The social justice approach in philanthropy

Social justice philanthropy is a collection of diverse discourses and approaches that, in its strongest form, demands radical reform of societal structures according to critical understandings of power and equity. This chapter introduces an innovative conceptual framework that isolates the essential characteristics of social justice philanthropy and enables identification and comparison of the various actors in this field – from philanthropic institutions emerging within marginalised communities to elite foundations redirecting their activities towards some idea of social justice. It describes the activities of these actors across social policy fields, highlighting the use of philanthropic resources to support social activism; it considers how social justice approaches challenge the mechanisms and power dynamics of mainstream philanthropy itself. The chapter concludes by identifying substantive implications for social policy: the centrality of government and policy as a field of philanthropic action; the resourcing of alternative public spheres of discourse and protest; holding state and market to account; and challenges to constructions of effectiveness and evidence within social policy.