Time for the rich to spend it all: A Hurricane Katrina lesson

Dealing with the intertwined problems of race and poverty in the United States, once and for all--and in its myriad manifestations--is too difficult a challenge for any single grant maker to take on, but workingtogether, and putting all their resources into the effort, the nation's wealthiest foundations now have the greatest opportunity they have ever had to right what is wrong in America.

This is an excerpt from a piece I wrote, after Hurricane Katrina, calling on the large foundations to spend-down and spend-out in order to eradicate poverty.

My recommendations are still mighty current. If anything, they have more even more currency today, given the current state of our economy.

The full piece is here, and has also been published in OnEarth Magazine, the online and print journal of the Natural Resources Defense Council.

Time to mobilize!

Rebecca Sive began her career as a community organizer in Chicago. Now a nationally recognized expert on issues affecting women and girls, Rebecca combines grassroots knowledge and boardroom expertise. www.rebeccasive.com