NCRP Statement Regarding the Philanthropy Roundtable's "How Public is Private Philanthropy: Separating Myth from Reality"

Fundamentally, Prof. Brody and Mr. Tyler asked the wrong question. Focusing the debate on whether foundation dollars should be considered public or private distracts from the more relevant questions, such as:

* Is the status quo in philanthropy good enough?
* Is the current regulatory framework, combined with current practices, producing the results we as a society expect from our philanthropic institutions?
* Do the benefits of philanthropy under the current regulatory framework and under current norms outweigh the costs of the preferential tax treatment?
* What regulatory or legislative changes might produce better results?
* What voluntary changes might produce better results?