Philanthropisms Myths of Philanthropy #1: Legacy, with Lisa Cowan and Dimple Abichandani
Mar 5, 2026
54:37
In the first episode of our mini-series on "Myths of Philanthropy", Rhodri and Chiara are joined by Lisa Cowan (Director of The Haven Fund, previously Vice President of the Robert Sterling Clark Foundation) and Dimple Abichandani (author of A New Era of Philanthropy: Ten Practices to Transform Wealth Into a More Just and Sustainable Future) to discuss the notion of legacy.
Including:
- To what extent do foundations exist in perpetuity as a default, rather than an active choice?
- Would it be enough to shift this norm?
- Is there evidence that next generation philanthropists take a different view of perpetuity than previous generations?
- Is this likely to lead to more limited-life foundations being created in future, or more perpetual foundations shifting to a spend down approach?
- Are there valid arguments in favour of longevity?
- Are there ways of getting longevity without perpetual endowments?
- To what extent is adherence to perpetuity driven by funders taking an individualistic perspective?
- Why is it important to understand the historic roots of the wealth, institutions and practices we have in philanthropy?
- What should philanthropic organisations do about links to historic injustices? Is it enough to acknowledge them, or do they need to go beyond that and seek means to make reparations somehow?
- What role did Carnegie’s “Gospel of Wealth” play in justifying extractive or harmful business practices on the grounds that good would be done through philanthropy with the proceeds?
- Is philanthropy inherently a symptom of structural inequality and injustice, and does this limit its ability to be part of the solution to these challenges?
- Or are there forms of philanthropy that can be genuine tools for furthering equality and justice, and what do these look like?
- Does a reparative approach to philanthropy require a fundamental rethink of what we mean by “effectiveness” or “success”?
- What implications might taking a reparative approach have for the governance of philanthropic funders? (i.e. in terms of who works in foundations and who is on the board?)
Further Resources:
- Lisa's original Myths of Philanthropy essay, "A Path to Repair: What if Philanthropy Wasn’t About Giving Away Money, but Returning It?"
- Dimple's original Myths of Philanthropy essay, "Spending Stories: What If We Moved from Perpetuity to Purpose?"
- Dimple's book A New Era of Philanthropy: Ten Practices to Transform Wealth Into a More Just and Sustainable Future)
- Lisa's website
- Dimple's website