A Research Chair

The ESSEC Philanthropy Chair is a Research Chair dedicated to understanding philanthropy and enhancing its impact. Philanthropy can be defined as all forms of private funding for public purposes, especially donations from individuals, companies, and foundations. It represents a growing source of funding for nonprofit and public organizations, and its influence is on the rise in most countries around the world. The Chair is interested in new ways of funding social innovation, such as impact investing and crowdfunding. Through academic research, dissemination and training, the Chair combines academic rigor and practical relevance to produce and disseminate new knowledge on philanthropy, mainly in France and in Europe. In particular, the Chair aims at:

• Developing knowledge on European philanthropy(ies)' specificities

• Helping philanthropic actors to improve the way they take management issues into account (strategy, governance, asset management)

• Building up philanthropic actors' capacities in assessing their actions' impact

• Offering quality teaching material on philanthropy (courses at ESSEC, executive education, teaching cases)