This presentation was made by Stephen Pittam at the conference ‘Social Justice Philanthropy: Implications for Practice and Policy’ organised by the University of Kent on 1 March 2013

I would like to thank the team at Kent University for inviting me to contribute to this event. As Carl has mentioned I retired from the Joseph Rowntree Charitable Trust in August 2012 after 26 years there. I want to make clear from the outset though that I am speaking today as a Member of the Working Group on Philanthropy for Social Justice and Peace. I will of course be drawing on my experience at JRCT, but I am not in any way speaking on behalf of JRCT.

What I want to do in my time is four things:

• To give a personal view of how the concept of Social Justice Philanthropy has emerged over the last 20 years or so,
• To discuss what is Social Justice Philanthropy,
• To describe the Working Group’s idea on Social Justice Philanthropy as a Family of Concepts.
• And finally to offer a few thoughts on the future.

Social Justice Philanthropy In USA and UK

At a philanthropy gathering in late 2012, a session participant remarked, “raising money for social justice is like the church asking for money for love”. The analogy amused me and yet I was gravely concerned by the implication of that statement. In that statement was a reflection of our times where philanthropy is largely driven by language more suited to markets. Its product must be tangible, measurable and quick or it will be banished to the realm of the vague.

The Working Group on PSJP talk about philanthropy for social justice and peace and the PSJP network in an interview with WINGS. You can read it here.