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Martin Morse Wooster
Martin Morse Wooster is senior fellow at the Capital Research Center. He is the author of three books: Angry Classrooms, Vacant Minds (Pacific Research Institute, 1994), The Great Philanthropists and the Problem of ‘Donor Intent’ (Capital Research Center, 1994; revised 1998, 2007, and 2017), and Great Philanthropic Mistakes (Hudson Institute, 2006; revised 2010). His monographs about philanthropy include Should Foundations Live Forever? (Capital Research Center, 1998), The Foundation Builders (Philanthropy Roundtable, 2000), Return to Charity? (Capital Research Center, 2000), By Their Bootstraps (Manhattan Institute, 2002), and Games Universities Play (Pope Center, 2011). His articles and reviews have appeared in the Wall Street Journal, Washington Post, Washington Times, American Spectator, Chronicle of Philanthropy, Commentary, Elle, Air and Space, Esquire, Philanthropy, Policy Review, Reader’s Digest, Reason, and Washingtonian.
Wooster frequently comments on philanthropic issues for newspapers, magazines, and television in the U.S. and Great Britain. He has contributed to the Encyclopedia of Philanthropy, the Encyclopedia of Civil Rights, and Notable American Philanthropists.
Wooster was formerly an editor at The American Enterprise, Reason, the Wilson Quarterly, and Harper’s Magazine. He was graduated from Beloit College with degrees in history and philosophy.
Jeff Sandefer, founder of Acton Business School, Acton Academy, and Acton Children’s Business Fair, is an excellent example of a philanthropist with passionate ideas that he will invest in.
In 1925, a donor left two paintings to the city of Plainfield, New Jersey. A judge had to determine whether or not the city could sell the paintings, or if that violated the donor’s will.
Steven M. Teles’ book, The Rise of the Conservative Legal Movement, describes the successful role philanthropy played on the right and left to bolster a legal movement advancing their causes.
Chuck Feeney is a model philanthropist with a demonstrated commitment to “giving while living.” At 89, Feeney has given away almost all of his fortune and closed his foundation.
Successfully creating a COVID-19 vaccine will require much creativity and will be the fruit of many smaller victories along the way. Philanthropy can play an important role in these areas.
As most public schools go online this fall, many families are setting up “pandemic pods” and “microschools” —a luxury available to some families while the rest must endure subpar Zoom learning.