Philanthropy Awards, 2022
/
vchal/shutterstock
High-dollar philanthropists made a lot of headlines in 2022, but not in ways they might have hoped. Between the widely reported Sam Bankman-Fried fiasco, Zuck’s Meta catastrophe, and Elon Musk’s social media train wreck, billionaires were in the spotlight, and it was not flattering. Meanwhile, overall concern over the influence of the ultra-wealthy continues to surge.
At the same time, as is always the case in this sector, we saw a lot of impressive activity and important funding, including MacKenzie Scott’s continued shattering of philanthropic norms, several huge commitments to critical issues, and inspiring social justice work happening at multiple levels. It was also a year of overdue attention to a few key causes that we’ve been urging funders to throw their weight behind for years.
Whether it’s the highs or the lows, IP’s independent coverage of the philanthropic sector is only possible because of you, the subscribers. Our team is ever grateful for your support, and we look forward to carrying out this mission next year.
Without further ado, here are our picks for 2022. And be sure to click on the links along the way to read some of our best articles of the year.
The 2022 IPPYs
Philanthropist of the Year: Yvon Chouinard
We’ve been fans of Patagonia’s philanthropy for a while now, but the Chouinard family’s decision to convert its company holdings into a vehicle for environmental giving is impressive for a whole set of reasons. Yes, there are plenty of caveats, but transforming a $3 billion corporation into a green funder that will pump out $100 million a year is pretty cool any way you look at it.
Runner Up: MacKenzie Scott
Honestly, she probably could have taken the title for a third year in a row, but that’d be a little lazy on our part, now wouldn’t it? Still, we saw some big moves from Scott in 2022, including the long-awaited launch of a website and grants database and a new report that found her giving to be transformative for grantees. Now we just hope she takes our advice to get more strategic in tackling the drivers of inequality.
Foundation Leader of the Year: Darren Walker
This one was a long time coming, but it has become clearer than ever that Walker is the most influential foundation leader in modern philanthropy. After nearly 10 years atop the Ford Foundation, his leadership has paved the way for some of the most exciting trends in the sector, whether it’s general support and capacity-building, giving for racial and social justice, attention to the dangers of inequality, or prioritization of disability rights.
Philanthropic Family of the Year: The Sobratos
Now in its third generation, the billionaire Sobrato family of Silicon Valley runs a multi-pronged operation that is still evolving, with younger family members putting a bullseye on social justice, climate change and other new causes.
Donor Organizers of the Year: Solidaire Network
A decade into its work, this envelope-pushing progressive donor network has only gotten better at mobilizing money — even as it challenges the legitimacy of philanthropic wealth — and it’s on track to blow away its goal of moving $1 billion by 2029.
Newcomer of the Year: Crankstart Foundation
The foundation of Michael Moritz and Harriet Heyman has been around for a while now, but it’s really come into its own recently. Funding education, democracy, the environment, science and the Bay Area, Crankstart is moving impressive sums.
Community Foundation Leader of the Year: Nicole Taylor, Silicon Valley Community Foundation
In the wake of several scandal-plagued years, Taylor has righted the ship at SVCF — which moved $2.27 billion in 2021 alone — and shifted its overall strategy to advance gender, racial and economic justice in the vastly unequal Silicon Valley.
Racial Justice Funder of the Year: Democracy Frontlines Fund
When we tracked the progress of 11 major foundations’ 2020 racial justice pledges, nobody met all the criteria we used to gauge funders’ success — except this one. The pooled fund is following all of the best practices, including shifting decision-making power toward people of color.
Tech Mega-Donors to Watch: Eric and Wendy Schmidt
Flying below the radar no longer, the former Google CEO and his wife have ramped up an impressive range of giving across multiple fronts, from climate and conservation to journalism, higher ed, economic and social mobility, and scientific research.
Worst Philanthropist of the Year: Sam Bankman-Fried
Of all the sins a donor can commit, pledging money and then reneging is among the worst. But SBF did far worse, reinforcing the fear that philanthropy is a tool of plutocratic influence and subterfuge.
