Every September, Forbes magazine updates their Philanthropy Scores for America’s wealthiest people. These scores certainly serve as helpful indicators of billionaire charitability. But the giving estimates behind the scores include some outlays from private foundations — particularly trustee salaries, impact investments, and certain other administrative expenses — that shouldn’t actually count as charitable giving.

We believe that a true measure of billionaire generosity would only include gifts that are no longer controlled by the donor or donor-controlled intermediaries in any way, and have flowed to nonprofits working directly for the public benefit.

Read the rest at Inside Philanthropy.

Chuck Collins directs the Charity Reform Initiative at the Institute for Policy Studies, where he also co-edits Inequality.org. Helen Flannery directs research at the Charity Reform Initiative and is an Associate Fellow at the Institute for Policy Studies.

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