The Center's activities are interdisciplinary, with a particular emphasis on multicultural philanthropy: the patterns of giving and voluntarism by different religious, ethnic, racial, gender and economic groups, as well as among different types of institutional donors, both nationally and internationally. To date, programs have focused on the activities of women both within the United States and around the globe; religious; ethnic and minority groups, and foundations and corporations.

Highlights of our programs since the Center was founded include:

1. Multicultural Philanthropy Project:

In spring 1995, the Center for the Study of Philanthropy received a five-year, $1.5 million grant from the Kellogg Foundation for the development of undergraduate, graduate and extension courses, curriculum guides, television programming, lectures and publications on multicultural philanthropy. This project will develop courses and related resource materials for eleven (not necessarily mutually exclusive) groups: women, Catholics, Protestants, Jews, Latin Americans and Latinos, African-Americans, Northern Europeans, Southern and Eastern Europeans, Middle Easterners, South and Southeast Asians, and East Asians.

Within this framework, the project will focus on the political, social and economic roles that philanthropy (i.e., the giving of time, money, and/or valuables) has played in enabling each of these groups to broaden opportunities within their communities. The underlying hypothesis is that philanthropy holds the key to understanding the workings of participatory democracy and civil society. In the process, the Center hopes to redefine popular perceptions of the meaning of "philanthropy," by moving beyond stereotypical associations with robber barons and middle class "ladies bountiful" to include people of every level of society.

The project began in May, 1995, with the hiring of several graduate students in the three major disciplines involved in the project (history, sociology and political science) to comb the existing literature for work on these themes. Approximately 25 students participated in the initial phase of this bibliographical work, covering every aspect of the literature in English and other relevant languages. The results of their research will be published as Volume II of the Center's International Bibliography, and the first volume of a companion bibliography on trends in the United States.

Between May and September, a CUNY-wide survey was conducted to locate faculty who might be interested in developing of testing the courses, or in participating in related Center programs. Over 200 faculty members who are writing and teaching about philanthropy and/or nonprofit studies or working with community nonprofits and student volunteer programs were identified through this process.

The Center also developed a page on the World Wide Web (which will include publication information for selected CUNY faculty who are working in this field). This page will serve as a bulletin board for the Center's activities. The Web page was activated in early 1996.

In autumn, 1995, a faculty seminar was convened to begin to conceptualize the courses. The thirty participants included Distinguished Faculty, Center Directors and selected professors from the Graduate Center and the Senior Colleges of the CUNY system (Brooklyn, Queens, Baruch, Lehman, City, Hunter, John Jay, and Staten Island).

We anticipate that work will begin on the curriculum guides in mid-1996, and that the first pilot courses will be initiated in 1997.

2. Research:

Several research projects have been sponsored by the Center on such topics as corporate giving in Asia and the United States; the impact of giving and voluntarism on feminist organizations in England; and giving, voluntarism, and NGO-government relations in developing nations; voluntarism and AIDS; the impact of the 1986 Tax Act on New York City nonprofits; women and philanthropy; and non-U.S. corporate volunteer programs. The Center has also provided a wide array of research awards nationally, internationally, and for CUNY faculty. (For a full list of CSP publications and awards winners, see Appendices "A" and "B").

In 1994, the Center initiated a multi-country collaborative research project on women and philanthropy. The project is designed to examine a variety of issues surrounding women's roles as donors, volunteers and organizational entrepreneurs, including:

1) the place of religion, custom, government, and economic trends in encouraging or discouraging women's activities within the voluntary sphere;

2) legislation governing women's access to, and control of family fortunes;

3) the impact of women's entrance into the paid work force on their roles as donors and/or volunteers;

4) identification of the country's leading women philanthropists, their motives for giving, and reasons for supporting some causes rather than others;

5) the extent to which women have created foundations, and the fields in which they are active;

6) the role of women's organizations in government and public policy debates.

To date, papers have been commissioned from scholars in Brazil, Argentina, Hungary, Ghana, the United Kingdom, the Netherlands, France, Germany, Russia, Israel, Egypt, India, Indonesia, Korea, Japan and Australia. The Center's International Fellows are also participating in this project. In addition, a number of U.S.-based regional experts have served as consultants to theproject. Case studies on selected U.S. based women's organizations have also been written in conjunction with this program.

3. Publications:

Selected papers from the Center's symposium on "Philanthropy in the Reagan Years," held in 1988, were featured in a special volume of Nonprofit and Voluntary Sector Quarterly.

Portions of Professor Susan Chambré's work on AIDS, entitled, "The Volunteer Response to the AIDS Epidemic in New York City: Implications for Research on Voluntarism," appeared in a special issue of Nonprofit and Voluntary Sector Quarterly (Vol. 20, No.3, Fall 1991). Professor Chambré served as guest editor for this volume.

Several papers from the Center's conference on "Women and Philanthropy: Past, Present and Future" were published in a volume edited by the Center's director, Kathleen D.McCarthy, entitled Lady Bountiful Revisited: Women, Philanthropy and Power, (New Brunswick, Rutgers University Press, 1990).

