Philanthropic foundations in the city policy process: a perspective on policy capacity from the United States

In the United States, philanthropy has long been a powerful and integral force in political economy and society (Zunz 2012). With particular reference to the City of Baltimore, Maryland, this chapter explores the competences and capabilities of foundations to perform policy functions. In so doing, foundations demonstrate the importance of the policy capacity of non-governmental actors to how a city is governed. The chapter first considers the state-society relationships of urban governance. It then briefly explains the history of foundation philanthropy-of-place approaches in the US, and learnings that that have led to more locally embedded approaches. The policy capacity of foundations in formulating neighbourhood revitalization policy is then explored, followed by consideration of the role of foundations in both directly and indirectly implementing such policy via intermediary, non-profit organizations. It then considers the extent to which these city policy processes are open to genuine collaboration between government and non-governmental actors, and the extent to which they reflect differential power resources and relationships. The chapter concludes by considering the scope for development of progressive alternatives.