How Melinda French Gates And MacKenzie Scott Are Shifting The Focus Of Philanthropy:
, and it’s something favored by tech billionaires in particular, says Hans Schmitz, a professor at the University of San Diego’s Nonprofit Institute.
French Gates even alluded to the difference between these methods in her Giving Pledge letter. She writes that it’s important to be “data-driven” and set"ambitious goals and measure our progress against those goals,” but “equally important” is trusting those to whom she gives money. Schmitz added that being trust-based and outcome-oriented don’t even have to be in conflict. “It's a matter of how much control is being exercised by the funder,” he said.
French Gates and Scott aren’t the only ones calling for more trust-based approach. At the start of the pandemic, more than 800 foundationsa pledge from the Council on Foundations committing to loosen or eliminate restrictions on current grants and “recognize that the best solutions to the manifold crises caused by Covid-19 are not found within foundations.”