Longtime philanthropy professional, scholar, analyst, and editor recognized as among most-influential figures in American grantmaking.
The Giving Review co-editor William A. Schambra was named earlier today to the 2026 TIME100 Philanthropy list.
Schambra “knows his perspectives on philanthropy are at odds with a lot of people in the sector,” according to TIME’s Nandita Raghuram. “Schambra calls himself a localist conservative, meaning he believes local communities know best how to address their own problems, ‘and there’s plenty of criticism for the left and for the establishment right from that position,’ he says.”
Schambra is “one of the most prominent right-leaning critics of the sector,” Raghuram writes. “But his critiques of ideological elitism in large foundations have attracted interest from across the political spectrum ….
“Schambra has long argued that the sector, particularly progressive philanthropy, overinvests in expert-driven, ideological strategies meant to address the root causes of problems,” she continues, “but ‘under invests in the people who are trying simply to solve the problem as they experience them.’
“The right isn’t immune to Schambra’s critiques, either.”
Schambra is also a senior fellow emeritus at the Hudson Institute in Washington, D.C. He directed Hudson’s Bradley Center for Philanthropy and Civic Renewal from 2003 to 2014. Prior to joining Hudson in ’03, he was director of programs at The Lynde and Harry Bradley Foundation in Milwaukee. At Bradley, among other things, he spearheaded creation in 1997 of the National Commission on Philanthropy and Civic Renewal.
Before joining Bradley in 1992, Schambra was a senior advisor to and speechwriter for U.S. Attorney General Edwin Meese III, U.S. Office of Personnel Management Director Constance Horner, and U.S. Secretary of Health and Human Services Louis Sullivan. He was director of social-policy programs at the American Enterprise Institute (AEI) and co-director of AEI’s “A Decade of Study of the Constitution.”
Schambra has written extensively on the Constitution, the theory and practice of civic revitalization, and philanthropy. He has edited several books, including As Far as Republican Principles Will Admit: Collected Essays of Martin Diamond.
