$1,035,000

granted

252

course participants

11

classes offered

Stanford Grant Map

StanfordSpring 2012Theories of Civil Society, Philanthropy, and the Nonprofit SectorDepartments: Political ScienceBruce Sievers21 students
StanfordSpring 2013Theories of Civil Society, Philanthropy, and the Nonprofit SectorDepartments: Political ScienceBruce Sievers20 students
StanfordSpring 2014Theories of Civil Society, Philanthropy, and the Nonprofit SectorDepartments: Political ScienceBruce Sievers18 students
StanfordSpring 2015Theories of Civil Society, Philanthropy, and the Nonprofit SectorDepartments: Political ScienceBruce Sievers21 students
StanfordSpring 2016Theories of Civil Society, Philanthropy, and the Nonprofit SectorDepartments: Political ScienceBruce Sievers18 students
StanfordSpring 2017Theories of Civil Society, Philanthropy, and the Nonprofit SectorDepartments: Political ScienceBruce Sievers22 students
StanfordSpring 2018Theories of Civil Society, Philanthropy, and the Nonprofit SectorDepartments: Political Science / Honors - Ethics in SocietyBruce Sievers24 students
StanfordSpring 2019Theories of Civil Society, Philanthropy, and the Nonprofit SectorDepartments: Political Science / Honors - Ethics in SocietyBruce Sievers25 students
StanfordSpring 2022Theories and Practices of Civil SocietyDepartments: Political ScienceBruce Sievers30 students
StanfordSpring 2020Theories and Practices of Civil SocietyDepartments: Political ScienceBruce Sievers
22 students
StanfordSpring 2023Ethical and Effective Philanthropy
for Sustainable Development
Departments: Political SciencePatricia Bromley and Vera Michakchik
31 students

Theories of Civil Society, Philanthropy, and the Nonporofit Sector
Taught by Patricia Bromley & Vera Michalchik
Department of Political Science, Honors Ethics in Society

Patricia Bromley bio coming soon!

Vera Michalchik leads PACS’s research on effective philanthropy and the design of materials, institutes, and consultations for donors, advisors, and others wanting to put into practice principles that can advance impact in the sector. She brings to her role extensive experience in social science research, the learning sciences, and strategic philanthropy, having worked in research-plus-practice positions at SRI International’s Center for Technology in Learning, the Gordon and Betty Moore Foundation, UC Irvine’s Department of Informatics, and Stanford’s Center for Teaching and Learning. She also built a library system on a small island in Micronesia while collecting data there for her dissertation on how knowledge gets managed for social good. She holds a PhD from Stanford, EdM from Harvard, and BA from UC Berkeley—her studies all focused on learning, media, and shaping of cultural norms. 

Casey Toohill – Stanford Philanthropy Lab student – Spring 2018

Selected an organization he was introduced to through the class as his NFL charitable commitment.

“I was approached with the opportunity to partner with an organization called “Pledge It” that works with the NFL combine. I first learned about Hospitality House when doing research for a Stanford class called “Theories and Practices of Civil Society, Philanthropy, and the Nonprofit Sector”. I was part of a group that was tasked with providing a grant to a charitable organization of our choosing. Our team was focused on health and one of our group members had knowledge of Hospitality House and the work that it was doing in the Tenderloin area of San Francisco. After visiting Hospitality House and speaking with its Executive Director Joe Wilson our group decided that Hospitality House was special. It was so much more than a shelter, and looked at the health of its residents in a holistic manner.”

A few interesting issue areas

  • Criminal justice, democratic process, environment, human rights, media and tech

Course has multiple TAs, typically former students from the class

Each week – 2 big class lectures and 1 small team section meeting with Professor and/or TA

Guest Speakers

  • Previous student representatives to TPL Ambassadors Program
  • Speaker from the Haas Center for Public Service
  • Paul Brest (author of “Money Well Spent,” previous president of Hewlett Fdtn, and dean of Stanford Law School)

Media

Latest News

September 9, 2020

Stanford students practice real philanthropy

September 9, 2020

PoliSci 236 gives students real-life experience in philanthropy

Student Testimonials

This challenging class presented a multi-layered thought experiment. Not only did I think about the consequences of giving money to the different causes but also about a life dedicated to philanthropic activity.

Sonal GoyalStanford University

This course helped me understand the theories of philanthropy (ex: examining Peter Singer versus Brandon Boesch) alongside other theories of giving. It has led me to examine the true effects of philanthropy on broader society given such large concentrations of wealth by those such as the Gates.

Jasmine Nguyen

This course has influenced me to critically analyze any future donations I make. I feel better equipped to assess the legitimacy and trajectory of non-profit organizations.

Ashley Phord-Toy