We need a science of philanthropy

Billions of dollars are being donated without strong evidence about which ways of giving are effective reports Caroline Fiennes, funder of Giving Evidence. Recipients of funds are increasingly scrutinized, but the effectiveness of donors is not.

We need a science of philanthropy

Philanthropists are flying blind because little is known about how to donate money well. Facebook co-founder Mark Zuckerberg’s US$100-million gift to schools in Newark, New Jersey, reportedly achieved nothing. Some grants to academic scientists create so much administration that researchers are better off without them.

And some funders’ decisions seem to be no better than if awardees were chosen at random, with the funded work achieving no more than the rejected.

Read (Nature - International Weekly Journal of Science)
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