Facilitation of JACO's Study Mission on American Philanthropy

April 6–14, 2002
Washington DC.; Williamsburg, Pennsylvania; New York, New York

On April 6–14, 2002, JCIE helped organized a study mission to the United States that was sponsored by the Japan Association of Charitable Organizations (JACO), an organization established in 1972 to promote philanthropic activities in Japan. The delegation, comprising 16 executives from various Japanese grantmaking organizations, was formed to study effective means of promoting internal governance, accountability, and transparency in Japanese foundations, particularly those classified as “public interest corporations.”

The participants visited ten organizations in Washington DC.; Williamsburg, Virginia; and New York City, to learn about their operations, recent developments in the U.S. nonprofit sector concerning governance issues, internal governance, and organizational effectiveness, and the social and legal frameworks affecting the governance of private philanthropy in the United States. These organizations included foundations such as the Colonial Williamsburg Foundation, the Ford Foundation, and the New York Community Trust; watchdog and evaluation institutions such as the BBB Wise Giving Alliance and OMB Watch; research centers and organizations disseminating information on the nonprofit sector such as GuideStar and the National Center for Charitable Statistics; and organizations engaged in consulting or advocacy in regards to nonprofit governance issues such as BoardSource, the Council on Foundations, and the Peter F. Drucker Foundation.