Bella DeVaan

472 posts

Bella DeVaan

Bella DeVaan

@bdevaan

tracking philanthropy + inequality @IPS_DC

New York, NY Katılım Şubat 2021
643 Takip Edilen263 Takipçiler
Bella DeVaan
Bella DeVaan@bdevaan·
re: philanthroslop (inspired).... around 80 percent of Giving Pledge "gifts" we tracked from original signers (~$164 billion out of $206 billion as of last summer) went to foundations that they/their families usually control...
Matthew Zeitlin@MattZeitlin

the disillusionment with the giving pledge speaks to, i think, many billionaires not being very engaged with their giving and not really taking it seriously. there's bill gates and john arnold, but then everyone else seems to do philantroslop (universities, well known orgs etc)

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Bella DeVaan
Bella DeVaan@bdevaan·
it sounds obvious but the fact that almost all original signers **cannot stop getting richer** is what makes the Giving Pledge so easy to criticize. the right will take advantage of anything! it's far past time for voluntary efforts w/ teeth, new regs, + wealth redistribution.
Teddy Schleifer@teddyschleifer

I spent the last few months talking to people around The Giving Pledge about a bygone era of philanthropy. There is an attack campaign against the Pledge led by none other than Peter Thiel. My reported essay for NYT Sunday Business is out today.

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Bella DeVaan
Bella DeVaan@bdevaan·
per @Philanthropy's data, over $13.1 billion (or over 58%) of "gifts" from America's 50 biggest donors traveled into foundations & donor-advised funds in 2025. money flows out of them... but basically everyone's getting richer, reaping tax benefits, + retaining control.
The Chronicle of Philanthropy@Philanthropy

The Chronicle's exclusive Philanthropy 50 is out. @MikeBloomberg tops the list for the third straight year with $4.3 billion in 2025 giving. America's 50 biggest donors gave $22.4 billion total. View the full list at: phlnthrp.com/40UlXW3 #PHIL50

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Teddy Schleifer
Teddy Schleifer@teddyschleifer·
Bill Gates explains donor-advised funds to Jeffrey Epstein.
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Akela Lacy
Akela Lacy@akela_lacy·
“It’s a way to rinse your name off of any kind of donation that could be perceived as controversial or something that you just want to keep anonymous publicly,” DeVaan said.
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Bella DeVaan
Bella DeVaan@bdevaan·
Melinda French Gates on our @IPS_DC Giving Pledge at 15 report findings: "I wish we had been even more successful with the pledge than we have been to date... I believe to whom much is given, much is expected, and they should be giving back more. Far more than they are."
WIRED@WIRED

On this week’s episode of The Big Interview podcast, the philanthropist offers her insights on billionaire donors, kids on phones, and the importance of women’s health care. wired.com/story/the-big-…

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Daniel Steinmetz-Jenkins
Daniel Steinmetz-Jenkins@daniel_dsj2110·
“One-third of all newspapers in America closed between 2004 and 2025. When newspapers close, local businesses commit more legal violations, local government borrowing costs grow because of decreased public scrutiny of spending decisions, people vote less…” thebaffler.com/salvos/we-used…
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Bella DeVaan
Bella DeVaan@bdevaan·
It’s fair to ask, writes @David_Moscrop, “what good a several times–removed, tax-deductible donation from a tech billionaire does for someone struggling to make ends meet within an economic system designed by and for that same billionaire to preserve their wealth and power.”
Jacobin@jacobin

Most Giving Pledge dollars never reached the public, flowing instead to private foundations and donor-advised funds while billionaires grew richer, bought reputations for generosity, and handed back scraps to the people who made their fortunes. jacobin.com/2025/09/giving…

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Inequality.org
Inequality.org@inequalityorg·
Not surprisingly, Starbucks declined multiple requests for comment from @msainat1 of @guardian on our new CEO pay report. This quote from our co-editor @SarahDAnderson1 will help you understand why they took a pass.
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Bella DeVaan
Bella DeVaan@bdevaan·
talked with Mike Scutari @InsidePhilanthr about the indignities and contradictions of billionaire philanthropy, which both stagnates far too much tax-exempt $$ and dominates the nonprofit sector:
Inside Philanthropy@InsidePhilanthr

A new report by the Institute for Policy Studies found that Giving Pledge signatories prefer making gifts to intermediaries under their control instead of working nonprofits. Mike Scutari reports: tinyurl.com/436cyvms IP Related Resources: Grants for Racial Equity & Justice -tinyurl.com/muzhaas9 Grants for Indigenous Rights -tinyurl.com/3pfxkd3n Report: Giving for Economic Justice Policy and Advocacy -tinyurl.com/23c2n56s #FirstNations #NativeLed #NativeJustice #EconomicJustice #IndigenousRights #Philanthropy #RacialEquity #NativeVoices #CommunityLed #Grantmaking

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Bella DeVaan
Bella DeVaan@bdevaan·
Larry Ellison's concept of his 2010 Giving Pledge includes investing in businesses, not just making nonprofit grants. As @teddyschleifer and @nkulish note, "making money has always been easier for Mr. Ellison than giving it away." Great vibe check on for-profit philanthropy:
Teddy Schleifer@teddyschleifer

NEW: Larry Ellison is spending hundreds of millions of dollars on for-profit companies that he is calling his new charitable project. Ellison is now worth almost $300 billion — and is building a massive Oxford corporate entity to spend his fortune. Details with @nkulish.

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Bella DeVaan
Bella DeVaan@bdevaan·
if the Giving Pledge's cadence trends hold, we're on track to have tax-shielded, trillion-dollar, dynastic foundations with unfathomable power. big thanks to @eshugerman @sfstandard for talking with me about our new @IPS_DC report + checking in on the Bay Area billionaires!!
Emily Shugerman@eshugerman

15 years ago, some of Silicon Valley's biggest names pledged to give away half of their wealth in their lifetimes. How's that going? "Across nearly every example, there’s proof that the Giving Pledge is unfulfilled, unfulfillable, and not our ticket to a fairer, better future," a new report claims sfstandard.com/2025/07/30/giv…

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The Chronicle of Philanthropy
The Chronicle of Philanthropy@Philanthropy·
A new study from the Institute for Policy Studies finds that that the wealth of many of the Giving Pledge signers is growing much faster than their charitable, tax-exempt giving. phlnthrp.com/4fiU3JQ @IPS_DC
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Keşfet

@teddyschleifer @IPS_DC @Chuck99to1 @HelenofIPS @DanPetegorsky @Philanthropy @craignewmark @inequalityorg