Social Justice, Liberalism and Philanthropy in the UK

This paper examines how charitable and community foundations as normative institutions relate to issues of social justice, legitimacy and accountability. We will argue that grant-making foundations use their resources to support basic liberties and to assist the most disadvantaged groups in society, pursuing a liberal conception of social justice and equality. But there are some tensions and limitations, partly arising from their historical legacy, internal features and structural positions within the polity. Foundations tend to have UK-focused mission statements, operate with minimal accountability, have parasitic endowment and sources of philanthropic donations, have privileged and conservative trustees, and face pressure from the right-wing media. To achieve a Rawlsian liberal form of social justice, foundations have to change their institutional practices and routines, aiming for justice and a socialised and democratic production system, rather than regulating economic and social inequalities.

The paper draws upon an ESRC-funded investigation into philanthropy that involved 34 semi-structured interviews with executive directors or senior project managers of charitable and community foundations and grant-makers. Each interview lasted on average 1.5 hours, divided into two parts: the first part asked the interviewees to describe the history of their organisations, and to outline their current strategic themes and priorities; and in the second part, they explained the use or the lack of the concept 'social justice' in their organisation. In addition, further interviews were conducted with sixteen participants from the first round either via Skype or emails to collect extra information.