Most Smoke, Least Fire: The “Crisis” of Effective Altruism
EA’s been around since before Sam Bankman-Fried graduated high school and it will still be here after he’s served prison time. While this is a movement that clearly needs to do some serious soul-searching, its basic approach — following evidence to improve human wellbeing — will always have its merits and acolytes.
Toxic Donors of the Year: Russian Oligarchs
Russia’s mega-rich have never enjoyed stellar reputations, but Putin’s pariah status has cast an even darker cloud over the men his regime enriched — some of whom have a history of philanthropy in the U.S.
Biggest Win: Saving American Democracy (for now)
Many of our worst fears about the decline of democracy did not come to fruition in the midterm elections, in part because of historic donor investments in organizing and election protection work. Still, there’s a lot more work to do toward shoring up democratic infrastructure worldwide.
Biggest Loss: The Fall of Roe v. Wade
The IPPY for biggest loss in 2021 went to abortion rights, after the Texas SB8 decision put the writing on the wall. With the Dobbs decision in 2022, the extent of that loss became devastatingly clear. Looking ahead, funders have got to step up if they want to protect and restore this human right.
Biggest Funding Oversight: Peace and Security
Russia’s invasion of Ukraine shined a spotlight on just how much U.S. philanthropy’s imprint on global peacebuilding has shrunk since the Cold War ended — and how much good a new David Rockefeller might do. Meanwhile, one of the stalwarts of nuclear security funding, MacArthur, is winding down its program after 40 years.
Runner-up: “Deaths of Despair”
Even as top health funders broaden their agenda to include upstream issues like housing and poverty, philanthropy remains largely MIA amid an urgent public health crisis powered by drugs, alcohol and suicide.
Back-to-Earth Award: Mark Zuckerberg
Zuck’s net worth took a nosedive this year. While CZI soldiers on, the Meta magnate probably won’t be unveiling any unconventional philanthropic big bets anytime soon. And that’s probably a good thing.
Mega-donor We’ll (Kind of) Miss the Most: Julian Robertson
His giving was far from perfect, and he did the world a dubious favor by pioneering the hedge fund. Nevertheless, the late Robertson deserves credit for his huge climate giving and for tirelessly evangelizing philanthropy among his younger peers.
Donor Organizer We’ll Miss the Most: Rob Stein
The Democracy Alliance that Stein helped to spearhead has gone on to channel roughly $2 billion to progressive causes and was a forerunner for today’s more muscular donor ecosystem on the left. Stein passed away in May at 78.
Philanthropy Action Hero of the Year: Howard Buffett
Buffett’s been in motion to help Ukraine ever since Russia invaded, meeting twice with President Zelensky and giving nearly $150 million through his foundation to meet a wide range of needs. Meanwhile, the Buffett Foundation continues to push forward its huge and bold investments in Rwanda.
Least Transparent Philanthropists: Stephen and Susan Mandel
OK, the least transparent philanthropists are the ones whose names we don’t even know. But among the shadowy mega-donors we do know about, the hedge fund billionaire and his wife stand out — sending 99.9% of their foundation’s dollars to a black box, er, donor-advised fund, even if their giving does leave some online bread crumbs.
Cause of the Year: Climate Change, Finally
Bill Gates has a growing climate operation. Billionaire couples like the Ballmers started new programs. MacKenzie Scott showered international regrantors with gifts. Patagonia founder Yvon Chouinard gave his business to the cause. Venture capitalist John Doerr gave $1 billion to Stanford. It’s all adding up to real money.
Runner Up: Mental Health, Finally
This is another cause we’ve been championing for years, including some memorable opinion pieces from contributor Ken Zimmerman. It took a pandemic, but we finally saw some real progress, including a huge gift from the Ballmers and some creative funding from regional players like the Huntsman Foundation.
Honorable Mention: Worker Power, Finally
After decades of skittishness, a critical mass of major funders are now giving to boost workers. Wellspring is the latest heavy-hitter on the scene, finalizing work on a grantmaking program that launches next year.
