“Politics and Philanthropy – Policy and Partnership”

I listened to every word as Barack Obama delivered his inaugural address. Amidst the bitter cold wind, he sought to find warmth in our hearts. Among the challenges of present day, he held out hope. Nearing the end of his historic speech, one line of reality was followed by another of inspiration—setting the framework for his administration.

Recognizing the limits of the public sector he said, “For as much as government can do and must do, it is ultimately the faith and determination of the American people upon which this nation relies.”

Then, in closing he beckoned, “Let it be said by our children’s children that when we were tested we refused to let this journey end, we did not turn back, nor did we falter.”

During the transition leading up to the inauguration, I was struck by two key messages. First, Obama counseled everyone to recognize the magnitude of the economic challenge. Second, reflecting his pragmatism, he called for us to find new ideas and new solutions to enduring problems.

There rests the framework for a new era of public-philanthropic partnership. The realities of the economic crisis—both its length and its depth—will limit government’s ability to respond. Once the new, large economic stimulus program has been allocated, we’ll see new calls for philanthropy to help even more.

If charity supports survival, philanthropy promotes progress. And philanthropy will be defined not only by the length of our financial support, but by the innovation of our work. To achieve real change, we must combine our creativity and our convening ability with our financial commitments. Government needs more than money. It needs new ideas. It needs communities that come together in common strategy. And philanthropy is uniquely positioned to meet this challenge.

President Obama’s administration begins a new era. Never in my 22 years in politics, have I witnessed the active, sincere outreach of any government leader to philanthropy as we’ve seen with the Obama transition. This new administration’s knowledge of philanthropy’s potential and of government’s limits has caused the President to extend a hand our way in the hope that we might find new opportunities to bridge the politics of the past as we create a public-philanthropic partnership for the future.

We should recognize the economic stimulus bill for what it is—a first step using existing programs to stimulate the economy. But the Obama era will be defined by something else—a longer-term public-philanthropic partnership. I am optimistic it will include tax policy geared to growing philanthropy in size, so we can grow in service. We’ll see new efforts to partner all of our resources—in funding, in ideas and innovation, and in our convening. We’ll see it in our domestic programs and our international assistance.

In a 2008 survey of our members, we were told the number one reason for belonging to the Council on Foundations rested with our work in the halls of government. And that was before we inaugurated a president who understands the power of a public-philanthropic partnership!