ERIC Number: ED107563
Record Type: RIE
Publication Date: 1974
Pages: 14
Abstractor: N/A
ISBN: N/A
ISSN: N/A
EISSN: N/A
Available Date: N/A
Foundations and Public Policy Formation.
Pifer, Alan
The question of whether foundations should engage in activities having a bearing on public policy development is discussed. Tax exempt private foundations have had a long, controversial history of participation in public policy formation. They contribute to policy development by means of various techniques that include support of established institutions to conduct policy-oriented research, investigation or analysis of issues with policy implications, conferences, partnerships with government on policy related issues, special research commissions, monitoring of governmental programs to assess their impact and effectiveness, and projects to inform citizens of their right to register and vote. Under the 1969 Tax Reform Act, foundations do have the legal right to participate in public policy formation. At issue, however, is whether foundations tend to bring a set of values into play in their program determination and in making or withholding grants. However, no foundation, can be totally objective because the human beings who manage it have values and shape the foundation's collective judgment. Nevertheless, if the role is played conscientiously and is informed at every stage by candor, openness, and integrity, the public will accept the foundation and it will maintain a viable position in the shaping of public policy. (Author/DE)
Descriptors: Agency Role, Credibility, Decision Making, Foundation Programs, Policy Formation, Political Attitudes, Private Agencies, Private Financial Support, Public Policy, Public Support
Carnegie Corp. of New York, 437 Madison Avenue, New York, New York 10022 (free)
Publication Type: Reports - Research
Education Level: N/A
Audience: N/A
Language: N/A
Sponsor: N/A
Authoring Institution: Carnegie Corp. of New York, NY.
Grant or Contract Numbers: N/A
Author Affiliations: N/A
Note: Reprinted from 1974 Annual Report