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The Commission on Foundations and Private Philanthropy was formed by John D. Rockefeller, III, in 1969, and chaired by Peter Peterson, to objectively investigate foundations and their role in society. The Peterson Commission, as it was known, was designed to be influenced by neither the government nor the foundations they investigated. An objective appraisal of foundation activities was necessary to give the Commission the credibility it needed to influence Congress' decisions on foundation activities. By researching the roles of foundations in society, the members hoped to construct policy recommendations that made foundations more accountable while allowing them to maintain their independence from outside interference. This collection contains meeting minutes, correspondence, reports, speeches, the House of Representatives and Senate Hearings on the Tax Reform Law, and the foundation research collected by the commission that includes annual reports, surveys, articles, and correspondence.

The Commission on Private Philanthropy and Public Needs was founded in November 1973 through the efforts of John D. Rockefeller, III, House Ways and Means Chairman Wilbur D. Mills, Secretary of the Treasury George P. Shultz, and Under Secretary William E. Simon. The Commission was formed to study the role of philanthropic giving in the United States and to make recommendations regarding ways to strengthen and increase the effectiveness of the voluntary sector. Composed of religious and labor leaders, former cabinet members, executives of foundations and corporations, federal judges, and representatives of several minority groups, the Commission sought to reach its goal through research and debate. The findings and recommendations of the Commission were published in a final report entitled, Giving in America: Toward a Stronger Voluntary Sector. This collection contains board and advisory records including meeting minutes and correspondence, committee recommendations, and research materials that include surveys, conferences, reports, foundation annual reports, and Senate Finance Hearings.

The David Hovde Civil War Tract Collection contains mostly tract publications from the American Tract Society, the American Sunday School Union, the American Bible Society, and similar nonprofit organizations during the American Civil War. The tracts were used to promote moral and spiritual uplift for soldiers and sailors and to inspire patriotism.

Indiana Humanities Council (IHC) is a statewide nonprofit organization based in Indianapolis that was established in 1972. The purpose of the organization is to infuse the humanities into people's daily lives by providing grants and programs as one of 56 Humanities Councils affiliated with the National Endowment for the Humanities (NEH) in the United States. This collection contains documents from two programs related to IHC's work donated by Beth Kloote: Habits of the Heart and the Aspen Summit: Rethinking the Public Humanities conference.

John J. Schwartz, fund raising executive and author, worked hard to assist in the development of standards and ethics for fund-raising professionals and to influence legislation on the national and state level. During his 41 active years in the field, Schwartz was employed by various philanthropic organizations including John Price Jones, Inc., Fund Raising for Traveler Aid Society of New York, Development for the Community Service Society, G.A. Brakeley & Co., the American Cancer Society, and American Association of Fund Raising Counsel, Inc. (AAFRC). Schwartz spent a majority of his career, 1966-1987, at AAFRC, advancing to become the President of the organization in 1973 until his retirement. Throughout his career, he has served on various boards and committees promoting the understanding of philanthropy and was instrumental in the establishment of Coalition of National Voluntary Organizations (CONVO), Independent Sector, and the Indiana University Center on Philanthropy. The papers consist of records documenting his involvement with several philanthropic organizations as an employee and as a member of professional organizations. Included are organizational information, correspondence, meeting minutes, project reports, conferences, articles and papers.

The Center on Philanthropy at Indiana University (COP) was established at IUPUI in 1987.The Center began offering academic courses in 1988. The Center also conducted research in various aspects of philanthropy and worked with other academic centers around the country involved in Philanthropic Studies on projects designed to educate the public about philanthropy and to increase philanthropic activity. In 2012 the IU Board of Trustees voted to establish the Lilly Family School of Philanthropy, and the school was formally inaugurated in 2013. The records in this collection detail the academic, research, and service activities of the school and document its relationship to other academic institutions and organizations involved in philanthropy and philanthropic studies. The records include correspondence, minutes, reports, and publications.

The National Committee for Responsive Philanthropy is a progressive organization formed in 1976 to monitor private philanthropy in the United States. The records consist of board and committee records, meeting minutes and agendas, correspondence, subject files, reports and publications, and photographs.