Author Archive:

Rhodri Davies

Analysis Rhodri Davies 28 March 2023

Artificial intelligence is coming for philanthropy

You probably feel like you have heard a lot recently about artificial intelligence, like ChatGPT – the powerful chatbot from OpenAI that has gained 100 million users since its launch in November 2022, and which …

Opinion 1 Rhodri Davies 15 November 2022

Effectively over: What Does Sam Bankman-Fried’s downfall mean for philanthropy and Effective Altruism?

Last week offered a rare opportunity to watch one of the world’s biggest philanthropists self-combust in real time. The spectacular downfall of crypto-billionaire Sam Bankman-Fried (commonly known as SBF) and his cryptocurrency exchange FTX resulted …

Book review Rhodri Davies 6 September 2022 For Subscribers

White Philanthropy: Carnegie Corporation’s ‘An American Dilemma’ and the making of a white world order

Reviewed by Rhodri Davies, founder of Philanthropy Matters Following the murder of George Floyd in 2020 many organisations and institutions, including foundations and charities, declared their support for the aims of the Black Lives Matter …

Opinion Rhodri Davies 4 May 2022

What could Elon Musk’s Twitter bid mean for philanthropy?

Elon Musk’s penchant for publicity stunts, deliberately provocative statements and picking fights has made him a magnet for media attention. Things stepped up a notch further recently following the announcement that he is to buy …

Analysis 1 Rhodri Davies 25 January 2022

What’s ahead? Predictions for philanthropy in 2022 and beyond

It feels, right now, as if the only real certainty is uncertainty. But this doesn’t mean we shouldn’t try to think about the future. Once we abandon the idea of rigid predictions and focus instead …

Opinion Rhodri Davies 17 September 2020

The ethics of platform philanthropy

In a recent interview for the new Centre on Strategic Philanthropy at Cambridge Judge Business School, Bill Gates identified the growth and democratisation of giving through online platforms as one of the key trends that …

Opinion Rhodri Davies 10 June 2020

The history of philanthropy & social movements for diversity, equity and inclusion

In recent weeks, the tragic killing of George Floyd and the subsequent wave of protest around the globe has brought the Black Lives Matter (BLM) movement back to the forefront of public and political attention. …

Opinion 1 Rhodri Davies 7 March 2020

Bezos’ $10bn donation should not pitch philanthropy and taxation against each other – that would be a zero-sum game

Amazon founder Jeff Bezos’ recent major foray into philanthropy came with the announcement that he is going to commit $10 billion to combat the global climate crisis. The world’s richest man has previously been criticised …

Special feature Rhodri Davies 29 May 2018

Riding the tiger of technological change

Philanthropy support organizations have a vital role in ensuring that disruptive technology leads to change for the better Technology is opening up new opportunities to empower marginalized and disenfranchised communities around the world, and new …

Analysis Rhodri Davies and Fran Yeoman 9 January 2018

Philanthropy should fund the media for its own sake

Many are starting to ask whether general support for journalism as an end in itself should constitute a valid focus of philanthropy; given the recently renewed acceptance of the idea that news gathering and reporting …