Charity Begins at Home: Generosity and Self-Interest Among the Philanthropic Elite

Charging that philanthropy primarily furthers the interests of the rich and their control over public and private funds through interaction with business and government, Odendahl, editor of America's Wealth and the Future of Foundations, in an impressively researched and provocative study, analyzes donation patterns of individuals, private foundations and corporations. A network of traditional philanthropic families, she charges, favors educational and cultural causes that aid their own social interests and fail to provide for human services severely strained by federal cutbacks. Among Odendahl's proposed reforms are more equitable estate and charitable-contributions tax-deduction laws, and stronger accountability of nonprofit cultural and philanthropic organizations. (Mar.)