Stanford PACS
@stanfordpacs.bsky.social
Engaging scholars, practitioners, and leaders to improve philanthropy and strengthen civil society. Publisher of @ssir.org. Repost ≠ endorsement.
pacscenter.stanford.edu
pacscenter.stanford.edu
Reposted by Stanford PACS
Thank you to @myra.bsky.social for her recent insightful presentation on how sycophantic AI can reduce people’s willingness to take responsibility and repair interpersonal conflicts! @robbwiller.bsky.social
November 26, 2025 at 10:28 PM
Thank you to @myra.bsky.social for her recent insightful presentation on how sycophantic AI can reduce people’s willingness to take responsibility and repair interpersonal conflicts! @robbwiller.bsky.social
We are thrilled to announce the launch of our new Faculty Affiliates program!
Our 2025-26 cohort brings together more than 30 affiliated faculty members, representing disciplines from all 7 schools across campus, who are leading research related to #philanthropy, #CivilSociety or #SocialInnovation.
Our 2025-26 cohort brings together more than 30 affiliated faculty members, representing disciplines from all 7 schools across campus, who are leading research related to #philanthropy, #CivilSociety or #SocialInnovation.
Faculty and Lecturer Affiliates - Stanford PACS
Stanford PACS hosts more than 30 affiliated faculty and lecturers—representing disciplines from all seven schools across campus—who conduct research and teaching on philanthropy, civil society, nonpro...
stanford.io
November 26, 2025 at 6:57 PM
We are thrilled to announce the launch of our new Faculty Affiliates program!
Our 2025-26 cohort brings together more than 30 affiliated faculty members, representing disciplines from all 7 schools across campus, who are leading research related to #philanthropy, #CivilSociety or #SocialInnovation.
Our 2025-26 cohort brings together more than 30 affiliated faculty members, representing disciplines from all 7 schools across campus, who are leading research related to #philanthropy, #CivilSociety or #SocialInnovation.
Reposted by Stanford PACS
"A good mission statement performs a similar function to the role the US Constitution plays (on a good day) for the American government: It helps to keep an organization grounded and offers an important reference point for resolving conflicts about vision and direction."
The Seduction of Nonprofit Mission Creep (SSIR)
An excerpt from The Nonprofit Crisis on why nonprofits should resist the lure to extend their reach
ssir.org
November 25, 2025 at 3:48 PM
"A good mission statement performs a similar function to the role the US Constitution plays (on a good day) for the American government: It helps to keep an organization grounded and offers an important reference point for resolving conflicts about vision and direction."
Reposted by Stanford PACS
Thank you to Kasey Rhee for an exciting recent presentation on her work analyzing how party registration has shifted across demographic groups using an unprecedented dataset of six billion voter records! @robbwiller.bsky.social
November 25, 2025 at 12:08 AM
Thank you to Kasey Rhee for an exciting recent presentation on her work analyzing how party registration has shifted across demographic groups using an unprecedented dataset of six billion voter records! @robbwiller.bsky.social
Reposted by Stanford PACS
Today, I have an article in @SSIR.org on lessons from our first decade, including:
(1) The importance of choosing causes
(2) Field-building pays off hugely
(3) Great philanthropy is possible anywhere on the risk spectrum
(4) Balancing maximization and moderation is hard
🧵
ssir.org/articles/en...
(1) The importance of choosing causes
(2) Field-building pays off hugely
(3) Great philanthropy is possible anywhere on the risk spectrum
(4) Balancing maximization and moderation is hard
🧵
ssir.org/articles/en...
November 24, 2025 at 4:49 PM
Today, I have an article in @SSIR.org on lessons from our first decade, including:
(1) The importance of choosing causes
(2) Field-building pays off hugely
(3) Great philanthropy is possible anywhere on the risk spectrum
(4) Balancing maximization and moderation is hard
🧵
ssir.org/articles/en...
