BREAKOUT III:
Wielding Influence: Foundations, Policy, and Democracy

Many of the greatest philanthropic successes involve policy influence. Yet an increasing number of observers and critics have raised questions about whether foundations are having undue influence on policy in ways that could undermine democratic institutions or drown out the voices of those served by those institutions. Nowhere has that debate raged more intensely in recent years than in education, and this panel will explore the tensions and lessons learned – and how they might apply across areas of programmatic focus for foundations.