Eboo Patel

A TV show about creating a restaurant is a reminder of why we need to stop criticizing each other and recommit ourselves to a shared mission.

I’ve seen firsthand how volunteering can bridge deep political divides, says the author, who praises a new bipartisan report prescribing “Civic CPR” to bring the nation together.

In the wake of the Supreme Court’s affirmative-action ruling, foundation and nonprofit leaders need to take a hard look at alternative ways to achieve diversity. The sports world offers important lessons about what works.

In his new column for the Chronicle of Philanthropy, Eboo Patel, the leader of Interfaith America, calls for a greater focus on what’s working in the nonprofit world and how to do more of it.

A coordinated effort is needed in communities across the country to bring together people of different political parties, faith traditions, and racial and ethnic identities. A new undertaking from four major nonprofits aims to lead the way.

When grant makers turned down the author’s request 20 years ago to fund his fledgling organization, he quickly attributed it to institutionalized racism. His mentors’ response: Don’t you dare blame outside forces for preventing you from succeeding. Instead, refine your work and build something better.

Congregations and faith-based nonprofits are an untapped resource for persuading more people to get vaccines, but they need much greater philanthropic support.