This new directory, a companion volume to Europa’s International Foundation Directory, is a guide to national and international corporations that make charitable donations. “CSR” (corporate social responsibility) and “CCI” (corporate community involvement) are new acronyms in the fast‐developing world of corporate philanthropy. In the first of three introductory essays, Professor Jeremy Moon, of Nottingham University, gives an overview of the subject. Cynics might say that corporate philanthropy is covert advertising, or even guilt‐assuagement, but the case is well made here that large companies have a vested interest in the welfare of the communities they serve. Large companies are also prominent partners with governmental and non‐profit organizations. This latter point features in the second essay by staff members of CAF (Charities Aid Foundation). “Thinking globally, acting locally”, the third essay (by Karina Holly, editor of the bi‐monthly magazine Philanthropy in Europe), gives advice to those who seek corporate funding.
The first directory section of the book contains information on 60 corporate philanthropy centres and co‐ordinating bodies, from Chile’s Acción Empresarial and the USA’s AAFRC Trust for Philanthropy, to the Worldwide Initiatives for Grantmaker Support, and the World Business Council for Sustainable Development. The 375‐page main directory section provides details of some 1,000 corporate funders throughout the world. All the big “players” are here, such as AXA, Zurich Finance, MacDonald’s, Coca‐Cola, Pepsi‐Cola, Procter & Gamble, Bill and Melinda Gates Foundations, Exxon, Shell, etc. Small ones, too, such as Telemor ASA, a state‐owned telecommunications carrier active in Norway, and the Heart Foundation, funded by Mizuho Holdings, Inc., which supports the development of education in rural areas of Japan.
Each entry contains the name of the corporation or organization, postal and e‐mail address, telephone, fax and Web site details, information on their charitable activities and, where appropriate, philanthropic expenditure, restrictions on grants, geographical area of activity, publications, principal staff, and key contact names. There is an alphabetical index by the organization’s names, and indexes of the organizations by country, by main activity (11 categories), and by the geographical area of activity. Layout is clear, with the information well structured, the detail concise, and the book physically robust.
I thought the categorization into a mere 11 areas of activity rather restrictive, and though subject areas targeted are often pretty loosely defined, some users might struggle to get the best out of the book. But it is an important addition to our arsenal of information on getting money, and that is always worth having! The price, though, is hardly philanthropic!
