Academic Centers
Name of Center
Center on Philanthropy at Indiana University, IUPUI, USA
http://www.philanthropy.iupui.edu/.
About the Center
The Center on Philanthropy at Indiana University, led by executive director Dr. Eugene R. Tempel, is a leading academic center dedicated to increasing the understanding of philanthropy and improving its practice through research, teaching, public service and public affairs programs in philanthropy, fundraising, and management of nonprofit organizations. A part of the Indiana University School of Liberal Arts at Indiana University-Purdue University Indianapolis (IUPUI), the Center operates programs on the IUPUI and IU Bloomington campuses.
Major Education Initiatives
- Master of Arts in Philanthropic Studies – An interdisciplinary program based in the Liberal Arts, it is the first master’s degree program in the United States to focus on the history, culture, and values of philanthropy.
- Doctor of Philosophy (Ph.D.) in Philanthropic Studies – The first traditional-format doctoral degree program in Philanthropic Studies in the United States. Also an interdisciplinary program based in the Liberal Arts, it is designed to prepare nonprofit sector professionals, researchers, and scholars to provide leadership in philanthropy, higher education, and nonprofit organizations.
- University of Bologna Exchange Program - The Master of Arts in Philanthropic Studies at the Center on Philanthropy at Indiana University and the Master's Degree in International Studies in Philanthropy (MISP) at the University of Bologna (the first master's degree program in Europe to focus on the history, cultures and values of philanthropy) focus on the social, cultural, religious, political and economic roles played by philanthropy and nonprofit organizations in both contemporary and historical settings. An agreement between the two universities allows graduate students to participate in an exchange program that includes internship placements in foundations and research institutions. The agreement also includes the exchange of teachers.
Major Research Projects
- The Center on Philanthropy Panel Study (COPPS) is the Center’s signature research project. COPPS is the largest and most accurate study of charitable giving by U.S. households ever conducted. A nationally representative panel study, it looks at giving and volunteering by the same households over time and across generations as families mature, face differing economic circumstances, are affected by public policy shifts and encounter changes in their family size and health, among many other factors. Scholars and nonprofit professionals can access COPPS data and findings free of charge online in downloadable formats.
- Giving USA, the Annual Report on Philanthropy, is published by the Giving USA Foundation and researched and written by the Center on Philanthropy at Indiana University. Drawing on the expertise of the Center's faculty and research team to enhance and build on a half-century of data, Giving USA offers answers to questions about the sources and recipients of donations, an overview of each year’s giving trends, benchmarking information for nonprofit organizations and special sections such as the 2005 edition’s summary of tsunami giving.
- The “Nonprofit Overhead Cost Study” - From 1999 to 2004, researchers at the Center on Philanthropy at Indiana University and the Urban Institute’s National Center for Charitable Statistics (NCCS)/Center on Nonprofits and Philanthropy explored issues of nonprofit fundraising and administrative costs. The goal of the project is to increase understanding of such costs and to work with practitioners, policy makers, and accounting professionals to improve cost measurement and reporting.