Giving Ventures

Latest Episodes:

Ep. 120 - AI and its Relevance to Philanthropy Oct 27, 2026

Show notes

Artifical Intelligence is here and everywhere. That includes the nonprofit and philanthropic worlds. In this episode, Chris Koopman of the Abundance Institute offers us a perspective on the problems with the pessimism that is seemingly everywhere, how AI is uprooting old ideas, whether AI is a new Renaissance or a new Industrial Revolution, why everyone hates data centers now, the many ways public policy philanthropy intersects with AI, and how nonprofits should think about protecting themselves in this new era.

Ep. 119 - Implementing School Choice Oct 15, 2026

Show notes

Conservative and libertarian donors have made phenomenal gains in the area of education choice over the past 10 years. The question now becomes: how do we defend those gains? There are some phenomenal groups out there that are focused on implementation, particularly with regard to the three big pillars we've identified: 1) the supply of schools; 2) making sure parents know how to opt in their kids; and 3) defending against the onslaught of legal and public relations attention from people who are not keen on school choice.

At a recent event that DonorsTrust hosted in Dallas, we held a conversation on education choice implementation to highlight what's going on. How are we expanding supply? How do we get parents to understand the process here and what are we going to do to defend against the lawsuits and the negative press when it comes? Our panelists were Nathan Cunneen, the State Director for American Federation for Children, American Federation for Children; Lisa Tarshis, Primer Foundation's executive director; and Tom Fisher, who is EdChoice's executive vice president and director of litigation.

Ep. 118 - Navigating Family Dynamics While Protecting Donor Intent Sep 29, 2026

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The legendary businessman and philanthropist Ed Snider was a titan of Philadelphia sports. He was inducted in the Hockey Hall of Fame, owned Philadelphia's NBA team, the 76ers, and even ran the Philadelphia Eagles NFL team back in the 1960s. But Ed's philanthropic legacy is just as illustrious. He helped found the Ayn Rand Institute, created the Ed Snider Center for Enterprise and Markets at his alma mater the University of Maryland, and established a charitable family foundation to involve his six children in his philanthropic endeavors.

Ed's son Craig joins Peter on this episode of Giving Ventures to discuss his father's giving, the importance of donor intent, and the complexities that come with charitable giving in a large family. Craig served as executive director of the Snider Family Foundation.

Ep. 117 - Revitalizing Higher Education with Prof. Robert P. George Sep 15, 2026

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American higher education is in need of serious reform. Campus protests and activist professors are just the tip of the iceberg. But over the past 26 years, Princeton University professor Robert P. George has been building a movement that's revitalizing American colleges and universities. In this episode of Giving Ventures, Prof. George joins Peter to discuss the success of the James Madison Program at Princeton, the many centers modeled on the Madison Program that have spread across the country, and the need for deeper reforms to the para-academic institutions that credential and accredit in academia.

Ep. 116 - Do Politicians Even Listen to Think Tanks? Aug 25, 2026

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Nonprofit think tanks conduct research, prepare policy reports, and hold briefings for lawmakers. But does anyone in the halls of power really care? That's the question that guides this conversation with Scott Centorino.

Scott previously served as President Trump's Special Assistant for Domestic Policy in the White House and as a senior fellow at the Foundation for Government Accountability, a Florida-based think tank. His experiences give him special insight into what makes a think tank effective and how donors should evaluate their success.

Ep. 115 - The Mental Health Foundations of Freedom Aug 11, 2026

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John Adams famously said, “Our Constitution was made only for a moral and religious people. It is wholly inadequate to the government of any other.” Perhaps he should have included "a mentally healthy people." In recent years, Americans have become more willing to discuss mental health and seek professional help for anxiety, depression, and other maladies. But this commendable development has had side effects: self-fulfilling self-diagnoses, social media doom scrolling, and a decline in the feeling of agency. As a result, Americans increasingly believe improving their own lives is beyond their control and look to government for help.

Clay Routledge is a research psychologist and Executive Vice President of the Archbridge Institute. In this episode of Giving Ventures, he breaks down the latest mental health trends, charts a course for improved mental health, and explains the dangers a mentally unwell population poses for freedom.

Ep. 114 - The State of American Philanthropy Jul 28, 2026

Show notes

Americans are known to be the most generous people in the world, giving to charitable causes at rates that far outstrip our peers in other nations. In 2025, giving totaled more than $600 billion. And that number is driven primarily by individuals. At the same time, federal and state-level laws and regulations sometimes disincentivize philanthropy. Attempts to expose the names of anonymous donors, weaponize the IRS against nonprofits for perceived political bias, and add new strictures around giving threaten to undermine America's privately funded civil society. This episode of Giving Ventures explores the latest charitable giving statistics from Giving USA as well as a new report, the Free to Give Index, a recent publication of the Philanthropy Roundtable.

Claudia Cummings serves as senior vice president of public affairs at Philanthropy Roundtable, where her bird's-eye view of the philanthropic landscape gives her a unique perspective to break down the new Giving USA numbers. Matthew Mitchell is a senior fellow at the Fraser Institute and co-author with Jack Salmon of the Free to Give Index, which draws on the methods of Fraser's often-cited Economic Freedom Indices.

Ep. 113 - Bridging Theory and Practice for Long-Run Impact Jul 14, 2026

Show notes

The work of preserving, cultivating, and advancing liberty is a long-term game. Fads come and go, but the principles underlying a free society are fixed. And for decades, one of the shining stars in the constellation of liberty has been the Mercatus Center. Mercatus was founded in 1980 and has grown into a talent cultivator, idea incubator, policy influencer, and all around force for free-market ideas. Its aim is to bridge the gap between ideas and real-world problems while investing in the long-term infrastructure for liberty.

In fact, Mercatus does so much and does it so effectively, the organization can be tricky to pin down in your mind. On this episode of Giving Ventures, Mercatus Center Executive Director Ben Klutsey sits down with Peter to explore the history, vision, and scope of Mercatus.

Ep. 112 - Catalyzing New Opportunities for Your Giving Jul 07, 2026

Show notes

This year, DonorsTrust is expanding our offerings with the launch of our Catalyst Portfolio funds and foundation-level philanthropic services. This episode of Giving Ventures announces these exciting new programs and casts a vision for how they will enable our community to grow and strengthen the liberty movement.

Ep. 111 - Shoring Up the Ethical Foundations of Freedom Jun 23, 2026

Show notes

Many people would say that America was founded on Judeo-Christian principles that ought to bring a set of ethics into our public life. But today's political environment seems to be one where ethics are lacking. This episode of Giving Ventures explores the Ethics and Public Policy Center, a conservative think tank that incorporates the Judeo-Christian cultural aspect into its thinking about public policy. EPPC has been around for 50 years and has remained a prominent voice on the right as American culture and politics has continued to evolve over the past half century. How does EPPC view itself in this moment, given its focus on traditional values and the Judeo Christian principles? Ryan Anderson joins Giving Ventures to discuss that question. Ryan has been president of EPPC for the past five years and before that had a long tenure at the Heritage Foundation.

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