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The Philanthropy Roundtable
Founded	1987, gained independent status in 1991
Founder	William E. Simon, Irving Kristol
Type	501(c)(3)
Tax ID no.	13-2943020
Focus	Philanthropic strategy and analysis, philanthropic freedom, preserving donor intent
Location	1120 20th Street NW, Suite 550 South; Washington, D.C. 20036, United States;
Coordinates	38°54′19″N 77°02′24″W / 38.9053°N 77.0401°W
Origins	Formerly project of Institute For Educational Affairs
Method	Publications, events, consulting
Membership	600+
President and CEO	Christie Herrera
Revenue	$11 million (2021)
Website	www.philanthropyroundtable.org

The Philanthropy Roundtable is a nonprofit organization that advises conservative philanthropists^[3]^[4]^[5] and advocates for philanthropic freedom and donor privacy.^[6]

History

The Roundtable was founded in 1987 as a project of the now-defunct Institute For Educational Affairs. It was founded as a conservative alternative to the Council on Foundations, a nonprofit membership association of donors.^[7]^[8] Membership in the organization was free "to interested grant makers", and 140 foundations, charities and nonprofits joined in the Roundtable's first year.^[9]^[10]

In 1991, Philanthropy Roundtable became an independent entity with its own board of directors and staff, headquartered in Indianapolis, Indiana.^[11]^[12] The Philanthropy Roundtable is a 501(c)(3) organization.^[2] It has been described as conservative^[13]^[14] and non-partisan.^[15]

The organization has a bimonthly newsletter, Philanthropy, which evolved into a quarterly magazine in 2011.^[9] In 2016, the Roundtable published the Almanac of American Philanthropy, a reference book that summarizes the history, purposes, effects, and modern direction of private giving.^[16]

In 2005, Philanthropy Roundtable created the Alliance For Charitable Reform (ACR), which opposes legislation that would create accreditation requirements for grant-making foundations, establish a five-year Internal Revenue Service review of tax-exempt status, or restrict the ability of donors to establish family foundations.^[17]^[18]

William E. Simon Prize

In 2007, the William E. Simon Foundation named the Roundtable the administrator of the William E. Simon Prize for Philanthropic Leadership. Recipients of the prize since the Roundtable's administration of it include Bernie Marcus, Eli Broad, Charles Koch, Roger Hertog, Philip Anschutz and his wife Nancy,^[19] S. Truett Cathy, and Frank Hanna III.^[20]

Leadership

Kimberly Dennis was the organization's first executive director. She served as executive director from 1991 through 1996. John P. Walters assumed administrative leadership of the organization in the new role of president in 1997 when the organization moved its headquarters to Washington, D.C.^[12] Walters remained in that position until resigning in October 2001^[11] to accept an appointment by George W. Bush as director of the Office of National Drug Control Policy.^[4] Adam Meyerson served as the organization's president from 2001 to 2020. In June 2020, he was replaced by Elise Westhoff, who was named president and chief executive officer.^[21]^[22] In October 2023, Christie Herrera was promoted to president and CEO.^[6]