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Absorptive Philanthropic Governance: The Resilience and Differentiation of Chinese Philanthropic Foundations Amidst the Pandemic

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Abstract

The development of philanthropic foundations in China is constrained by both state corporatism and the ‘administrative absorption of society.’ In this study, we use the term ‘absorptive philanthropic governance’ to describe the process where absorption is combined with intentional space for collaboration within the governance of the philanthropic sector. This concept elucidates how these two elements interact and influence each other to achieve a balance with which civil society organizations retain the capacity for autonomous social initiatives, even under the corporatist state. The COVID-19 pandemic has highlighted these dynamics. Employing interviews and case studies of 13 philanthropic foundations active in China’s COVID-19 disaster relief, we delineate their institutional positioning and identify the unique agendas, mobilization strategies, and social objectives of each type of foundations. The findings reveal both the differentiation among foundations and the resilience of the civil society sector, suggesting that, despite the current heightened political control, the evolving patterns of philanthropic governance in China signal potential for civil society development in the future.

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Notes

  1. Figures from Worldometers, retrieved from https://www.worldometers.info/coronavirus/country/china/.

  2. An organization has to have an initial capital of 2 million Chinese Yuan in order to be registered as a regional foundation, and an initial capital of 8 million Yuan as a national foundation. Refer to The Regulation on Management of Foundations (2004) retrieved from http://www.gov.cn/zwgk/2005-05/23/content_201.htm

  3. Ministry of Civil Affairs, retrieved from http://images3.mca.gov.cn/www2017/file/202009/1601261242921.pdf

  4. Ibid.

  5. Refer to Regulation on the Management of Foundations, retrieved from http://www.gov.cn/zwgk/2005-05/23/content_201.htm.

  6. Regulations for Foundation Management, retrieved from http://www.gov.cn/zwgk/2005-05/23/content_201.htm

  7. Information retrieved from Foundation Y’s official webpage.

  8. Information retrieved from the foundation’s public report.

  9. Information retrieved from http://www.alijijinhui.org/category/jijin_intro

  10. Information retrieved from https://gongyi.qq.com/jjhgy/about/about.htm

  11. From Tencent’s internal reports.

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Funding

This article is an outcome of a major research project funded by the National Social Science Foundation of China (Grant No. 21&ZD182), titled "Social Mechanism of the Vitality of Social Organizations for People with Disabilities," and the Key Project of the Humanities Development Fund at Nankai University, titled "Research on Philanthropy under the Perspective of the Third Distribution" (Grant No. ZB22BZ0108). This paper benefited from the financial support provided by the Asia Research Institute at the National University of Singapore under its grant “China’s Civil Society during and after Covid-19: Strategies and Consequences.”

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of China Studies, Xi’an Jiaotong-Liverpool University, Suzhou, China

    Echo Lei Wang

  2. Department of Asian Studies, Palacky University, Olomouc, Czech Republic

    Runya Qiaoan

  3. School of Government, Nankai University, Tianjin, China

    Jiangang Zhu

Authors
  1. Echo Lei Wang
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  2. Runya Qiaoan
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  3. Jiangang Zhu
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Correspondence to Jiangang Zhu.

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Appendix: Summary of foundations

Appendix: Summary of foundations

Foundation

Location

Type

Founding mission

Anti-pandemic agenda

Mobilization strategy

Main beneficiaries

1

Zhejiang

Community-oriented

Healthcare promotion and disease prevention for patient with critical illness

Provide psychological consultation and training for social workers. Purchase medical gears for hospitals

Social worker agencies and community network. Internet platforms

Local community residents

2

Beijing

Community-oriented

Professional social welfare medical services to families

Source medical protection equipment for community use. Support social service projects through public fundraising

Through personal connections and community network

healthcare professionals, patients and frontline workers

3

Nanjing

Community-oriented

Integration, innovation, and philanthropic promotion in education, healthcare, community development for children, elderlies and rural households

Source and donate medical utilities for hospitals and local communities. Fundraising through business enterprises donors

Through government appointed agencies, social organization partners

children, elderlies, and local households

4

Zhejiang

Community-oriented

Fund healthcare, education, disaster relief and rural development projects

Source medical equipment for volunteers in the local communities. Psychological consulting for community volunteers. Provide financial support to medical professionals

Through internet platform (Tencent), hospitals and local health service centers

Local residents, volunteers, healthcare workers

5

Shanghai

Community-oriented

Fund children welfare, elderly care, and community development projects

Connect funds and medical resources for hospitals and communities. Support anti-pandemic projects

Through volunteer's, local social organizations and NGOs

Healthcare professionals, local NGOs, community residents, children exposed to risks

6

Beijing

Community-oriented

Support young social entrepreneurs and researchers

Raise funds and source medical equipment for hospitals

Private partners' network and other foundations

Healthcare professionals, voluntary organizations, community residents;

7

Shenzhen

Community-oriented

Support the mental and physical health of children and young people

Source medical equipment, provide psychological support to affected families

Local volunteers

Children, local households

8

Guangzhou

Community-oriented

Support the development of grassroots NGOs and individuals

Source medical equipment for communities. Financial support for local NGOs and social workers

Through NGO network and community partners

Local NGOs, community residents

9

Hubei

Business-affiliated

Support research and education

Fundraising and sourcing medical equipment

Business partners, enterprise's network, government appointed agencies

Hospitals, healthcare professionals

10

Shenzhen

Business-affiliated

Attain sustainable social innovation and value creation with technology

Fundraising for hospitals and anti-pandemic projects. Technical support for communication, data collection and information sharing,

Business partners, enterprise's network, fundraising platform, government appointed agencies

Hospitals and healthcare professionals, other social organizations and the general public

11

Shenzhen

Government-backed

Empower communities and promote social equality

Fundraising, sourcing and distributing medical equipment for hospitals

Enterprise network, government appointed agencies, foundation partners

Hospitals, healthcare professionals

12

Guangzhou

Government-backed

Support all forms of philanthropic activities and community needs

Manage and distribute medical equipment

Social service center network, government agencies

Hospitals

13

Beijing

Government-backed

Rural development and poverty alleviation

Source medical protection equipment for and fundraising for major hospitals and community clinical practitioners. Financial support for impoverished urban and rural households

National network of banks, companies, and voluntary groups

Urban and rural healthcare professionals, local residents with low income

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Wang, E.L., Qiaoan, R. & Zhu, J. Absorptive Philanthropic Governance: The Resilience and Differentiation of Chinese Philanthropic Foundations Amidst the Pandemic. Voluntas (2024). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11266-024-00657-4

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