Jeremy Beer
86 episodes listed below
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Givers, Doers, and Thinkers introduces listeners to the fascinating people and important ideas at the heart of American civil society. We speak with philanthropists, foundation leaders, reformers, social entrepreneurs, nonprofit executives, religious believers, historians, sociologists, philosophers, journalists, and anyone else who will help us understand contemporary civil society’s achievements and failures. We also sprinkle in practical advice for nonprofit leaders and fundraisers. This is the podcast for anyone interested in that vital space where philanthropy and civil society intersect.
Based on 6 episodes we listened to · September 2026
Jeremy Beer connects political philosophy to the families, churches, universities, and foundations through which public ideas become social life.
Givers, Doers, & Thinkers-A Podcast on Philanthropy and Civil Society treats public life as a question of institutions and the ideas beneath them.
When 'voluntary association' turns into 'who raises your kids,' this is your kind of detour.
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A sharp historical look at how American philanthropy has sometimes carried prejudice inside its public virtue.
This episode treats philanthropy as a moral idea with a history, not a clean halo. Jeremy Beer and historian John Pinero trace how American charitable institutions and voluntary societies have been tied up with anti-Catholic prejudice, war, and eugenics, then use that history to…
A grounded look at how community institutions still shape civic life.
This episode asks a plain but stubborn question: why does the American dream still feel alive in some places and worn out in others, and what does civil society have to do with that divide?
A measured discussion of how fundraisers can draw out donor motivation and make giving more compelling.
Russell James and Jeremy Beer shape the conversation around what prompts people to give, and how fundraisers can ask questions that surface a donor's own reasons, ties, and sense of impact.
A measured case for historical balance in a culture that likes easy judgments.
Wilfred McClay treats history as a matter of judgment, not rote recitation. He warns against flattening the past into a morality play and turns that warning toward present political habits, where Americans often sort memory into what is useful and what is not.
A clear look at how federal school choice shifts authority toward governors and scholarship-granting organizations.
This episode follows Peter Murphy through the new federal school choice law and the practical question at its center: who gets to shape access when education dollars become more portable.
A measured tour of conservative philanthropy's institutions, ideas, and political afterlife.
James Pearson's conversation with Jeremy Beer reads like a history lesson with a practical question running through it: what has conservative philanthropy actually changed? It moves from Pearson's years at the Olin and William E.
A serious conversation about the American founding, liberalism, and the institutions they shape.
Patrick Deneen is given a careful hearing as Jeremy Beer uses the American founding to frame its ambiguities and set progressive liberalism, classical liberalism, Marxism, and conservatism against one another.
A grounded case for civic education and institutional design, with the graduate-education piece still not fully settled.
This episode looks at legislatively created schools inside major state universities and makes the case that the project is really about civic education, institutional design, and what those schools are supposed to do.
Politics, odd news, and local heart.
Faith, service, and everyday generosity.
Governance, cities, and growth under the hood.
History can turn into a morality play.
David Bobb, president of the Bill of Rights Institute, argues that civic education should start with history, character, and civil society before government.
Susan McWilliams-Bart discusses her father Wilson Carey McWilliams’s book The Idea of Fraternity in America, published in a 50th anniversary edition by the University of Michigan in 2023.
Pano Canelos, founding president of the University of Austin, says he and co-founders Barry Weiss, Neil Ferguson, Joe Lonsdale, and Arthur Brooks launched UATX in 2021 because "enough white papers" had been written about higher-ed reform.
Christy Herrera, president and CEO of Philanthropy Roundtable, says donors should protect “philanthropic freedom” by giving how, when, and where they choose.
Les Lenkowsky traces the Jewish philanthropic tradition in America from the founding era to Julius Rosenwald, a Sears Roebuck leader born in 1862 in Springfield, Illinois.
Walter McDougall says the phrase “American exceptionalism” did not become a positive slogan until the early Cold War, when Harry Truman, Dwight Eisenhower, the Truman Doctrine, the Marshall Plan, and NATO needed political support.
Jeremy Beer speaks with Matthew Crawford on February 20, 2024 about Crawford’s essay “The Workings of the Party State,” published in American Affairs in fall 2023.
Amy Sherman, director of the Sagamore Institute's Center on Faith in Communities, talks with Jeremy Beer on April 30, 2024 about her book Agents of Flourishing, Pursuing Shalom in Every Corner of Society.
Jeremy Beer opens by introducing Peter Murphy and the federal school choice law signed in July.
Pastor Corey Brooks shares how he went from small-town Indiana to planting a church in one of Chicago's most violent neighborhoods, building Project Hood into a 121-employee organization that has reduced local crime by 60%.
Jeremy Beer speaks with Andrew Laubacher, the executive director of Humanality, about digital addiction and the work of rebuilding human connection.
Jeremy Beard speaks with philosopher Joshua Hochschild about subsidiarity, the order of charity, and the challenges posed by contemporary technology.
Jeremy Beer speaks with Dr.
Jeremy Beer speaks with Tim Carney about the American dream, civil society, and why some places thrive while others break down.
Jeremy Beer welcomes Patrick Deneen back to Givers, Doers, and Thinkers.
Jeremy Beer sits down with Aaron Wren to talk about Life in the Negative World.
Jeremy Beer speaks with Richard Avramenko, Justin Dyer, and Joshua Dunn about the legislatively created schools they lead inside major state universities.
Jeremy Beer speaks with James Pearson about his years at the helm of the Olin and William E.
Jeremy Beer speaks with historian John Pinero about the roots of American philanthropy.
Jeremy Beer speaks with Jeff Sandifer about entrepreneurship, philanthropy, and education.
Jeremy Beer introduces Russell James, the Texas Tech professor he presents as a leading academic expert on charitable giving.
Jeremy Beer opens by introducing Patrick Deneen and the argument that made him so widely debated.
Jeremy Beer speaks with Jonathan Haidt about moral intuition, anxiety, and the untruths that pull people apart.
Eric Cooke, president and CEO of the Society for Classical Learning, says classical education has grown from roughly 1,500 schools serving about 1 million students to a much larger movement that includes homeschoolers.
Jeremy Beer speaks with sociologist Wendy Wang on May 2, 2025 about marriage, jobs, motherhood, and AI at the Institute for Family Studies.
Jeremy Beer interviews Rob Hayes about leadership and strategic choices in philanthropy, focusing on innovative giving in American civil society.
Host Jeremy Beer introduces the seventh season of a podcast about philanthropy and civil society, focusing on America's 250th anniversary with upcoming guests including historians and writers.
Interview with Brent Beshore, CEO of Permanent Equity, discussing problems with private equity and the importance of small private companies.
Interview with Jeremy Tedesco on protecting viewpoint diversity, free speech, and religious freedom in the workplace.
Interview with Tom Riley, president of the Connolly Foundation, discussing countercultural ideas about effective giving and the foundation's origins.