Delusional Altruism

Introduction

I'd like to introduce you to three philanthropists. Just like you, they want to change the world (or their corner of it). They also share an additional characteristic—let's see if you can spot it.

The Kenya Community Development Foundation Wants to Change the World

A group of Kenyan nonprofit professionals started this community foundation with one aim: shift power to communities. They understood transformational change is possible only when communities can take charge and find their own solutions for development.

So they created a different model for community philanthropy.

Their foundation supports poor and marginalized communities to uplift themselves through their own efforts. It invests in community-led initiatives to meet priority needs. It develops grassroots leadership, builds the capacity of local institutions, and changes policies to ultimately lead to durable, lasting development.

They do this by bringing together a range of local and global donors: philanthropists with considerable wealth; middle-class Kenyans; community residents; and funders such as the Ford Foundation, Wilde Ganzen Foundation, and Comic Relief, among others. Collectively they've allocated more than $22M U.S. to community-led development projects that have benefited more than 2.2 million people.

What does that mean? It means a community dispensary that brings treatment to people's doorsteps, educational access for students threatened by wildlife on their way to school, and renewable ...