptions, along with a limited amount of advertising and sponsored content. Other than through standard subscription fees, Inside Philanthropy has never taken money from philanthropic or venture capitalist sources and never will. We are one of few, if not the only, philanthropy media outlet that is not funded by the donors and foundations we cover. We consider this independence core to our mission of holding the sector accountable, and as such, our paywall and subscribers are extremely important to us. We couldn’t do this work without them.
Our Readers
We create our work for the benefit of grantseekers who need to raise money, funders who seek to have more impact, and those with the power to shape philanthropy’s priorities and how it is regulated by society. About 60% of our readers are in the grantseeking or nonprofit world, but about a quarter work in philanthropy or are donors themselves. Smaller segments include academics, consultants, and journalists.
Our Principles
Inside Philanthropy is guided in its work by a set of beliefs about philanthropy and society:
Equity. Promoting a fairer, more just society should be the primary goal of tax-deductible philanthropy. However, we also recognize and respect other goals, including promoting the arts, health, conservation, and other public goods that advance human and animal well-being.
Democracy. Philanthropy should work to strengthen democracy — both in what it funds, to give more voice to those with the least power, and how it funds, to share more decision-making with the communities it serves.
Accountability. Strong oversight by government, media, and nonprofit watchdogs will help ensure that philanthropy advances the common good and sustains public support. Transparency is a precondition for such oversight.
Effectiveness. Funders and nonprofits should use their scarce tax-subsidized resources in ways that maximize impact.
Our Point of View
Inside Philanthropy’s writers and contributors almost always bring a distinct point of view, combining reporting with informed insight, opinion and analysis. At the same time, we always strive for fairness, humility, and rigor in our reporting and writing.
Much of our writing flows from our principles, and an emphasis on values like fairness, justice, and the public interest. But we are not beholden to any one ideology, and value a diversity of good-faith opinions among the people we interview and our contributors.
Accuracy
We always strive to get the story right and check for accuracy at multiple points in the editorial process, but sometimes we make mistakes. If we discover a potential error, the writer, editor and sources determine what changes need to be made, and in a prompt manner we will edit the story and add a correction or clarification note as is appropriate. Some of our articles have long shelf lives, and we may update periodically based on new or better information.
Conflicts of Interest
Any IP writer will be recused from a story and/or publicly disclose conflicts of interest when appropriate. This may include a personal or family connection, financial investment, or financial or employment relationship with the subject(s) of the article. At the same time, we expect our writers to have their own opinions and be engaged members of society, and impose no restrictions on their freedom of expression or civic participation.
