Wednesday, October 21, 2015
Boston College Law School Launches the Forum on Philanthropy and the Public Good
CHESTNUT HILL, Mass. - At a time when American society has grown increasingly dependent on philanthropy to fund everything from our most fundamental needs to our highest ideals, two Boston College Law School professors are launching the Forum on Philanthropy and the Public Good to examine public policy issues in charitable giving, Boston College Law School announced today.
The forum's inaugural event takes place on Friday, October 23, 2015, at the University Club in Washington, D.C., where it will host The Rise of Donor-Advised Funds: Should Congress Respond?, which will look at the $50-billion charitable fund sector.
With support from organizations including the Ford Foundation and Carnegie Corporation, professors Ray Madoff and William Bagley say the non-partisan forum will serve as a much-needed philanthropy think tank.
"Philanthropy is often surrounded by a hazy glow," said Madoff, the forum director and an expert on philanthropy and tax law, whose commentary has appeared in the New York Times, Wall Street Journal and National Public Radio. "People assume that what happens under the umbrella of philanthropy must, by its very nature, be optimally serving the public good. But sometimes the rules governing philanthropy do not produce that result."
Bringing together scholars, practitioners and policy makers, the Forum on Philanthropy and the Public Good will examine whether the rules governing the philanthropic sector best serve the public good and whether Congress and regulators need to take action.