Hauser Institute for Civil Society

Hauser Institute for Civil Society
Name	Hauser Institute for Civil Society
Formation	1997
Founder	Rita E. Hauser
Location	Cambridge, Massachusetts
Parent organization	Harvard Kennedy School

Contents

Hauser Institute for Civil Society The Hauser Institute for Civil Society is a research center affiliated with the Harvard Kennedy School that focuses on advancing knowledge about nonprofit organizations, philanthropy, and social innovation. The institute convenes scholars, practitioners, and policymakers from institutions such as Harvard University, Stanford University, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Yale University, and University of Chicago to study civil society dynamics. It works alongside foundations like the Ford Foundation, Gordon and Betty Moore Foundation, Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, Carnegie Corporation of New York, and Rockefeller Foundation to translate research into practice.

History

The institute was established in 1997 with support from Rita E. Hauser and collaborations among scholars associated with Harvard University, Kennedy School of Government, John F. Kennedy School of Government, Lincoln Center for the Performing Arts, Aspen Institute, and Brookings Institution. Early work involved partnerships with nonprofit leaders from United Way, Red Cross, Caritas Internationalis, Habitat for Humanity, and Médecins Sans Frontières. Over time the Hauser Institute engaged networks such as Independent Sector, Council on Foundations, National Council of Nonprofits, Association of Charitable Foundations, and Philanthropy Australia to extend comparative studies across regions including North America, Europe, Africa, Asia, and Latin America.

The institute's mission emphasizes strengthening institutions like nonprofit organizations, philanthropic foundations, community development corporations, social enterprises, and advocacy groups by combining empirical research with practitioner tools. Activities include convenings with leaders from Ford Foundation, Annie E. Casey Foundation, William and Flora Hewlett Foundation, Open Society Foundations, and W.K. Kellogg Foundation, training programs in partnership with United Nations Development Programme, World Bank, Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development, European Commission, and policy dialogues involving White House officials, members of United States Congress, ambassadors from United Kingdom, France, Germany, and ministers from Canada and Australia.

Signature initiatives have examined topics such as philanthropic strategy with input from Andrew Carnegie legacy organizations, nonprofit leadership with alumni from Harvard Business School and London School of Economics, and social entrepreneurship linked to networks including Ashoka, Skoll Foundation, Schwab Foundation for Social Entrepreneurship, and Echoing Green. The Hauser-led projects produced capacity-building curricula used by organizations like Teach For America, City Year, Big Brothers Big Sisters, Doctors Without Borders, and Conservation International. Collaborative initiatives addressed civic engagement through links to AmeriCorps, Sierra Club, Greenpeace, Human Rights Watch, and Amnesty International.

Scholarly output draws on comparative methods used by researchers at Harvard Business School, Princeton University, Columbia University, Yale Law School, and Stanford Law School and has been disseminated through venues such as Harvard Business Review, The Chronicle of Philanthropy, Nonprofit Quarterly, Stanford Social Innovation Review, and academic journals connected to American Political Science Association, Association for Public Policy Analysis and Management, and International Journal of Voluntary and Nonprofit Organizations. Publications covered topics including governance studied by scholars connected to Peter Drucker legacies, evaluation methodologies used by Michael Porter, philanthropic history referencing Andrew Carnegie and John D. Rockefeller, and comparative sectoral analyses involving NGOs active in Somalia, Haiti, and Rwanda.

Leadership has included faculty chairs and directors drawn from Harvard Kennedy School, Harvard Law School, Harvard Business School, and affiliates from Brandeis University and Tufts University. Administrative governance involved boards and advisory councils with representatives from Rita Hauser, executives from Ford Foundation, Carnegie Corporation of New York, Gates Foundation, and thought leaders from Council on Foundations, Independent Sector, and National Philanthropic Trust. Staff collaborations extended to program officers from MacArthur Foundation, legal scholars from Yale Law School, and policy experts previously at the United Nations and U.S. Department of State.

The institute influenced policy dialogues at venues like United Nations General Assembly, World Economic Forum, G20, and Summit of the Americas and informed reform efforts in municipal administrations such as City of Boston, City of New York, City of London, and provincial governments in Ontario and New South Wales. Recognition came via awards and citations from organizations including Council on Foundations, Independent Sector, American Civil Liberties Union affiliates, and academic honors from Harvard University and peer institutions. Alumni and affiliates have held leadership roles at United Nations Development Programme, World Bank, Ford Foundation, Oxfam International, International Rescue Committee, Amnesty International, and governments worldwide.

Category:Harvard Kennedy School Category:Nonprofit organizations