America's philanthropic foundations and wealthy benefactors are playing an increasingly powerful role in influencing public ideas, agendas, and policy -- and lately, in shoring up democratic norms, institutions, and civic culture. Donors' potential influence over public life and democracy itself cannot be understated: They control trillions of dollars in disposable assets, are only lightly regulated or scrutinized, and operate with a great deal of autonomy and little transparency. How are we to think about the place of these nondemocratic institutions in American democracy? We study the rise of elite philanthropy in the US, the policy framework within which it operates, and the strategies and sources of leverage that allow it to influence public life. Duke in DC only.
