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W E L C O M E

 

This site brings together the papers of Robert L. Payton, one of the people most deeply involved in the practice and study of philanthropy over the past several decades.

Payton was one of the founders of the Center on Philanthropy at Indiana University.  He was also one of those involved in establishing the field of Philanthropic Studies.  The site therefore contains documents actually used in conceptualizing, organizing, and seeking funds for the Center and for some of Payton's other work in philanthropy. 

The record is still open:  as this site is being established Payton is still active and new material is being added on a fairly frequent basismaterial that will not be published elsewhere..

Robert Payton thought in this manner...

Francis Bacon once wrote a short essay for his sons entitled "The Clue to the Maze" that began, "Francis Bacon thought in this manner..."  He spoke of himself in the third person and he tried to distill his philosophy into a few pages.

An introduction to the subjects is available in the entry "Major Challenges to Philanthropy."  The paper was commissioned by Independent Sector as the discussion paper for its annual conference in 1984.  The essay was later published with a number of other essays in Payton's principal book, Philanthropy:  Voluntary Action for the Public Good.  The book is now out of print, but is available on this site.

PaytonPapers.org is about Payton's written work, both published and unpublished.  A second site is under development named Philanthropics.org.  That site is about Payton's teaching, the core of which is a year-long seminar on "The Philanthropic Tradition" offered over the past decade for the Jane Addams - Andrew Carnegie Fellows.

These two new sites link to the sites of the Center on Philanthropy, the Joseph and Matthew Payton Philanthropic Studies Library, the Ruth Lilly Philanthropy Archive, and the School of Liberal Arts of Indiana University at Indianapolis.

Appreciations

 
PaytonPapers.org would like to thank the following for generous support and  assistance:
 

The Ahmanson Foundation

Anonymous Donor

Dr. Eugene Tempel

Center on Philanthropy
 

Dr. Kenneth Gladish

YMCA of the USA

Ralph Nader & Staff

Essential Information

Featured Essay

Open Letter on Philanthropic Values

"Over the years I’ve talked about philanthropy as being “moral at its core.”  I like the distinction H. W. Fowler made between “morals” as being about behavior, and “ethics” as being thought about that behavior..."   more >>

Other New Essays
 
   

 

This coin is the symbol of the Payton family and the Joseph and Matthew Payton Philanthropic Studies Library named after the sons of Pauline and Robert Payton.
 

 



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