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The intermediary roles of foundations in the policy process: building coalitions of interest

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Abstract

The role of philanthropic foundations in the policy process is largely hidden and thus significantly under conceptualized. In this paper, we argue that several key characteristics of foundations serve as advantages for them to play an intermediary role in different stages of the policy process. By leveraging their independent resources, credibility, and strategic giving, they are able to build coalitions of interest to advance and secure preferred policy alternatives through agenda setting, policy diffusion, and coordinating implementation efforts. We provide evidence for this intermediary role through two qualitative case studies, (1) the Pew Charitable Trust’s efforts to promote universal pre-kindergarten, 2002–2012, and (2) multiple foundations’ role in supporting extended foster care in California, 2008–2012. In both cases, we find that foundations wielded significant political power within policy communities by serving as central hubs of information, facilitating coordinated action, incentivizing action, and connecting diverse actors. This allows them to play a crucial, yet veiled, role in attempts to advance policy change. This phenomenon may be welcomed for supporting evidence-based policymaking and capacity building, but is troubling in regards to transparency and accountability.

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Notes

  1. Foundations are allowed to lobby if the legislation directly affects the foundations’ existence.

  2. On January 1, 2004, the Pew Charitable Trusts changed its legal status from a private foundation to a public charity. It was able to do this because there were seven separate trusts providing funding to Pew, which, as the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) agreed, thus passed the public-support test for public charities. By changing its legal tax status to a public charity, Pew can now directly advocate for its policy agenda.

  3. Susan Urahn, Pew Charitable Trusts, telephone communication, November 9, 2005.

  4. Libby Doggett, Pre-K Now, personal communication, Washington, D.C., June 20, 2006.

  5. Libby Doggett, Pre-K Now, personal communication, Washington, D.C., June 20, 2006; Stephanie Rubin, Pre-K Now, telephone communication, Washington, D.C., June 28, 2006.

  6. In some states, the courts were the most promising path for creating universal preschool. Pew provided a grant to the Education Law Center (ELC) in 2003 to assist legal teams in eight states to win early education litigation (Pew Charitable Trusts 2005b). With Pew funding, the ELC created ‘Starting at 3’ to promote and support legal advocacy to include pre-k in school finance litigation and state legislation.

  7. Jerry Stermer, Voices for Illinois Children, personal communication, Chicago, IL, June 7, 2007.

  8. http://www.ytfg.org/about, accessed October 19, 2017.

  9. The federal Fostering Connections Act was signed in fall of 2008 and made it possible for states to enact legislation like AB12. However, due to the recession at the time, no other state moved as quickly or comprehensively as California.

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Acknowledgements

Authorship is equal and authors names are listed alphabetically.  For the California case, we gratefully acknowledge funding from the William T. Grant Foundation  and the work of co-investigators Mark Courtney (PI) and Amy Dworsky.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. University of Massachusetts Amherst, 624 Thompson Hall, Amherst, MA, 01003, USA

    Brenda K. Bushouse

  2. University of Chicago, 969 E. 60th Street, Chicago, IL, 60637, USA

    Jennifer E. Mosley

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  1. Brenda K. Bushouse
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Correspondence to Brenda K. Bushouse.

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Bushouse, B.K., Mosley, J.E. The intermediary roles of foundations in the policy process: building coalitions of interest. Int Groups Adv 7, 289–311 (2018). https://doi.org/10.1057/s41309-018-0040-6

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