Professor McCarthy also co-edited a volume on The Nonprofit Sector in the Global Community: Voices From Many Nations (San Francisco: Jossey-Bass, 1992). Her book, Women's Culture: American Philanthropy and Art: 1830-1930, was published by The University of Chicago Press, and released in April, 1992.

Professor McCarthy is also currently working on a book on "Women, Money and Power," which will explore the activities of women donors in the U.S. over the course of the twentieth century; as well as a volume on philanthropy, civil society and democracy from 1790 until 1860.

The papers from the project on Women and Philanthropy will be disseminated as individual working papers, and published in a special volume of Voluntas in 1996. Other selected publications that have resulted from (CSP) projects and grants are listed on pp.6 - 7.

In 1994, the first edition of the Center's International Bibliography was also issued, providing over 250 pages of citations and abstracts on non-U.S. publications and reports on giving, voluntarism,and NGO-government relations. The Bibliography, which will be issued in published form by Carlson Publishing and electronically beginning in 1996, is being expanded to include separate volumes on International writings and those on the U.S.

4. International Fellows Program: This program was initiated in 1989 to bring younger scholars and practitioners (age 35 and under) who were studying or working in nongovernmental organizations overseas to the Center for one semester to study comparable American nonprofit organizations. (For a list of the Fellows in 1989, 1990, 1991, 1994, 1995, and 1996, please see Appendix "C").

In addition to research, the 1989 fellows participated in the Center's conference on The Voluntary Sector Overseas. In 1990, the second group of fellows participated in an International Fellows Seminar, convened at the Graduate School, which featured experts from a variety of fields. In 1991, the third group of fellows participated in the Independent Sector's Spring Research Forum, the Annual Conference of Inter-Action, and CSP's "Conference on Inter-national Philanthropy in the 1990's". A Fellows seminar on the non-profit sector in the U.S. and overseas was also inaugurated.

The IF Program was re-initiated in 1993, and the focus narrowed to a single topic each year. A special International Fellows Seminar is developed for each theme. Fellows in 1994 and 1995 studied women and philanthropy, while the 1996 cohort examined foundations and corporate-giving programs.

5. International Library and Bibliography Project: This project is designed to collect and disseminate scholarly and applied information on American and non-US voluntary sector activities, and to highlight theworks of policy makers and social activists from various parts of the world.

Over the past several years, hundreds of books, pamphlets, organizational publications and unpublished essays have been gathered from over 60 countries and entered onto a master index. Abstracts have also been written to provide brief outlines of many of the more important pieces of research.

The first volume of the master bibliography was issued in 1994. The future volumes will provide a regularly-updated overview of research on both national and international philanthropic trends, which will be distributed internationally in book form and electronically.

6. Conferences: The Center concluded its first yearof operations (1986-87) with a well-attended conference on "Women and Philanthropy: Past, Present and Future." Several of the presentations appear in an edited volume entitled Lady Bountiful Revisited: Women, Philanthropy and Power, issued by Rutgers University Press.

In 1989, CSP hosted its first conference on international philanthropy, with panels on foundations and non-governmental organizations in Europe, Asia, Latin America and Africa. Featured speakers included the International Fellows, several of the Center's Research Fellows and researchers, and other American scholars. Several of the presentations subsequently appeared as CSP working papers, and as articles in scholarly journals or as chapters in books.

In 1991, CSP coordinated a three-day conference on "International Philanthropy in the 1990's. "Foundation leaders, NGO activists and scholars participated as speakers, most of whom were drawn from Eastern Europe and developing nations. A total of over 130 attendees from the U.S. and abroad participated in the discussions.

The Center's 1992 conference examined "Philanthropy and Cultural Diversity in New York City: Directions for Future Research." Area scholars presented findings from their research-in-progress on Black, Hispanic, Asian and Jewish groups within the New York region.

7. Symposia: One of the highlights of the Center's first year of operations was a symposium on the Buck Trust Case, which provided a lively variety of differing views, as well as assessments of the larger significance of the case.

A symposium on "Philanthropy in the Reagan Years" held in May 1988 featured presentations by scholars and practitioners on such topics as the President's Task Force on Private Sector Initiatives, and the long-term effects of Reaganomics on local, regional and national giving and voluntarism. Speakers ranged from Richard Lyman, then the President of the Rockefeller Foundation, and Independent Sector President Brian O'Connell, to CUNY faculty.

The Center hosted symposia in honor of the winners of the Charles A. Dana Awards in 1988 and 1989, and co-sponsored a 1988 conference on Jewish philanthropy with the Center forJewish Studies, which is also located at the Graduate School.

On November 14, 1990, CSP hosted an afternoon seminar on "Volunteers and Fundraisers" with presentations on men's and women's networks and the efforts of religious and minority groups. Dr. Emmett Carson's paper was later published in the Center's Working Papers Series (see Appendix "B".) The seminar was sponsored by the AAFRC Trust forPhilanthropy.

On May 24, 1994, we hosted a symposium on research on nonprofit sector activities and women and philanthropy outside the United States which featured the work of our International Fellows and selected members of the International Research team.

