Break Fake Rules: Change Big Giving For Good

Stupski Foundation
  • 4.6 (11)
  • NON-PROFIT
  • UPDATED MONTHLY

Some rules are meant to be broken—especially the fake ones! Break Fake Rules is a podcast that brings today’s news and big philanthropic issues into focus, challenging the self-imposed rules that shape the flow of money, power, and resources in America. Join Glen Galaich, CEO of the Stupski Foundation, and a rotating cast of co-hosts as they unpack the news of the day and engage in conversations with principled rulebreakers in philanthropy, nonprofits, government, media, and more. Each episode examines the fake rules holding the systems in place that don’t serve us—and which rules we must break to secure a better future for all. If you have ever questioned why we live by certain rules and wondered what becomes possible when we do things differently, this show is for you.

  1. When We Invest in Women, We Transform Democracy for Generations feat. Jennifer Siebel Newsom & Dr. Kimberlé Crenshaw

    2D AGO

    When We Invest in Women, We Transform Democracy for Generations feat. Jennifer Siebel Newsom & Dr. Kimberlé Crenshaw

    What happens when philanthropy stops treating women and girls as a side issue and starts seeing them as a powerful lens through which we can better understand the major fights for justice, democracy, safety, and human dignity? In this live episode, recorded at The Giving List Women “Doing It Differently” Summit in Santa Barbara, Glen Galaich, CEO of the Stupski Foundation, and co-host Gwyn Lurie, Co-Founder and CEO of The Giving List Women, sit down with two leaders who have spent their careers challenging the stories, systems, and assumptions that shape our society: Jennifer Siebel Newsom, First Partner of California and award-winning documentary filmmaker behind Miss Representation and the new documentary Miss Representation: Rise Up, and Dr. Kimberlé Crenshaw, professor of law at UCLA and Columbia Law School, co-founder and executive director of the African American Policy Forum, host of Intersectionality Matters!, and author of the new book Backtalker. Together, they take on one of the most dangerous fake rules in philanthropy and culture— the idea that women and girls are a “lane” instead of a lens for understanding the defining issues of our time. Drawing on law, media, narrative, movements, and lived experience, they call out the short‑sighted practice of measuring impact in one‑ or two‑year cycles while anti‑democratic backlashes are funded for generations, and challenge funders to abandon outdated frameworks. They make clear that investing in women’s health, safety, financial security, and leadership is central to building a healthier democracy and a more just future. 💡Dr. Kimberlé Crenshaw: The old frameworks that we've used to determine how to spend money, where to invest. We've got to throw that out. We’ve got to look at what this war is right now, and it's very, very different from the way we typically think about it. 💡 Jennifer Siebel Newsom: “When we center women, when we invest in women's health, their safety, their financial security, women will be the most transformative leaders in world history.” Learn more about The Giving List Women, created to inspire donors, leaders, and changemakers to apply the lens of women and girls to philanthropic and other forms of investment, and to build partnerships that fuel a more gender-balanced world. Order your copy of Dr. Kimberlé Crenshaw’s book, Backtalker. Order your copy of Glen’s book, CONTROL: Why Big Giving Falls Short. Learn about the Stupski Foundation. Co-Hosts: Gwyn Lurie & Glen Galaich Guests: Jennifer Siebel Newsom - The Representation Project | Miss Representation: Rise Up Dr. Kimberlé W. Crenshaw- Backtalker | Intersectionality Matters! Executive Producer: Claire Callahan Video Production Team: SeeBoundless Audio Production Team: Podfly Graphic Design: Middle MGMT