Trend of the Year: Rising Donors of Color
The Donors of Color Network has become a force to be reckoned with in a short time, reflecting the rising power and influence of wealthy people of color. Far from a monolith, they’re expanding the sector’s perceptions of what a philanthropist looks like.
Worst Trend of the Year: Burn-out
Philanthropoids, nonprofit workers, heck, philanthropy journalists — we’re all tired. It’s been a tough couple of years, and yet, there’s still not much funding out there to support workers’ wellbeing. We hope to see that change, pronto.
Best Ally to Nonprofit Workers: Durfee Foundation
Durfee is a leader in funding nonprofit sabbaticals, and its new Lark Awards are part of a broader push to help a long-starved nonprofit workforce. Honorable mentions go to the Imago Dei Fund and the small but mighty group of other funders who also move money for the needs of nonprofit workers.
Most Dysfunctional Family Foundation: Nathan Cummings Foundation
With the exit early this year of yet another talented CEO after a short stint in the top job at NCF, maybe the next hire should be a good family therapist.
Thorniest Topic for Philanthropy: Polarization
There’s been a lot of well-intentioned philanthropic momentum, and real potential, around building bridges between Americans. But Libra head Crystal Hayling, writing in IP, cautioned her fellow funders to avoid sacrificing justice in the name of civility.
Science-Fiction-Worthy Cause of the Year: The Search for Extraterrestrial Life
As amazing new images are generated by the James Webb Space Telescope and by powerful telescopes down here on Earth, the Research Corporation for Science Advancement recently re-upped a program that brings together scientists to figure out how we might recognize life on another planet if we saw it.
Climate Funder of the Year: The Rockefeller Foundation
Whether you appreciate its grantmaking or have your quibbles, this legacy funder’s all-in approach to climate change is a welcome and overdue recognition of the all-encompassing nature of the threat. Hopefully, peers follow suit.
Biggest Eyeroll: A Billion for Stanford University
We still need a lot of innovation in the climate fight, but John and Ann Doerr’s massive gift to the Palo Alto school is yet another case of sending the biggest checks to the usual suspects.
Arts Funder of the Year: Laurie M. Tisch Illumination Fund
With the announcement of its inaugural Arts & Mental Health program grantees earlier this year, this New York City-based funder continues to show how the arts can address mental health stigma and care, a persistently underfunded field.
New Arts Funder of the Year: The Ruth Foundation for the Arts
The Milwaukee-based funder made a splash with its inaugural grantmaking, giving vital, unrestricted funding to 138 small to mid-sized organizations. Tapping a $440 million endowment, it plans to disburse up to $20 million annually, making it one the ecosystem’s biggest funders.
Journalism Funder(s) of the Year: Community Foundations
We’ve long talked about how community foundations are untapped allies for nonprofit news outlets. But 2022 may be remembered as an inflection point amid growing signs that community foundations are bringing news deserts back to life.
Philanthropy Sleuth of the Year: Teddy Schleifer
The Puck journalist consistently unearths juicy details about the machinations of the mega-wealthy, from MacKenzie Scott to SBF. We’re eager to see what he digs up next.
Philanthropy Critic of the Year: Alan S. Davis
The Leonard and Sophie Davis Fund president is also chair of the Crisis Charitable Commitment, an effort to get the super-rich to give more money away. Davis is a relentless critic of wealth hoarding, and has zero patience for excuses.
Overdue Social Justice Funding Trend: Trans Rights
We saw a welcome constellation of efforts to move money to transgender communities. Funders for LGBTQ Issues’ GUTC Pledge, Groundswell’s Black Trans Fund, the Black Trans Travel Fund and others we have yet to cover in depth are all examples of the creativity and resilience of trans communities in the face of ongoing attacks.
About Time Award: The Gates Foundation’s New Board
The global giving behemoth spent way too long with what was essentially family foundation governance. After a turbulent 2021, Gates’ new board has added some fresh voices to the mix.
