A Letter from the President

In April 2003, I was asked to chair the jury that judged the competition to select the World Trade Center memorial. My twelve colleagues and I spent many hours—too many to count and the work too important to be measured simply by increments of time—reviewing the more than 5,000 designs submitted to us, not only by Americans but by people from all over the world. We were all deeply committed to fulfilling the jury’s charge to find a design that, as we said in one of our statements about the process, was “To remember and honor those who died, to recognize the endurance of those who survived, and the courage of those who risked their lives to save others.” One thing that became clear as we poured over these thoughtful, heartfelt, creative, and sometimes brilliant designs was that the events of September 11th had not only deeply affected Americans but the wider human community as well.

The winning project, “Reflecting Absence” by Michael Arad, was first announced on January 7th, and the refined design, by Arad and Peter Walker, was unveiled on January 14th at a press conference not far from Ground Zero. When asked to speak about his design at that event, Arad—a young architect working for New York City’s Housing Authority—poignantly noted that it was his “personal sense of grief and loss” that had originally prompted him to enter the competition.

That sorrow is certainly an element of the memorial, but between “Reflecting Absence” and the landscaping that enhances it, the jury members felt the design also provides a kind of unity, combining an urban park and a monument. I personally believe that nobody will mind if you visit the park and sit on a bench and talk or laugh. After all, the monument is not only about death but about life. We wanted to help create a place that had hope and represented the resiliency of New York. The monument—which is not just about the World Trade Center, but about the Pentagon, about Pennsylvania, and about the first attack on the towers in 1993, as well—and the soaring buildings that will soon rise around it, embody the idea that life and tragedy go hand in hand; that life is sometimes inescapably witness to tragedy, incorporates it, remembers it always—but also, continues on. The monument will be an evolving place—it must be, because, as part of New York, it will be part of an evolving, restless and defiant city that has witnessed and incorporated tragedy, and still goes on.

From the very beginning of the jury’s work, one critical component that we all agreed upon was transparency: we insisted on it, as we insisted on equitable treatment of all the submissions, on the authority of the jury to be the sole judge of the competition and on hearing all interested parties’ opinions. For me, this view extends to the activities of all groups and institutions—including foundations—that have an effect on the public and on the nation. Complete transparency is not a choice: it is a mandate.

In a recent report, John E. Craig, Jr., executive vice president and treasurer of The Commonwealth Fund writes, “It seems clear that foundations should do more to promote a fuller understanding of the financial realities that govern their existence, the strategies and management practices that make them effective, and the role they play in society.” I couldn’t agree more. Foundations should stand for the best ideas and impulses of the American people, their idealism, altruism, and generosity. Therefore, their values, and how they conduct themselves, must be “higher than the prevailing standards.” We are accountable not only before the law and the court of public opinion, but before history as well.

At Carnegie Corporation, we have made strong efforts to let the world see our “glass pockets.” We have over ten years of Corporation grants available online (www.carnegie.org) in a searchable database. Our annual reports and up-to-date financial statements are also available online, as is a quiz that helps potential grantees determine whether their projects fit within our program guidelines. We also require our trustees and staff to conform to our conflict-of-interest policy, which is based upon full disclosure by trustees and staff members of affiliations that may lead to conflicts and upon withdrawal from decision making where those affiliations are involved.

Foundation executives are focused on assuring that the philanthropic sector is not only a place with open doors but that foundation officers, staff and boards are at the forefront of practicing full and open disclosure of their policies, strategies and activities. William S. White, chairman of the board of the Charles Stewart Mott Foundation, recently wrote that “transparency is one of the finest ways to achieve accountability,” and offered ideas about how to strengthen audit practices, compensation policies and public reporting of tax returns.

Independent Sector, which is dedicated to strengthening and advancing the nonprofit and philanthropic community and which was founded by former Corporation president John Gardner, has recently issued a Model Code of Ethics for Nonprofit and Philanthropic Organizations and strongly recommends that all nonprofit organizations and foundations either develop such a policy or strengthen their existing one. Says Diana Aviv, president of Independent Sector, “The process of developing such a code by the board and staff helps to infuse into the culture of the organization a recognition of how important it is to address issues of values and ethics on an ongoing basis.”

Andrew Carnegie once said that if he were induced to return to the business world, his “chief aim would be to address many thousands of workmen as ‘fellow-shareholders’.” I believe that those of us who work in the world of philanthropy should feel likewise about our grantees, potential grantees, and about the public we serve: they are all our “fellow-shareholders” and we should communicate with them fully, openly and clearly and deal with them, always, in a spirit of mutual trust and respect.”

Vartan Gregorian
President

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