(1) The importance of choosing causes
(2) Field-building pays off hugely
(3) Great philanthropy is possible anywhere on the risk spectrum
(4) Balancing maximization and moderation is hard
🧵
ssir.org/articles/en...
Reposted by Stanford PACS
Where exactly are we in terms of civil liberties in the United States?
We spoke with the leaders of the @aclu.org, who went deep on their battles with the Trump administration, how they are prioritizing issues, the Supreme Court, and implications for civil society.
We spoke with the leaders of the @aclu.org, who went deep on their battles with the Trump administration, how they are prioritizing issues, the Supreme Court, and implications for civil society.
ACLU v. Trump (SSIR)
The American Civil Liberties Union is leading the fight in the United States against the Trump administration's executive overreach. We asked them for a status update.
ssir.org
November 17, 2025 at 4:55 PM
Where exactly are we in terms of civil liberties in the United States?
We spoke with the leaders of the @aclu.org, who went deep on their battles with the Trump administration, how they are prioritizing issues, the Supreme Court, and implications for civil society.
We spoke with the leaders of the @aclu.org, who went deep on their battles with the Trump administration, how they are prioritizing issues, the Supreme Court, and implications for civil society.
Reposted by Stanford PACS
Had the pleasure of returning to @hiddenbrain.bsky.social for a follow-up convo with Shankar Vendantam (I’m on in the second half!). I answer questions about how to talk across divides, what to do with people who seem awful, and when to walk away. Check it out 👇
www.hiddenbrain.org/podcast/why-...
www.hiddenbrain.org/podcast/why-...
Why Following Your Dreams Isn't Enough - Hidden Brain Media
Entrepreneurs typically have no shortage of passion. But there are other elements that may matter more when it comes to whether their projects succeed.
www.hiddenbrain.org
November 17, 2025 at 7:34 PM
Had the pleasure of returning to @hiddenbrain.bsky.social for a follow-up convo with Shankar Vendantam (I’m on in the second half!). I answer questions about how to talk across divides, what to do with people who seem awful, and when to walk away. Check it out 👇
www.hiddenbrain.org/podcast/why-...
www.hiddenbrain.org/podcast/why-...
To mark this year's #NationalPhilanthropyDay, Kathryn Zekus of Next Legacy shares insights from leading members of the Next Legacy and Stanford PACS communities on how funders can use their time, talent, treasure, and ties to uplift local #nonprofits and strengthen communities.
Community Makes All the Difference: Reflections on National Philanthropy Day - Stanford PACS
National Philanthropy Day is a time to honor the ways we give our time, talent, treasure, and ties. As we celebrate together today, we’re reminded of the power of community in advancing social impact....
stanford.io
November 15, 2025 at 4:11 PM
To mark this year's #NationalPhilanthropyDay, Kathryn Zekus of Next Legacy shares insights from leading members of the Next Legacy and Stanford PACS communities on how funders can use their time, talent, treasure, and ties to uplift local #nonprofits and strengthen communities.
Join us TODAY at 5PM PT!
📌 Take That for Data: Decoding Identity, Sport, and Technology
Join us on November 12 for a lecture and Q&A with Dr. Courtney M. Cox (@courtmcox.bsky.social) of the University of Oregon, as our Technology, Culture, and Power Speaker Series continues!
🔗 events.stanford.edu/event/techno...
Join us on November 12 for a lecture and Q&A with Dr. Courtney M. Cox (@courtmcox.bsky.social) of the University of Oregon, as our Technology, Culture, and Power Speaker Series continues!
🔗 events.stanford.edu/event/techno...
November 12, 2025 at 4:50 PM
Join us TODAY at 5PM PT!
