The State Of Philanthropy In Central America

Latin America is a profoundly philanthropic region with deeply rooted traditions of solidarity with the less fortunate. This volume brings together groundbreaking perspectives on such diverse themes as corporate philanthropy, immigrant networks, and new grant-making and operating foundations with corporate, family, and community origins.

Provides a directory of the rapidly expanding philanthropic foundations in Latin America, identifying over 750 foundations and presenting detailed information on 364 of them. In addition, the directory contains an introduction that analyzes historical data on Latin American foundations, a country-by-country summary of legal processes regarding foundations and pertinent tax laws, two essays by North and South American foundation presidents discussing the organization and management of private foundations, and an appendix with models of bylaws and financial statements of Latin American foundations.

This volume examines novel and emerging patterns of U.S. giving to Mexico and their impact on equitable development. in 2005, Mexican migrants living in the U.S. sent billions of dollars to relatives living in Mexico. This bilingual volume asks: What are these new patterns of diaspora giving, and how do they affect equitable development in Mexico?

Though voluntary association for the public good is often thought of as a peculiarly Western, even Christian concept, this book demonstrates that there are rich traditions of philanthropy in cultures throughout the world. Essays study philanthropy in Buddhist, Islamic, Hindu, Jewish, and Native American religious traditions, as well as many other cultures.

Philanthropy is both timeless and timely. Ancient Romans, Medieval aristocrats, and Victorian industrialists engaged in philanthropy, as do modern-day Chinese billionaires, South African activists, and Brazilian nuns. Today, philanthropic practice is evolving faster than ever before, with donors giving their time, talents, and social capital in creative new ways and in combination with their financial resources. These developments are generating complex new debates and adding new twists to enduring questions, from "why be philanthropic?" to "what does it mean to do philanthropy ‘better’?" Addressing such questions requires greater understanding of the contested purpose and diverse practice of philanthropy. With an international and interdisciplinary focus, The Philanthropy Reader serves as a one-stop resource that brings together essential and engaging extracts from key texts and major thinkers, and frames these in a way that captures the historical development, core concepts, perennial debates, global reach, and recent trends of this field. The book includes almost 100 seminal and illuminating writings about philanthropy, equipping readers with the guiding material they need to better grasp such a crucial yet complex and evolving topic. Additional readings and discussion questions also accompany the text as online supplements. This text will be essential reading for students on philanthropy courses worldwide, and will also be of interest to anyone active in the philanthropic and nonprofit sectors — from donors and grantmakers, to advisers and fundraisers.

A study of global giving. “The provocative information challenges the assumptions that philanthropy is a primarily Western or Christian tradition.” —Choice This book is an investigation of how cultures outside the Western tradition understand philanthropy and how people in these cultures attempt to realize “the good” through giving and serving. These essays study philanthropy in Buddhist, Islamic, Hindu, Jewish, and Native American religious traditions and in cultures from Latin America, Eastern Europe, the Middle East, Africa, and Asia. Contributors include Steven Feierman, John A. Grim, Leona Anderson, Ananda W. P. Guruge, G. D. Bond, Leslie S. Kawamura, Said Amir Arjomand, Joanna F. Handlin Smith, Mary Evelyn Tucker, Derek J. Penslar, Amanda Porterfield, Miroslav Ružica, Mark Juergensmeyer, Darrin M. McMahon, Gregory C. Kozlowski, Adele Lindenmeyr, Vivienne Shue, Andrés A. Thompson, Leilah Landim. “The cross-cultural understandings this book provides can do much to help us determine the distinctive shape and form American religious philanthropy might take in the future.” —Christian Century