DOI
10.9707/1944-5660.1750
Key Points
Community philanthropy is increasingly promoted as an alternative to institutional, top-down philanthropy, yet the term remains contested. In the Global North, it is typically associated with community foundations, while in the Global South the emphasis is on community itself.
This article offers a definition of community philanthropy as a practice rooted in context and power rather than a single institutional form. It identifies five transformative characteristics that distinguish community philanthropy from conventional giving and translates these principles into seven dimensions that can be used to identify and assess community philanthropy in practice.
For practitioners, evaluators, and funders, this framework offers practical tools to recognize authentic expressions of community philanthropy, strengthen community agency, and sustain long-term impact.
Creative Commons License
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-No Derivative Works 4.0 International License.
Recommended Citation
Layton, M. D. (2026). Defining Community Philanthropy: Principles and Dimensions of a Transformative Practice. The Foundation Review, 18(1). https://doi.org/10.9707/1944-5660.1750
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