Thoughtful Giving:
Philanthropy and
American Culture
COR 301
M 4.10-6.40
Instructors:
Dorothy Schwartz: 865-3722 or 671-4787
dorothyroseschwartz@gmail.com
Adam Tuchinsky: 780-4885
tuchinsk@usm.maine.edu
Office Hours By Appointment Gladly Given
Office Hours:
Carnegie Library
Fort Fairfield, Maine
I confess that I have hitherto indulged very little in philanthropic enterprises….There are those who
have used all their arts to persuade me to undertake the support of some poor family in town; and if I
had nothing to do, --for the devil finds employment for the idle, --I might try my hand at some such
pastime as that. However, when I have…even ventured so far as to make them the offer, they have
one and all unhesitatingly preferred to remain poor.
Henry David Thoreau, Walden
If you believe that every life has equal value, it’s revolting to learn that some lives are seen as worth
saving and others are not….So we began our work in the same way anyone here would begin it. We
asked: “How could the world let these children die?” The answer is simple, and harsh. The market did
not reward saving the lives of these children, and governments did not subsidize it. So the children
died because their mothers and their fathers had no power in the market and no voice in the system.
But you and I have both.
We can make market forces work better for the poor if we can develop a more creative capitalism – if
we can stretch the reach of market forces so that more people can make a profit, or at least make a
living, serving people who are suffering from the worst inequities. We also can press governments
around the world to spend taxpayer money in ways that better reflect the values of the people who
pay the taxes. If we can find approaches that meet the needs of the poor in ways that generate
profits for business and votes for politicians, we will have found a sustainable way to reduce inequity
in the world. This task is open-ended. It can never be finished. But a conscious effort to answer this
challenge will change the world.
Bill Gates, 2007 Harvard Commencement
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Course Description
“Thoughtful Giving: Philanthropy and American Culture” is an interdisciplinary course in the
humanities with a community-based focus. It satisfies the Ethical Inquiry, Social Responsibility,
and Citizenship general education requirement.
The course has two basic parts. In the traditional academic part, students will read and discuss
various texts that address the issue and theme of philanthropy and giving. Philanthropy is a
compelling object of study in its own right, but philanthropic discourse—work written by and
about philanthropists—has a lot to teach us about American culture and the way in which
observers perceived it. Philanthropy, in many respects, has held an ambivalent place within
American culture. It has served as a marker of class even as philanthropic efforts have labored to
relieve and reform problems associated with rampant inequality. At times, philanthropic
discourse has served to legitimate American individualism, and in others, it has held up an
alternative associationist or communitarian ideal. Throughout the course, we will try to both
analyze and historicize the American philanthropic project in particular. Historical and
humanistic inquiry will also serve as the basis for the course’s applied component.
Henry David Thoreau once wrote that students should learn chemistry by baking bread. So the
second focus of the course will be practical giving. Thanks to a generous $10,000 grant from Doris
Buffett’s Learning by Giving Foundation, we will have the opportunity to work with and support
several worthy organizations. This is a heavy responsibility and a learning opportunity. In the
course of one semester, this class will telescope the philanthropic process. We will identify our
mission, issue a call for proposals, complete a systematic study of organizational applicants, write
a grant, and set up a process for assessing its impact. To help us with this important work, we will
consult with members of both our philanthropic and non-profit community. As both the authors
of, and the audience for, grant proposals, we will learn how to be effective authors of grant
applications. Our hope is that your work with participating organizations will be ongoing, and
that your work in this class could be a springboard to a career in community-minded
organizations.
Our goal will be to make this gift in the most ethical, considered, and effective manner possible.
Throughout the semester, we will compare and make distinctions between various modes of
giving: gifts, grants, charity, investment, and development. In dialogue with major American
writers and thinkers, students will probe their own values. What obligations do we have to
society? To what extent is there a social compact between the various classes of society? How do
we prioritize social needs? What motivates philanthropy? Does philanthropy reinforce social
hierarchies?
Overall, this class is a unique opportunity for students to learn about various aspects of American
culture, probe, define, and expand their own ethics, and then to act upon them in a collaborative
and experiential way.
Instructors
Dorothy Schwartz is Executive Director Emeritus of the Maine Humanities Council and serves as
a national consultant to state humanities councils and other nonprofits. She served as Executive
Director of the Maine Humanities Council from 1985-2006, during which time the organization’s
income tripled and the reach of the Council expanded significantly. Under her direction the
Council successfully completed an NEH Challenge Grant raising over $1 million for the Maine
Center for the Book. She has won numerous awards for her leadership and received Honorary
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Doctor of Humane Letters awards from Bowdoin College and University of Maine Farmington,
respectively. She is currently a member of the College of Arts and Sciences Advisory Committee at
USM and is a trustee of the Morton-Kelley Charitable Trust. She has served on many other boards,
including Maine’s Cultural Affairs Council, the Governor’s Task Force on the Creative Economy and
Maine Philanthropy Center. She is a graduate of Smith College, where she also received her M.A.T.
in Art History. She earned an M.S. Ed in Counseling at the University of Southern Maine where she
has also taught Art History.
Adam Tuchinsky is an Associate Professor History and the Associate Dean in the College of Arts,
Humanities and Social Sciences at the University of Southern Maine. He received his Ph.D. in
History from the University of North Carolina in 2001. He teaches a variety of courses for the the
History Department and for general education the United States survey, Civil War and
Reconstruction, the Age of Jackson, American Popular Culture, the United States in the Age of
Market Revolutions, and an Entry Year Experience course on Henry David Thoreau.
His research focuses upon the intellectual and political history of the United States during the Civil
War era, broadly construed. He has published articles in, among other places, the Journal of
American History and American Nineteenth-Century History. His first book, Horace Greeley’s NewYork Tribune: Civil War-era Socialism and the Crisis of Free Labor was published by Cornell
University Press in November of 2009.
Learning Outcomes:

