title: Understanding the craft of philanthropy: do we make something that should be simple too complex?
abstract: This Perspective considers two key questions raised by John Billings: First, do philanthropies adequately evaluate their approaches to grant making when working to encourage social change? Second, could philanthropies better test ideas if they used less "merit-based" approaches to selecting grantees for demonstration projects?
authors.affiliation: Robert Wood Johnson Foundation in Princeton, New Jersey, USA. Knickman@NYSHealth.org
authors.forename: James R
authors.initials: JR
authors.lastname: Knickman
mesh_terms: D003659:Decision Making, Organizational; D005381:Financing, Organized; D005582:Foundations / Q000191:economics / Q000458:organization & administration*; D005653:Fund Raising; D006801:Humans; D007449:Investments; D009937:Organizational Objectives; D012922:Social Change; D014481:United States