Stanford Center on Philanthropy and Civil Society
Scholars. Practitioners. Leaders.
The Stanford Center on Philanthropy and Civil Society (PACS) is a global interdisciplinary research center and publisher of the Stanford Social Innovation Review (SSIR). Stanford PACS develops and shares knowledge to improve philanthropy, strengthen civil society, and address societal challenges. By creating a shared space for scholars, students, and practitioners, Stanford PACS informs policy and social innovation, philanthropic investment, and nonprofit practice.
Give to the Stanford PACS
Consider making a donation to support Stanford PACS in its mission towards a more robust and integrated civil society creating positive social change.
Throughout PACS’ seventeen-year history, our research and programs have sought to examine, critique and address both entrenched and emerging issues influencing and defining philanthropy and civil society, and increasingly, democracy. Every donation, large or small, provides vital support to our continued operations towards expanding the body of research, increasing the pipeline of scholars, practitioners, & leaders, and informing practice and action on pressing Issues.
Thank you for making a gift online today and supporting the future of PACS and a thriving civil society.
Our Work
Events
Civil Society and Sustainability Conference
Civil society actors are central to achieving sustainable development. Nonprofits and activists, for example, influence public policy, corporate practices, and...
May 25 - 26th, 2023
Stanford University campus
Transit Talks at Villanova University
The Waterhouse Family Institute Transit Talks is the marquis collaborative lecture series with Temple University, bringing visiting scholars and game...
April 20th, 2023
Villanova University, Driscoll Hall 134
Computing the News: Data Journalism and the Search for Objectivity
April 17th, 2023
McClatchy Hall, Room 101A
News
Spring 2024 Small Grants Recipients
Anaïs Voşk is a quadrilingual PhD student in Environment & Resources (E-IPER) at Stanford University. Building on her prior work...
Read MoreStanford PACS 2022: A Special Progress Report
2022 was a momentous year for Stanford PACS. Like many other organizations in our ecosystem, we were fine tuning a...
Read MoreStanford Social Innovation Review
Recent Publications
Philanthropy and Digital Civil Society: Blueprint 2023
The Annual Industry Forecast by Lucy Bernholz
Guide to Effective Philanthropy
By Paul Brest
Global Determinants of Education Reform, 1960-2017
Patricia Bromley, Jared Furuta, Rie Kijima, Lisa Overbey, Minju Choi & Heitor Santos
Stanford University & University of Toronto
Toward a Better Understanding of Social Origins Theory: A Historical Narrative of Vienna’s Civil Society Organizations
by Florentine Maier, Michael Meyer, and Berta Terzieva
Announcing: Australian Edition of the Toolkit
The Australian Toolkit
EPLI has partnered with Perpetual Asset Management Australia to create an Australian version of the Toolkit available for free online here.
Alternative Organizing with Social Purpose: Revisiting Institutional Analysis of Market-Based Activity
Mair, J., & Rathert, N. 2021. Socio-Economic Review. Online First: DOI: 10.1093/ser/mwz031.
The Virus And The Vote: Administering the 2020 Election In A Pandemic
A Compendium of Research from the Stanford-MIT Healthy Elections Project
The Rule of Law in the Real World
Paul Gowder
Money Well Spent: A Strategic Guide for Smart Philanthropy, Second Edition (2018)
Paul Brest and Hal Harvey
Serve or Conserve: Mission, Strategy, and Multi-Level Nonprofit Change During the Great Recession
Aaron Horvath, Christof Brandtner, and Walter W. Powell
Universal Basic Income: Safety Net 2.0
By Juliana Bidadanure
Our Community
Stanford PACS is committed to providing an online environment that is accessible to everyone, including individuals with disabilities. We are working on updating our digital communications platforms to be inclusive. If you cannot access content or use features on our website due to a disability, please contact us so we can accommodate your request.