To improve writing and analytical skills

To understand the philosophy and mechanics of non-profits, and in particular, learn how to
write and evaluate grant applications and organization profiles

To work collaboratively with classmates on a project of common interest

To explore ethical judgments in an individual and group context

To build individual and institutional partnerships with community organizations

To learn about the challenges faced by both non-profit organizations and the communities
they serve
The textual portion of the class will weave together thematic and historical approaches.
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Semester Assignments
Class assignments are due the day they are listed on the schedule below. The grade distribution is
as follows:
Assignment #1
Assignment #2
Assignment #3
Assignment #4
Assignment #5
Assignment #6
Assignment #7
Participation
5%
10%
10%
10%
10%
30% (Team-written proposals or Evaluations)
5%
20%
Scale
A
AB+
B
B-
93-100
90-92
88-89
83-87
80-82
C+
C
CD+
D
D-
78-79
73-77
70-72
68-69
63-67
60-62
Plagiarism
Scholarship, generally, is composed from written sources, secondary and primary. Scholars, however, are very careful
to cite their sources of information and to credit other peoples' ideas. If you don't know what plagiarism is, please
consult me, or any style manual. Be warned: plagiarism can be easy in the age of the Internet, but the Internet also
makes it easy to catch cheating.
If you have any questions about USM's guidelines for academic integrity, you should consult:
http://www.usm.maine.edu/navigator/policy.html#integrity
Note: If you need course adaptation or accommodation because of a disability, please contact the office of
Academic Support for Students with Disabilities (237 Luther Bonney)
Learning By Giving Foundation Grant Rules
1. No grant may be given to an entity within USM
2. USM will not divert any part of the gift for administration
3. Grants must be made at a minimum of $2000
4. Students will make the decisions on the grant awards.
5. Students will be responsible for designing the assessment measures.
6. Instructors will be responsible for the implementation and assessment of the grant’s impact.
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THOUGHTFUL GIVING: PHILANTHROPY AND AMERICAN CULTURE
University of Southern Maine
Fall Semester, 2013
Instructors: Adam Tuchinsky and Dorothy Schwartz
Classes will meet in Room 419/427, Wishcamper Hall
Mondays, 4:10 – 6:40 p.m.
September 9
Introductions
What is a good gift?
Why do people give?
The Nonprofit Sector: types, organization, management, funding
What can our class accomplish by giving away $10,000? Can it make a difference?
Review of syllabus
Guest: Suzanne McCormick, United Way of Greater Portland
What are Portland’s pressing needs?
What are the various responses from the nonprofit sector?
September 16
The Philanthropic Landscape in Maine and America
Foundations: types, organization, management
What is the role of philanthropy in civil society?
Snapshot of philanthropy in Maine
The role of giving by individuals and government in America
The Language of Philanthropy
What is an RFP? What is its purpose? How does the RFP relate to the mission of the
grantor? How does the mission of the grantor relate to the mission of the grantee?
Crafting a Mission Statement
Review of last year’s student mission statement and RFP
Student teams: Preliminary meeting
Writing Assignment #1: With your team partner, craft a foundation mission
statement, and identify and briefly research two Portland nonprofit organizations
whose work may serve the mission of your foundation. Please submit by e-mail
attachment.
Reading
Lynn and Wisely, “Toward a Fourth Philanthropic Response,”
Perfect Gift, 102-110
Dykstra, “What is a Grant” (BB)
Selections from Tom Wolf: Managing a Non-profit Organization
Explore web sites of Maine Philanthropy Center, United Way of
Greater Portland, grantspace.org, Portland nonprofit organizations
IN-CLASS QUIZ
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September 23
Request for Proposals and Grant Guidelines
VOTING ON MISSION AFTER IN-CLASS TEAM PRESENTATIONS
Discussion of what needs to be included in the RFP.
Discussion of what kind of information the student foundation will need in order to
make a good decision about the award of its funds to nonprofit organizations.
Grantwriting 101: A Tutorial
How to write a successful proposal: one size does not fit all!
What are the essential parts of a proposal?
How to read between the guidelines.
Review of last year’s student proposals.
Constructing the application form.
Reading: Henri Barbusse, “The Eleventh,” Perfect Gift, 245-248
Visit web site of Maine Community Foundation & Common Application.
September 30:
Grantmaker Professional Etiquette
Student teams assigned to their Portland nonprofit organizations as volunteer grantwriters or evaluators of last year’s grants.
Discuss best practices for initial contacts/visits with your nonprofit partner
organizations: What to expect in making a site visit and interviewing nonprofit staff.
How much time is too much? Site visit etiquette.
Distribute final RFP, Mission Statement & Application. Student teams begin their
