In its September 2003 issue, and again in June 2005, Alliance put the spotlight on the subject of social justice philanthropy. Five and a half years later, we revisit the subject to find out what if anything has changed. Guest editor for this Alliance special feature is Christopher Harris, formerly of the Ford Foundation, who feels that some real progress has been made in the field and offers seven items worth special mention.

This special feature, while acknowledging that achieving lasting change in society is no easy task, will try to establish a set of necessary conditions for what philanthropy for social justice means. Albert Ruesga attempts a definition of what ‘social justice philanthropy’ is, Karen Zelermyer writes about what is needed to create real structural change, and Barry Knight suggests an approach to evaluating impact. Contributions come from social justice funders from around the world, including India, Brazil, the Arab region, Israel, Africa and the USA. The EU’s José Manuel Fresno writes about the long-term issue of Roma inclusion across Europe.

Also included in the December issue of Alliance: an interview with CNN founder Ted Turner, Paul Shoemaker suggesting a voluntary certification scheme for philanthropists, plus more articles, opinions, book reviews, letters, conference reports and updates on global philanthropy.