8. Research Seminars: This series is designed to highlight current research by leading scholars. In 1986-1987 the speakers included Dr. James A.Smith of the New School; Dr. Francis X. Sutton; Dr. Stanley N. Katz of the American Council of Learned Societies; and Professor Nathan Glazer of Harvard University.

Speakers in the 1987-1988 series included: Professor David Garrow of the Graduate Center's Political Science Department, who discussed his Pulitzer Prize-winning research on Martin Luther King; Dr. Stephen Wheatley of the ACLS, who discussed his forthcoming book on Abraham Flexner; Dr.Stanley N. Katz, President of the American Council of Learned Societies, who examined the philanthropic activities of John D. Rockefeller, Jr. (Dr. Katz was also the president of the Organization of American Historians at the time); and Council on Foundations President James Joseph, who previewed the findings from his book on foreign donors and the practice of altruism.

Professor Harvey Dale of the New York University Law School inaugurated the 1988-1989 season, followed by presentations by Kathleen D. McCarthy on the history of the Ford Foundation's Gray Areas Programs, and by Susan Chambré, of Baruch College, who discussed her research on voluntarism and the AIDS epidemic in New York.

The 1991-92 season featured presentations by Dr. Kenneth Prewitt of the Rockefeller Foundation; Professor John Patrick Diggins of the Graduate Center, CUNY; and Professor Barry D. Karl of the University of Chicago.

Our 1993-94 season included (among others) a presentation by Ron Chernow, who won the National Book Award for his work on the Morgan family, and who recently completed a major history of the Warburgs. Mr. Chernow's next book will be on John D. Rockefeller.

In 1995, the focus was shifted to an internal faculty seminar, drawing upon the resources of theCUNY system and the Center's growing array of graduate students. 1996 presentations included papers by Gisela Tiongson-Velasco of Philippine Business for Social Progress; Andera Barrientos of the Puerto Rico Community Foundation and Renato de Paiva Guimaraes of Roda Viva, Riode Janeiro, Brazil.

9. Working Papers: Approximately fifty papers have been issued since the series was inaugurated in 1988. (For a complete list, please see Appendix "A"). Three-quarters of these essays have subsequently been published. In addition to the edited volumes cited above, several papers, such as those by Alan Wolfe, Steven Wheatley and Brian Smith appeared as chapters in books, while others, such as the paper by Michael Bratton, have been published in scholarly journals. Selected papers have also been reviewed in the Chronicle of Philanthropy and used as texts in courses in the U.S. and overseas.

10. Graduate Courses: In addition to the International Fellows Seminar, graduate courses on "Giving and Voluntarism in American Life," and "Voluntarism and Social Change" were offered in 1988 and 1989. Two new courses were offered in 1991: a graduate colloquium on 19th-century social reform movements, and a seminar on the nonprofit sector in the U.S. and overseas.

In 1993, the Center offered an interdisciplinary graduate seminar on "Donors, Patrons and Institutions." A graduate seminar on "Women and Philanthropy from 1790 to the Present" was offered in 1995.

11. Graduate assistantships and fellowships: In 1993, the Center created the Hearst Assistantships, an endowed fund for women and minority graduate assistants, under the sponsorship of The Hearst Foundation, Inc.

12. Research Awards: The Center provided seed money for research projects through several nationally and internationally advertised research award competitions over the past few years, including the Metropolitan Life Foundation Awards offered from 1987 to 1991.

Several of these awards have resulted in books, book chapters and articles, including (among others):

Blair, Karen	The Torchbearers
Constantelos, Demetrios	Poverty, Society and Philanthropy in the Late Medieval Greek World
Kosmin, Barry A. and Paul Ritterband, eds.	Contemporary Jewish Philanthropy in America
Lasch-Quinn, Elizabeth	Black Neighbors: Race and the Limits of Reform in the Settlement House Movement, 1890-1945
Levy, Daniel	"Recent Trends in Latin American Privatization" Higher Education Quarterly
Ostrower, Francie	Why the Wealthy Give
Poppendieck, Janet	"Hunger and Public Policy: Lessons from the Great Depression," Journal of Nutrition Education
Rosner, David and Gerald Markowitz	"Seeking Common Ground: A History of Labor and Blue Cross," Journal of Health Politics, Policy and Law
Sanyal, Bishwapriya	Sailing Against the Wind
Wolfe, Alan	Whose Keeper: Social Science and Moral Obligation

13. Fellows: CSP has appointed a select number of Research Fellows who are directly involved in program development. To date, four fellows have been appointed: Dr. James A. Smith, who examined the impact of foundations in American life; Dr. Barbara Ibrahim, who studied philanthropy in Arab States; Andres Thompson, for work on philanthropy in Latin America; and Professor Susan Chambré, an expert on voluntarism.

14. Visiting Delegations: Since 1990, Center personnel have consulted with individual scholars and visiting delegations from Australia, Brazil, China, the Czech Republics, Egypt, Korea, India, Israel, Indonesia, Ireland, Japan, Malaysia, Mexico, the Philippines, Poland, Russia and the United Kingdom.