"I believe in the abolition of private philanthropy. Not just the power that private foundations have over both capital and people, but the conditions that make philanthropy necessary in the first place. That may sound strange coming from someone who has spent much of his professional life inside the philanthropic sector. But private philanthropy exists because wealth has been extracted, consolidated, and hoarded-often through violence, dispossession, and the erasure of collective systems of care. And it continues to exist in part because the state has failed to meet people's basic needs."
"Rather than trying to fix this system, we should bolster grassroots movements that are building democratic, community-controlled systems to meet those same needs. Rather than imagining a world in which private philanthropy finally works, I dream of a world in which private philanthropy is no longer needed. I've spent the past two decades working to redistribute wealth-both my own and within the philanthropic sector. I was born into a high-net-wealth family, and for many years I struggled to reconcile that reality with my own political beliefs and commitments."
"Over time, I came to understand that the question wasn't just what to do with the money, but how to be accountable to the movements that have shaped my values and vision. The seeds of those values were planted early on by my parents, who came to the United States from Iran and Cuba, and who spoke often about imperialism, displacement, and the importance of community self-determination. This understanding has guided my work as a donor and funder organizer and as cofounder of Solidaire Network -a community of individua"
Private philanthropy is framed as a product of historical wealth extraction, consolidation, and hoarding often enforced through violence, dispossession, and erasure of communal care systems. Philanthropy also persists because the state fails to guarantee basic needs, creating dependence on private wealth. The recommended response is not reform but abolition of private philanthropy in favor of strengthening grassroots movements that build democratic, community-controlled systems of care. The author describes a personal journey of redistributing wealth and centering accountability to social movements, informed by immigrant family histories and commitments to collective self-determination.
Read at Nonprofit Quarterly | Civic News. Empowering Nonprofits. Advancing Justice.
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