Philanthropy Today

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From senior editor Drew Lindsay: In the late 1990s, Mississippi officials asked internet pioneer and native son Jim Barksdale to invest a few million dollars in a pilot elementary school reading program. Barksdale said no. Instead, the former Netscape CEO pledged $100 million and promised to seek a solution for the state’s low literacy rates among children.

Education is a field that has stumped mega-donors like Walter Annenberg, Bill and Melinda Gates, and Mark Zuckerberg. But a quarter century later, state reading scores have soared in what some call the “Mississippi Miracle.” Education — a polarizing issue nationwide — has become a source of pride for the state, and lawmakers are funding reading instruction based on the “Barksdale model.”

In this piece for The Commons, I explore lessons for philanthropy in how one donor changed a state in such a fundamental way. Ultimately, Barksdale spent $160 million to pull levers of change in schools, among educators, and in the legislature and state bureaucracies. But his story is also about a philanthropist focused on experimentation to reach a single, clear goal.

I hope you take a minute to read “8 Things a Mega-Donor Did Right to Engineer a ‘Miracle.’”

Hali Lee, co-founder of the Donors of Color Network, believes that large foundations and billionaire donors have done plenty to divide America, even as they pursue good. In a new episode of our Commons in Conversation podcast, Lee joins Chronicle deputy opinion editor Nandita Raghuram to discuss her new book, The Big We.

They talk about what Lee describes as the atomizing effect of large foundations and billionaire donors (“Big Philanthropy”), the breakdown of connectedness in America, and the unifying power of giving circles and mutual aid.

Listen to the conversation onApple, Spotify, or anywhere you get your podcasts. Or watch the interview on the Chronicle’s YouTube channel.

We’re gathering recommendations for late-summer reading, listening, and viewing from some of the advocates and experts who work to bring Americans together and strengthen communities. We’ll share a full (and robust) list soon, but I’ll drop a few suggestions in this newsletter as we go.

First up: Liz Vogel, co-executive director of the New Pluralists funder collaborative, recommends the podcast “How to Citizen,” an Apple favorite in 2020 and now in its fourth season. Host and creator Baratunde Thurston (pictured) is a comedian and founding writer and partner of the media company Puck. Vogel says the podcast “explores how ordinary people are redefining what it means to participate in civic life. It centers voices and examples that feel grounded, creative, and approachable. This is a great resource for anyone curious about how to build belonging where they live.”