"Do Tanks" and Open Source Philanthropy Make Good Bedfellows

Picking up today on yesterday's blog regarding the innovative Ms. Beth Noveck who, in addition to "fixing" the US Patent Office, runs an interdisciplinary "do tank" dedicated to deepening democratic practice through technology design. Her program, called the Democracy Design Workshop, and the ideas coming out of that shop are worth keeping an eye on.

This is the second time in a week that I've come across the wonderfully evocative term do tank. The first was in a Worth Magazine article by Elizabeth Harris entitled "The Policy Revolutionaries: Think Tank Patrons Reshape American Politics."

Deborah Rappaport likes to refer to these groups as do tanks, preferring to nurture the liberal grassroots rather than funding theoretical research.

Interestingly, one thing these two "do tanks" have in common is that both are only pushing concepts that can support what we call "open source philanthropy." According to the article:

They (the Rappaports) support the Center for American Progress, as well as the New Progressive Coalition, a research clearinghouse that uses the Web to connect progressive investors (who pay a small fee to register) with organizations that post funding proposals and budgets.

N-US; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA">Unfortunately, you can't learn much about this research clearinghouse from the website which apparently limits even a description of this "marketplace" to members. It is an organization targeting high-net worth donors and success is, no doubt, dependent on its ability to serve as a trusted gatekeeper.

Susan Herr