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Whither Philanthropy?

Uncomfortable proximity to double entendre notwithstanding, the heading of philanthropic fundraising and grant-making is very much in question, if not doubt. As we barrel into the climate crisis while finding out just how much representative democracy we can do without, who is funding what and how?

I spoke with Ellen Dorsey, executive director of the Wallace Global Fund last week following the fund’s announcement that it would spend down its endowment to zero in the face of urgent societal challenges. She hits many great points – among them, what is perpetuity in a burning world?

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Downhill

If you live in a city this is all to familiar, especially in the during Northy winter-ness. You know, cut off from normal school-work routes, people… walk. Slide Ride kayaks down hillsides, of course. But out on the avenue, it’s funny to see people on foot outnumber vehicles five-to-one. It’s kinda the whole thing, in a nutshell. All brought on by a little winter.

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Hey, what if this is just what you did, with all your internets and text-y gadgets? Want to see a friend? Hike over to their ipad.

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Ice Is Nice

This is a great little reminder about exactly what we discuss in so many ways and incapsulates every single thing it means, only wrapped in crunchy snow:

Rep. Earl Blumenauer (D-OR), on DC during this epic winter:

A city that was designed for travel by foot and horses loses some of its charm with modern traffic congestion. A deep snowfall is the perfect antidote, as it adds beauty, muffles sounds and discourages automobiles. The broad streets and sidewalks reveal their grandeur when covered with snow instead of cars

Saturday evening at dusk, just after the week’s first gargantuan snowstorm had abated, my wife and two kids and I had a magical walk down Connecticut Avenue to eat dinner at our friends’ place. Only a handful of cars came by. Dogs were cavorting off-leash. Without engine noises, you could hear the pleasant patter of other pedestrians. People paused to watch the sunset.

Other old-fashioned niceties have emerged, too: impromptu visits from neighbors, meals lingered over because there’s no place else to go, an ephemeral sense of community that passes even between strangers on the street. As the accessible world has shrunk, it’s also become more pleasant.

I’ll be fine if the thaw doesn’t come right away.