Reposted by Stanford PACS
Thank you to @joshcjackson.bsky.social and Dan Medvedev for a fascinating recent lab presentation on how attitudes toward the rich vary globally! Innovative methods and fascinating findings, all around. @robbwiller.bsky.social
November 11, 2025 at 10:19 PM
Thank you to @joshcjackson.bsky.social and Dan Medvedev for a fascinating recent lab presentation on how attitudes toward the rich vary globally! Innovative methods and fascinating findings, all around. @robbwiller.bsky.social
Reposted by Stanford PACS
A new excerpt of my new book on adapting to climate change, Sink or Swim, is now up on @ssir.org celebrating the North American launch this week!
@bloomsburybooksus.bsky.social
ssir.org/books/excerp...
@bloomsburybooksus.bsky.social
ssir.org/books/excerp...
Locked In (SSIR)
An excerpt from Sink or Swim on adapting to the climate change we can't prevent
ssir.org
November 6, 2025 at 11:28 AM
A new excerpt of my new book on adapting to climate change, Sink or Swim, is now up on @ssir.org celebrating the North American launch this week!
@bloomsburybooksus.bsky.social
ssir.org/books/excerp...
@bloomsburybooksus.bsky.social
ssir.org/books/excerp...
Reposted by Stanford PACS
"As a city leader, I care about people in my community who are experiencing homelessness, but I’m frustrated that we keep being told the only solution is putting more money into the same system. We need to be able to show that this spending works or we will lose residents’ trust."
Could We Radically Redesign Homelessness Services Around Outcomes? (SSIR)
Why the current system is broken and what local governments, nonprofits, and philanthropists could do to change it.
ssir.org
November 3, 2025 at 4:24 PM
"As a city leader, I care about people in my community who are experiencing homelessness, but I’m frustrated that we keep being told the only solution is putting more money into the same system. We need to be able to show that this spending works or we will lose residents’ trust."
Stanford PACS Faculty Co-Director Patricia Bromley joined the Stanford Initiative on Business and Environmental Sustainability podcast to discuss this year’s Civil Society and Sustainability Conference, hosted at Stanford in March.
Listen to the conversation ⤵️
#CivilSociety #Sustainability
Listen to the conversation ⤵️
#CivilSociety #Sustainability
Ep. 36, Civil Society and Sustainability Conference
YouTube video by Stanford Graduate School of Business
www.youtube.com
November 3, 2025 at 4:39 PM
Stanford PACS Faculty Co-Director Patricia Bromley joined the Stanford Initiative on Business and Environmental Sustainability podcast to discuss this year’s Civil Society and Sustainability Conference, hosted at Stanford in March.
Listen to the conversation ⤵️
#CivilSociety #Sustainability
Listen to the conversation ⤵️
#CivilSociety #Sustainability
Reposted by Stanford PACS
In 2018, a group of funders established Farmed Animal Funders to accelerate progress toward a more humane, sustainable food system.
It offers a case study for philanthropists and advocates working on other new, underfunded causes on how to coordinate effectively to create wide-ranging impact.
It offers a case study for philanthropists and advocates working on other new, underfunded causes on how to coordinate effectively to create wide-ranging impact.
Building Donor Communities for New or Underfunded Issues (SSIR)
Five ways to engage philanthropists and advocates in early-stage or overlooked causes, such as intensive animal agriculture, that have outsized potential for impact.
ssir.org
October 29, 2025 at 8:24 PM
In 2018, a group of funders established Farmed Animal Funders to accelerate progress toward a more humane, sustainable food system.
It offers a case study for philanthropists and advocates working on other new, underfunded causes on how to coordinate effectively to create wide-ranging impact.
It offers a case study for philanthropists and advocates working on other new, underfunded causes on how to coordinate effectively to create wide-ranging impact.
Reposted by Stanford PACS
"Women’s generative AI hesitancy is rooted in rationality, not hysteria. It is not risk aversion. It is risk awareness."
The AI Gender Gap Paradox (SSIR)
A case for fierce ambivalence
ssir.org
October 27, 2025 at 4:52 PM
"Women’s generative AI hesitancy is rooted in rationality, not hysteria. It is not risk aversion. It is risk awareness."
