The Liberating Promise of Philanthropy: Stories of Grant-Makers in the South

Very little has been written about the way in which the grant-making foundations have shaped the modern economy and culture of the South. Now Martin Lehfeldt, former president of the Southeastern Council of Foundations, and Dr. Jamil Zainaldin, president emeritus of the Georgia Humanities Council, fill that gap in our national understanding with this comprehensive yet accessible history of philanthropic organizations' work in the region.

The story they weave begins with the thinking of our country's Founders and the role they envisioned for philanthropy in the new republic, unspool its narrative thread through the Civil War, Reconstruction, and two world wars, and end with a thorough examination of modern philanthropy in the Southern states. The book appropriately concludes by chronicling the emergence of the Southeastern Council of Foundations (SECF), the geographically largest regional association of grant-makers in the country.

"The Liberating Promise of Philanthropy" will be read with interest by laborers in the vineyards of philanthropy, other not-for-profit leaders and volunteers, and any reader intrigued by Southern history.