Whenever the assets of foundations take a dip, out goes the classic call from boards and senior management to downsize and more tightly focus programme activities. The most recent three-year down cycle in the US (2000, 2001 and 2002) was no exception, and since many foundations determine their spending policy on the basis of a multi-year rolling average of asset values, foundation giving may continue to be down for another year or two. Few will dispute a foundation’s right to change the style of its grantmaking, the substantive areas it works in or the scale of its operations, as long …

Anyone who is inclined to think that people in our sector spend too much time talking rather than doing may well have their views reinforced by this issue of Alliance. The seven conferences reported on are undoubtedly only the tip of the iceberg of a busy conference season. Whether they achieve enough to make the cost in terms of money and time worthwhile is a question we should all keep asking. (How I can justify the costs in terms of global warming of so much plane travel to go to so many conferences is another question certain members of my …