Since 2010, @johannamair.bsky.social has served as @ssir.org’s academic editor. As she prepares to take on a new role as the director of @eui-stg.bsky.social, she sat down with the team to reflect on her time at #SSIR, the evolution of the field of #SocialInnovation, and what’s next.
Celebrating Johanna Mair at SSIR (SSIR)
A Q&A about her 15-year tenure as SSIR's academic editor and how the field of social innovation is changing.
ssir.org
October 27, 2025 at 4:19 PM
Since 2010, @johannamair.bsky.social has served as @ssir.org’s academic editor. As she prepares to take on a new role as the director of @eui-stg.bsky.social, she sat down with the team to reflect on her time at #SSIR, the evolution of the field of #SocialInnovation, and what’s next.
Following our Beyond the Summit Salon on Strengthening Democracy, Stanford PACS Advisory Board Chair Jeff Raikes and Executive Director Priya Shanker share their takeaways on the unique role of #philanthropy in advancing a shared vision for a #democracy that protects the rights of all people.
Beyond the Summit: Reimagining Democracy - Stanford PACS
Last month Stanford PACS convened over 70 leading philanthropists, leaders, and scholars, to reimagine the structures, systems, and norms that govern US democracy. The day was rich with reflections on...
stanford.io
October 24, 2025 at 6:12 PM
Following our Beyond the Summit Salon on Strengthening Democracy, Stanford PACS Advisory Board Chair Jeff Raikes and Executive Director Priya Shanker share their takeaways on the unique role of #philanthropy in advancing a shared vision for a #democracy that protects the rights of all people.
Reposted by Stanford PACS
"For years, I overextended myself in the name of purpose. I felt an unspoken pressure to keep going no matter the cost, to hold everything together because the stakes felt so high..."
An excerpt from The Future Is Collective by Niloufar Khonsari, with a new, original introduction from the author:
An excerpt from The Future Is Collective by Niloufar Khonsari, with a new, original introduction from the author:
Boundaries as an Act of Collective Care (SSIR)
An excerpt from The Future is Collective on embedding care into how we work
ssir.org
October 22, 2025 at 6:22 PM
"For years, I overextended myself in the name of purpose. I felt an unspoken pressure to keep going no matter the cost, to hold everything together because the stakes felt so high..."
An excerpt from The Future Is Collective by Niloufar Khonsari, with a new, original introduction from the author:
An excerpt from The Future Is Collective by Niloufar Khonsari, with a new, original introduction from the author:
Reposted by Stanford PACS
"I’ve been here before, having spent decades watching development institutions try and fail to catch up with tech.
As the same story unfolds, this time, we have to rewrite the script: AI offers a path to do more with less, if we invest in the infrastructure that will make it work for everyone."
As the same story unfolds, this time, we have to rewrite the script: AI offers a path to do more with less, if we invest in the infrastructure that will make it work for everyone."
Rails, Not Rockstars (SSIR)
The Global South's AI revolution is here, if we bypass the hype and fund the infrastructure that will enable it.
ssir.org
October 20, 2025 at 10:09 PM
"I’ve been here before, having spent decades watching development institutions try and fail to catch up with tech.
As the same story unfolds, this time, we have to rewrite the script: AI offers a path to do more with less, if we invest in the infrastructure that will make it work for everyone."
As the same story unfolds, this time, we have to rewrite the script: AI offers a path to do more with less, if we invest in the infrastructure that will make it work for everyone."
📌 Take That for Data: Decoding Identity, Sport, and Technology
Join us on November 12 for a lecture and Q&A with Dr. Courtney M. Cox (@courtmcox.bsky.social) of the University of Oregon, as our Technology, Culture, and Power Speaker Series continues!
🔗 events.stanford.edu/event/techno...
Join us on November 12 for a lecture and Q&A with Dr. Courtney M. Cox (@courtmcox.bsky.social) of the University of Oregon, as our Technology, Culture, and Power Speaker Series continues!
