History
Stanford PACS was founded in 2006 by Laura Arrillaga-Andreessen and faculty co-directors Woody Powell & Debra Meyerson. The Center welcomed its first cohort of four Ph.D. Fellows the same year.
Stanford PACS is led by Carla Eckhardt, its Executive Director who came to the Center in fall 2020 with deep nonprofit sector experience, and by the Faculty Co-Directors, who teach a quarterly Ph.D. graduate student workshop in addition to their ongoing research, speaking and publishing:
• Woody Powell, Professor of Education and by courtesy Sociology, Organizational Behavior, Management Science and Engineering, and Communication;
• Rob Reich, Professor of Political Science, Faculty Director of the Program on Ethics in Society and, by courtesy, of Philosophy and the School of Education.
• Robb Willer, Professor in the Departments of Sociology, Psychology (by courtesy), and the Graduate School of Business (by courtesy) at Stanford University.
Overview
The Stanford Center on Philanthropy and Civil Society (Stanford PACS) develops and shares knowledge to improve philanthropy, strengthen civil society and effect social change. Stanford PACS also publishes the preeminent journal Stanford Social Innovation Review (SSIR).
Stanford PACS is a research center for students, scholars and practitioners to explore and share ideas that create social change. Its primary participants are Stanford faculty, postdoctoral fellows, graduate and undergraduate students, visiting scholars, and nonprofit and foundation practitioners.
As publisher of Stanford Social Innovation Review, Stanford PACS informs policy and social innovation, philanthropic investment, and nonprofit practice. SSIR is a shared intellectual space where scholars and practitioners publish inter-disciplinary and cross-sector research and ideas to advance social change. The journal is complemented by a website, blog, conferences, webinars, and podcasts.
Stanford PACS offers post-doctoral fellowships, Ph.D. fellowships, and research support for doctoral students and undergraduates. Additionally, Stanford PACS sponsors a monthly public speaker series and other symposia and salons that include speakers who are well known academic, foundation, or nonprofit leaders.