Fundraising Success Story of the Year: Sandy Hook Promise
In the 10 years since the school shooting in Newtown, Connecticut, this organization started by the survivors of the tragedy has made more strides than you might expect, and couldn’t have done it without a ton of philanthropic support, large and small.
Most Impressive Philanthropic Takeover: World Resources Institute
Alumni of this environmental think tank are calling the shots at several of the largest climate grantmaking programs. It’s a testament to WRI’s track record, but still, green funders might want to think of expanding their hiring pool.
Moral Panic of the Year: “Woke” Philanthropy
Even as we saw a wave of hysteria about lefty philanthropy, the data show that traditional funding for “eds and meds” continues to dominate big philanthropy. Meanwhile, IP readers, who largely work in the sector, made it clear in our 2022 survey that the concern was much ado about nothing.
Newest Cause on the Radar: Struggling Boys and Men
With evidence mounting that boys and men are falling behind in multiple areas, including a new book drawing attention to this alarming trend, there’s a strong case for putting the issue on philanthropy’s agenda going forward.
Philanthropy Whisperer We’ll Miss the Most: Melissa Berman
Berman, who’s stepping down next year from Rockefeller Philanthropy Advisors, has advised a who’s who of funders over two decades and built RPA into one of the sector’s most respected influencers.
Affinity Group Leader We’ll Miss the Most: Celine Coggins, Grantmakers for Education
Coggins is stepping down after four years at this top funder affinity group “to return to the front lines of advocacy.” She’s launching The Legacy Years Project to mobilize Gen Xers to engage more in civic life. We wish her the best.
Sports Philanthropist We’ll Miss the Most: Kent Waldrep
Waldrep was a promising young college running back when an injury left him partially paralyzed in 1974. He went on to help get the Americans With Disabilities Act passed and raised millions of dollars for spinal cord research. He passed away in March at 67.
Mega-Donor Parents to Watch: Jackie and Mike Bezos
Jeff’s mom and stepdad may be sitting on billions of dollars thanks to an early investment in Amazon. Typically known for their education giving, they gave an eye-popping $710.5 million to Seattle’s Fred Hutchinson Cancer Center this year, catapulting to the top echelon of medical research philanthropists.
Mega-Donor Partner to Watch: Lauren Sanchez
When Jeff Bezos announced he would give away most of his money during his lifetime, Sanchez was at his side, and we’re betting that she’ll play a big role in disbursing one of the world’s greatest fortunes.
Obsolescence Alert: The Private Foundation
Years ago, writing about “Philanthrosaurus Rex,” we predicted the demise of the big foundation. That’s yet to happen, of course, but donor-advised fund contributions have now shot past what donors are contributing to foundations, while more flexible funding vehicles lure away trendsetting mega-donors.
Redemption Arc to Watch: Sheryl Sandberg
Cynical takes abounded when the Meta COO pivoted to philanthropy this year after repeated hits to her reputation. But following a punishing year for women’s rights, she has plenty of opportunities to make good.
Top Global Funder You (Probably) Haven’t Heard Of: Dutch Postcode Lottery
Out of the Netherlands, the Nationale Postcode Loterij is the third-largest global funder. It raised 825 million euros last year, and invested funds courageously in areas like child marriage and keeping an eye on dirty money.
Punching Above Its Weight Award: Bauman Foundation
With heiress and progressive donor Patricia Bauman in the lead, this modest but committed civic engagement funder is going all-in for democracy. In recent years, it’s been working powerful levers like protecting the census and fighting voter suppression.
Underutilized Anti-Poverty Strategy of the Year: Housing Policy
Plenty of causes could fit this bill, but given just how severe America’s housing insecurity crisis has become, it’s a head-scratcher that so few funders seem interested in reforming state and local land use to speed new housing development.
Best Year-End Decision: Subscribe to IP
If you’ve been considering an IP subscription but are still parked outside paywall, you’re missing out on thousands of articles, funder profiles and explainers, and our series of deep-dive research papers, the State of American Philanthropy. If you work in the philanthrosphere in any role, you should subscribe.
And to those who did subscribe in 2022 — thank you!