🔗 events.stanford.edu/event/techno...
October 20, 2025 at 7:11 PM
📌 Take That for Data: Decoding Identity, Sport, and Technology
Join us on November 12 for a lecture and Q&A with Dr. Courtney M. Cox (@courtmcox.bsky.social) of the University of Oregon, as our Technology, Culture, and Power Speaker Series continues!
🔗 events.stanford.edu/event/techno...
Join us on November 12 for a lecture and Q&A with Dr. Courtney M. Cox (@courtmcox.bsky.social) of the University of Oregon, as our Technology, Culture, and Power Speaker Series continues!
🔗 events.stanford.edu/event/techno...
Reposted by Stanford PACS
"Whether rooted in science or metaphysics, people throughout history have often held a belief that hidden patterns beneath everyday life set the world’s course, and that revealing those patterns can unlock flourishing and prosperity."
The Impossibility of Automating Economic Flourishing (SSIR)
In contrast to the worldview shaping the AI era, the true value of an innovative economy lies not just in its outputs, but in the lived human experience of creating the new.
ssir.org
October 20, 2025 at 2:14 PM
"Whether rooted in science or metaphysics, people throughout history have often held a belief that hidden patterns beneath everyday life set the world’s course, and that revealing those patterns can unlock flourishing and prosperity."
On this International Day for the Eradication of Poverty, Ajay Piramal details the Piramal Foundation’s efforts to partner with government and civil society to not only #EndPoverty but prepare for what comes after: ensuring that people can flourish with #dignity and #agency.
Shifting the Poverty Paradigm: Piramal Foundation - Stanford PACS
A Journey of Purpose Eighteen years ago, I began the journey of building the Piramal Foundation with a simple belief: if we can instill compassion and empathy in rigid systems, especially among govern...
stanford.io
October 17, 2025 at 10:15 PM
On this International Day for the Eradication of Poverty, Ajay Piramal details the Piramal Foundation’s efforts to partner with government and civil society to not only #EndPoverty but prepare for what comes after: ensuring that people can flourish with #dignity and #agency.
Congratulations to Johanna Mair (@johannamair.bsky.social), who has been awarded a 2025 Progress Medal from the Society of Progress for her groundbreaking research on social entrepreneurship! 🎉
October 17, 2025 at 5:31 PM
Congratulations to Johanna Mair (@johannamair.bsky.social), who has been awarded a 2025 Progress Medal from the Society of Progress for her groundbreaking research on social entrepreneurship! 🎉
Reposted by Stanford PACS
Millions use #GenerativeAI chatbots for emotional support, yet little research re: whether AI dialogues can improve psychological well-being
We test whether brief, structured dialogues grounded in psych research can reliably help
WP👉 osf.io/preprints/ps...
We test whether brief, structured dialogues grounded in psych research can reliably help
WP👉 osf.io/preprints/ps...
October 7, 2025 at 6:57 PM
Millions use #GenerativeAI chatbots for emotional support, yet little research re: whether AI dialogues can improve psychological well-being
We test whether brief, structured dialogues grounded in psych research can reliably help
WP👉 osf.io/preprints/ps...
We test whether brief, structured dialogues grounded in psych research can reliably help
WP👉 osf.io/preprints/ps...
Congratulations to @johannamair.bsky.social, who has been appointed as the new director of the Florence School of Transnational Governance (@eui-stg.bsky.social) at the European University Institute (@eui-eu.bsky.social)!
Professor Johanna Mair appointed as new Director of the Florence STG
As of 1 December 2025, Professor Johanna Mair will join the EUI as the new Director of the Florence School of Transnational Governance STG at the European Uni
bit.ly
October 6, 2025 at 4:13 PM
Congratulations to @johannamair.bsky.social, who has been appointed as the new director of the Florence School of Transnational Governance (@eui-stg.bsky.social) at the European University Institute (@eui-eu.bsky.social)!