Narcissism and Philanthropy: 0ideas and Talent Denied

Freund, who has worked at a number of philanthropic foundations, including the Rockefeller and the MacArthur, argues that many of them are failing at what he sees as their basic task: seeking out and supporting the best and most original minds of our time. Instead, he maintains, the foundations have become self-aggrandizing bodies presided over by a cadre of careerist ""grant givers"" who see their role as rewarding viewpoints that agree with their own, or--more cynically--opting for the politically correct viewpoint of the moment. As he sees it, foundations have become ends in themselves rather than conduits to the deserving. While his plain-speaking book, which is both a critique and a thumbnail history of American philanthropy, seems directed at the foundation community, outsiders should be intrigued by the light he sheds on the secretive enterprise of giving money away, especially in the chapters dealing with how different kinds of foundations are structured and the various methods used to find--or avoid--recipients. In a final chapter, Freund steps back from offering corrective suggestions (such as: keep college presidents off foundation boards of trustees; they don't know as much as they think they do) to challenge foundations to address the moral and ethical issues of our age. (Oct.)