ABSTRACT
The Southwest has several large foundations, most of them with programs confined to their particular localities, often with a heavy emphasis on bricks and mortar. The Noble and Mabee foundations in Oklahoma are the newest of the top group. In legal theory, the legitimacy of the institution of private philanthropy rests on the principle of trusteeship. But if in reality the performance of philanthropy depended on the effectiveness of the boards of trustees, it would truly be in trouble. Historically, foundations have had a strong preference to operate in privacy, and they resisted determinedly for many years the idea of exposing their activities to public view. The crucial matter of grant-making style is the most difficult aspect of foundation behavior to describe, partly because the necessary words are not available. "Scientific" philanthropy was one of the earliest, suggesting the idea of using grants not simply to ameliorate symptoms but to get at the "root causes" of problems.
