Pitt to Host Philanthropy Forum Lecture by Paul Brest, President of the William and Flora Hewlett Foundation

PITTSBURGH-Paul Brest, president of the William and Flora Hewlett Foundation, will discuss the essence of strategic philanthropy during a free public lecture at 3:30 p.m. April 13 in the ballroom of the William Pitt Union, 3959 Fifth Ave., Oakland. The lecture titled "Money Well Spent" is presented as part of the University of Pittsburgh's Graduate School for Public and International Affairs Philanthropy Forum. To attend, an RSVP is requested at gspiapf@pitt.edu or 412-648-1336.

Giving great amounts of money is not tantamount to great giving, says Brest. He contends that the key to successful philanthropy depends more on effective strategy than on the size of the grants given. Philanthropic initiatives often fail not because of risk-taking but because of vague goals, poor strategies, and the absence of feedback to make course corrections, says Brest, who will draw on lessons learned from previous philanthropic successes and failures. The lecture is part of the Philanthropy Forum's ongoing lecture series, "The Future of Philanthropy in Uncertain Time," a project of Pitt's Johnson Institute for Responsible Leadership.

Brest has been the president of the William and Flora Hewlett Foundation since 2000. From 1987 to 1999, he served as the dean of Stanford University Law School. He is coauthor together with Hal Harvey of "Money Well Spent: A Strategic Plan for Smart Philanthropy" (Bloomberg Press, 2008). He holds honorary degrees from Northeastern University Law School and Swarthmore College and is a member of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences. He is also a blogger for the "Huffington Post."

Brest received an A.B. from Swarthmore College in 1962 and an LL.B from Harvard University Law School in 1965.

The William and Flora Hewlett Foundation has been making grants since 1967 to solve social and environmental problems. The nation's fifth-largest foundation had $6.7 billion in assets as of Dec. 31, 2009, and made grants of $235 million last year in seven program areas, including the environment, global development, education, and philanthropy.

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