Candid interviewed Amanda Moniz, Ph.D., the David M. Rubenstein Curator of Philanthropy at the Smithsonian’s National Museum of American History, who is responsible for, “[building] a collection of objects telling stories about Americans’ giving throughout our history.” The museum’s new exhibition, Giving in America, “includes one of the first copies of [the] Foundation Directory.”
“Part of the exhibit is organized around the questions of who gives, why do we give, how do we give, and what do we give, while another thematic section changes annually,” said Moniz. “The current thematic section, “Who Pays for Education?,” examines Americans’ debates over public and philanthropic funding for education.”
“The book featured in the exhibition is a first edition of the Foundation Directory, published by the Foundation Center Library in 1960, and generously donated to the national Philanthropy collection by the Foundation Center. It is a terrific object because it helps illuminate the creation of the Foundation Center to bring greater transparency to foundations’ work in response to mid-twentieth century congressional scrutiny of foundations’ power. The book is also important because it reminds us of the ways people accessed information on foundations before the advent of the internet.”