site visits in preparation for writing their grant proposals on behalf of their nonprofit
partners.
Guest: Meredith Jones, President, Maine Community Foundation
What is a Community Foundation? How does MCF operate in Maine? How does it
solicit proposals and make its funding decisions?
What is most important for the students to know in writing their proposals, in
evaluating their nonprofits, and in making their grantmaking decisions?
Reading: Peter Singer, The Life You Can Save (selection)
Writing Assignment #2: Write a two-page rejoinder to the argument Singer makes
in The Life You Can Save.
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October 7
Ethical Case Studies
Principles, Values, Standards: how to give away money responsibly
Guest: Carolyn Wollen, Betterment Fund
What are the perils to avoid as a board or staff member?
How are funding decisions made ethically and responsibly?
How are applicants notified? What about evaluation? Conflict of interest?
Accountability?
Reading: O. Henry, “The Gift of the Magi,” Perfect Gift, 298-302
John O’Hara, “Memorial Fund,” Perfect Gift, 315-318
Writing Assignment #3: Write a 2-page essay that addresses the following:
Compare and contrast the perspectives of O. Henry and John O’Hara on what makes
a gift wise or foolish, meaningful or futile. How can the philanthropist or gift-maker
honor and respect the perspectives of those who, for whatever reason, lack a voice?
October 21
Philanthropy and the State
Guest: Erik Jorgensen, Maine State Legislature
The role of government in philanthropy
Student Teams meet in class
Reading: Alexis de Tocqueville, Democracy in America (selection) (BB)
David Wagner, What’s Love Got to Do With It? (selection)
Writing Assignment #4: In a two-page essay, outline the main elements of
Wagner’s critique of the philanthropic impulse. Does Tocqueville answer his
critique persuasively?
October 28
The Social Obligations of Private Wealth
Guest: Carol Wishcamper, nonprofit consultant and philanthropist
Being a philanthropist: the joys and perils
The art of advising nonprofit boards and staff in Maine
Reading: Carnegie, “Gospel of Wealth,” Perfect Gift, 230-244
Addams, “Charitable Effort,” Perfect Gift, 140-154
Selections from Giving 2.0 by Laura Arrillaga-Andreesen (BB)
Writing Assignment #5: The assigned readings today present distinct
visions of the relationship between private wealth/interests and the
“common good.” In a roughly two-page essay, compare them.
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November 4
Philanthropy in Historical Perspective
Student teams discuss their experience to date with the site visits, interviews, and
construction of the grant proposals.
November 18
Effective Grant Writing
Class discusses agenda and procedures for the December 2 board meeting when the
decisions on the grants will be made. What criteria will the board use in judging?
Reading: Moses Maimonides, Laws Concerning Gifts to the Poor, Perfect Gift, 125-26
Selections from Rambam’s Ladder: a Meditation on Generosity and
Why It Is Necessary to Give, by Julie Salamon
Writing Assignment #6: Grant Proposal and Evaluations by each team due to
instructors: Please submit by email attachment by NOVEMBER 25.
First drafts of proposals will be reviewed by appointment from November 15
on.
NOTE: Final Grant proposal must be reviewed and approved in
writing by the nonprofit partner before submission to
instructors.
November 25
EVALUATION OF LAST YEAR’S GRANTS
PROPOSALS DUE IN FINAL DRAFT
Guests: A student from last year’s USM Thoughtful Giving Class
and students from other grantmaking programs at Bowdoin or Colby
Evaluation team presents their assessment of last year’s student-made
Grants.
What should the student decision-making board consider in the new grant
applications and presentations? What mistakes may have been made in the past?
Discussion of agenda for the upcoming board meeting on December 2, how the
presentations will be made to the board, conflict of interest policy, and procedures
for arriving at the most ethical and successful grant decisions, how the grantees will
be notified of the success or failure of their proposals.
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December 2
BOARD MEETING
THIS IS THE MOST IMPORTANT CLASS OF THE SEMESTER!
The student foundation board meets according to pre-determined procedures, to
decide on awarding a total of at least $10,000 in grant funds.
Plan the final award celebration event
December 9
Ethical Case Studies and Board Meeting De-Brief
Film: Clear Cut: The Story of Philomath Oregon
Discussion of readings and film
Discussion of previous board meeting grant decisions
De-brief and wrap-up
Finalize final award celebration event.
Reading: Sarah Orne Jewett, “The Spur of the Moment,” Perfect Gift, 127-134
Edward Holmes, “The Town Office,” Perfect Gift, 395-398.
Writing Assignment #7: Due December 3
Each of the assigned stories points to a particular “danger” of philanthropy.
For this assignment, write a two-page essay on how these stories shed light
on a particular ethical dilemma you have encountered in this class.
December 16
CELEBRATION AND AWARDING OF THE GRANT FUNDS
NOTE: Attendance is compulsory!