Top philanthropy + nonprofit articles of 2020

Here are six of the best articles on philanthropy and nonprofits The Conversation US published this year – three of the most-read and three I chose to highlight.

Among other things, 2020 cast a light on institutional racism and the harm done to Black people in this country over the past four centuries. Amid what’s widely being called a “racial reckoning,” we published articles that explored the growth of giving to support racial justice, including what MacKenzie Scott is up to. After getting divorced from Amazon founder Jeff Bezos, the billionaire author is swiftly handing a big chunk of her fortune to historically Black colleges and universities, along with other charities that assist people of color, low-income Americans and the LGBTQ community.

Black philanthropists, however, have always supported racial justice causes. The Black entrepreneur and beauty product pioneer Madam C. J. Walker is one example. “Her philanthropy and activism imbued every aspect of her daily life,” wrote Tyrone Freeman, an IUPUI historian and philanthropy scholar who recently published a book about Walker’s giving.

We also ran stories that highlighted one reason why racial justice giving is so urgent right now: The nation’s roughly 100 HBCUs were economically vulnerable long before everyone felt a sudden urge to learn more about virology. And other scholars of charitable giving delved into other trends that preceded this topsy-turvy year, such as the emergence of major Chinese donors and how some religious nonprofits are casting themselves as churches to take advantage of tax breaks.