Community foundations and new governance networks: three studies exploring the role of regionally-networked philanthropic organizations in local problem-solving

UnrestrictedThis collection of three studies presents conclusions that impact the way research is conducted on local problem-solving. The broad goals of the research aim to explore changing leadership structures at the local level as a result of the transition to new governance arrangements. A reduced public sector role in local governance has left a leadership void in many communities. Local community development efforts have been realigned from a vertically-directed structure to a networked system dependent on collaboration amongst cross-sectoral participants. The search continues within these networked structures for an organization or leader to facilitate collaborative initiatives.; Community foundations are presented as one potential solution to the leadership question. These regionally-networked philanthropic organizations are posited to have strategic advantages over the public sector and other private sector service providers as a result of their position in the community. The three studies presented are designed to explore this proposition through a progression of research questions that look at the institutional variables that impact an organization's ability to adopt a community leadership strategy, the internal and external determinants of strategic choice within community foundations, and a set of new hypotheses that may guide future research attempting to demonstrate evidence of grantmaking and nongrantmaking responsiveness to the community.; Results suggest that the public sector is limited by a set of institutional constraints. These constraints are less likely to be observed in community foundations. Evidence of community foundation leadership is mixed. Examples of community leadership demonstrate the potential for a significant facilitating role, while the data show that there is not universal adoption of community leadership as a goal. Determinants of these decisions include the age of the foundations, stability of the community served, and competition from other philanthropic service providers. New approaches to measurement of responsiveness must be developed to inform future research on the impact of community leadership