Nielsen Chair in Philanthropy

In 2000, the Center received a $3.5 million challenge grant from the Ewing Marion Kauffman Foundation to establish the Waldemar A. Nielsen Chair in Philanthropy. The Chair honors Waldemar A. Nielsen, a former Rhodes scholar and foreign affairs writer for The New Yorker and Harper’s. Nielsen was involved in the design and implementation of the Marshall Plan, served on the staff of the Ford Foundation, and later led the African American Institute. He is perhaps most well known for his pioneering study of philanthropy that resulted in The Big Foundations (1972) and The Golden Doors (1985). His central contribution as a historian and critic of the field was to call philanthropy, especially private foundations, to a higher level of accountability.

The Nielsen Endowment supports a rotating visiting practitioner at the Center who contributes to the Georgetown community as a thought-leader, convener, and mentor for students on the critical issues facing the field of philanthropy. Learn more about the fellowship and how to apply here.

Current and past Fellows and Chairs are:

The Endowment also supports graduate students fellowships. The Fellows are chosen from McCourt School of Public Policy graduate students and provide ongoing research support in the areas of public policy, philanthropy, and nonprofit leadership. Click here for more information.