The social justice approach in philanthropy

Roberts, Jonathan ORCID: 0000-0003-4827-867X and Deepak, Swatee (2025) The social justice approach in philanthropy. In: Lambin, Roosa, Roberts, Jonathan and Surender, Rebecca, (eds.) Handbook on Philanthropy and Social Policy. Elgar Handbooks in Social Policy and Welfare series. Edward Elgar, Cheltenham, UK, 366 - 384. ISBN 9781035309849

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Abstract

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.

Item Type:	Book Section
Divisions:	The Marshall Institute
Subjects:	H Social Sciences > H Social Sciences (General) H Social Sciences > HV Social pathology. Social and public welfare. Criminology
Date Deposited:	07 Jul 2025 10:15
Last Modified:	07 Jul 2025 10:15
URI:	http://eprints.lse.ac.uk/id/eprint/128647

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