How far can philanthropy go to fill government gaps?

慈善事业能在多大程度上填补政府空白?

The Indicator from Planet Money

2026-01-12

8 分钟
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While Americans are known for their generosity, the U.S. government, increasingly, is not. The Trump administration’s cuts to SNAP benefits among other aid programs have forced states, foundations and donors to fill the gaps. But can they? On today’s show, the limits of philanthropic efforts to supplant federal aid.  Related episodes: Why tech bros are trying to give away all their money (kind of)  For sponsor-free episodes of The Indicator from Planet Money, subscribe to Planet Money+ via Apple Podcasts or at plus.npr.org. Fact-checking by Sierra Juarez. Music by Drop Electric. Find us: TikTok, Instagram, Facebook, Newsletter.   Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoices NPR Privacy Policy
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  • NPR.

  • This is the Indicator from Planet Money.

  • I'm Waylon Wong.

  • And I'm Stephen Misaha here with...

  • Two facts.

  • The first is that Americans are some of the most generous givers in the world.

  • In fact, Americans give even more than Canadians,

  • and about seven times as much as some Europeans, according to Philanthropy Roundtable.

  • The other fact is that the American government has become less generous,

  • at least when it comes to funding social safety net programs like food assistance.

  • These two facts do fit in with the American concept of less government, more private good.

  • And given all that,

  • it seems reasonable to imagine American philanthropy stepping in where the US government is stepping out.

  • The big problem with that is that the math doesn't work.

  • On today's show, why charity can't fill the hole left by government cuts,

  • and why some philanthropists say doing that can be the wrong way to spend those dollars.

  • To check in on the state of U.S.

  • charities, we call up Kyle Caldwell.

  • Kyle heads up a group that represents philanthropic giants in Michigan,

  • like the Kresge Foundation, along with smaller foundations.