A group of ten foundations has pledged $125 million to aid in Flint’s recovery from the water crisis. The Detroit Free Press asked the Center for our perspective on this expanded philanthropic role in the city’s recovery.
“Philanthropic funds have always been a drop in the ocean compared to the resources that government and the private sector have,” said Katherina Rosqueta, the founding executive director of the Center for High Impact Philanthropy and adjunct faculty of the School of Social Policy & Practice at the University of Pennsylvania. “The annual budget of a big city school district or the price tag for a major corporate acquisition dwarfs the endowments of even the biggest foundations.” Still, Rosqueta added, philanthropy can “sometimes be more nimble and move more quickly to help. There is growing recognition that the problems communities face require the work of all sectors.”
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