One of the founders of the National Committee for Responsive Philanthropy gives the back story that lead to the creation of the philanthropic watchdog.
"In retrospect, it seems surprising that the Filer Commission on Private Philanthropy and Public Needs, established in 1973, the most prestigious study of its kind in our history, should have given birth to the National Committee for Responsive Philanthropy, the watchdog group currently monitoring our philanthropic sector and holding it accountable.
"It all started with an article I published in a little known publication, the Grantsmanship Center News, in January 1973, entitled, “The Filer Commission: A Critical Perspective”. The article questioned the very narrow representation of the Commission’s membership, its limited outreach to the public, its heavy stress on donors and neglect of donee groups and its limited attention to public needs. It also pointed out that the Commission’s research on philanthropy ignored such issues as public accountability, accessibility to philanthropic resources and equity in the grantmaking process."--Pablo Eisenberg, HistPhil
