A new class will give 33 Northwestern students the chance to give away $100,000 during Spring Quarter through SESP and an outside grant, according to a release from the University.
The class, titled "Learning Philanthropy: Engaging in the Study and Practice of Giving," will be taught by SESP dean Penelope Peterson and Lauren Jones Young, former director of the Spencer Foundation.
Funds for the class came from a grant through the Once Upon a Time Foundation of Fort Worth, Texas. The foundation has previously given grants to other universities for similar classes.
Throughout the quarter, students will learn the history of charitable giving and the process of donating money. They will decide how to allocate the $100,000 to one or more nonprofit companies by the end of the quarter. The students were selected to participate in the class through an application essay asking, “What would you do if you were given $10,000 to donate to a cause?” according to the release.
The course’s syllabus states, “In addition to developing rich understandings of theory and actions in philanthropic practices, students will be asked to explore their own conceptions and values about philanthropic purposes and outcomes.”
“Our students are the leaders of the future,” Peterson said in the release. “Many of them will be making important decisions about charitable giving, and some will be directing nonprofits. This class will give them a chance to approach philanthropy from different angles, especially from the perspective of giving to improve the lives of children and families.”