    33 min
  2. The Biggest Fake Rule in the Media? OBJECTIVITY. feat. Faiz Shakir

    APR 29

    The Biggest Fake Rule in the Media? OBJECTIVITY. feat. Faiz Shakir

    What happens when journalism stops pretending objectivity is the same thing as truth telling? In this episode, Glen Galaich and co-host Dr. Carmen Rojas take Break Fake Rules to Kansas City for another conversation from Common Thread, the national event series from the Marguerite Casey Foundation bringing people together around the issues shaping working-class life in America. They welcome Faiz Shakir, founder of More Perfect Union, the Emmy Award-winning nonprofit newsroom redefining what news can look like when it actually centers working-class people. Together, they explore how More Perfect Union’s reporting has become a powerful tool for policy change and corporate accountability. The conversation takes on one of the media's biggest fake rules: the myth of objectivity. Faiz makes the case for an honest form of advocacy journalism, one that stays grounded in facts while refusing to hide its investment in the lives of working people. As Glen, Carmen, and Faiz talk through the stories that much mainstream media still fails to tell, a bigger idea comes into focus: journalism can do more than describe a rigged economy. It can help people understand the forces shaping their lives, see themselves as actors in that story, and build power to change it. 💡Faiz Shakir: We used to live in an America in which earning a paycheck was the way you got wealth, and was the way you helped take care of your family. Now your labor, your W2 paychecks, are really the source of pain and angst for you, because you can't get by with that. Learn more about More Perfect Union and how they are building power through advocacy journalism. Order your copy of Glen’s book, CONTROL: Why Big Giving Falls Short. Learn about the Stupski Foundation. Co-Hosts: Dr. Carmen Rojas & Glen Galaich Guest: Faiz Shakir | More Perfect Union Executive Producer: Claire Callahan Production Team: Podfly Graphic Design: Middle MGMT

    22 min
  3. Philanthropy Gets Smarter When Youth Direct Where Funds Flow feat. Josh Lee

    APR 22

    Philanthropy Gets Smarter When Youth Direct Where Funds Flow feat. Josh Lee

    What happens when philanthropy stops assuming young people are not ready to lead and starts trusting them when it matters most? In this episode, co-hosts Glen Galaich and Ralph Lewin, Executive Director of the Peter E. Haas Jr. Family Fund, bust open a fake rule that assumes young people do not know enough to help shape the future of our democracy. Together, they reflect on their own first experiences making grants, what philanthropy misses when it decides what is best for young people without them, and why involving youth in funding decisions can strengthen both grantmaking and democracy. They are joined by Josh Lee, director of the Youth Power Fund, a California collaborative fund where young people do not just advise on funding decisions, they drive them. Josh makes the case for involving young people where it matters most: where resources are allocated. 💡Josh Lee: Contrary to what we might think, young people, in my opinion, are not the leaders of tomorrow. They're leading right now, today. Learn more about Youth Power Fund and how they are working to ensure more young people, the Boldest Among Us, can shape funding decisions, build power, and drive change in their communities. Order your copy of Glen’s book, CONTROL: Why Big Giving Falls Short. Learn about the Stupski Foundation. Co-Hosts: Ralph Lewin & Glen Galaich Guest: Josh Lee | Youth Power Fund Executive Producer: Claire Callahan Production Team: Podfly Graphic Design: Middle MGMT

    30 min
  4. Beyond 5%: Philanthropy as a Bridge, Not Backup Government with Jamie Allison feat. Elizabeth Cushing

    APR 15

    Beyond 5%: Philanthropy as a Bridge, Not Backup Government with Jamie Allison feat. Elizabeth Cushing

    What happens when one of the most dreaded days on the calendar gets reimagined as a celebration of collective care? In this episode, Stupski Foundation CEO Glen Galaich and co-host Jamie Allison, executive director of the Walter and Elise Haas Fund, use Tax Day to open up a bigger conversation about public responsibility, private wealth, and what taxes make possible. Jamie makes a joyful case for loving Tax Day, not in spite of what it asks of us, but because taxes fund the schools, roads, clean water, and public systems that hold our lives together. Together, she and Glen ask what it would mean to stop treating taxes as something to avoid and start seeing them as an investment in one another, while also asking whether philanthropy is putting its own tax-advantaged dollars to work with that same sense of responsibility. They are joined by Elizabeth Cushing, CEO of Playworks, a national nonprofit that helps nearly 1 million children each year build belonging, resolve conflict, and return to class ready to learn through structured play and recess. Elizabeth lays out the damaging impact of federal education funding cuts and tightening state budgets on kids across the country. She reframes the question of “how can philanthropy possibly backfill federal funding cuts” to “how can philanthropy act as a bridge in this moment to help nonprofits survive the next few hard years instead of forcing nonprofits to go it alone?” 💡Elizabeth Cushing: I'm hopeful that the midterms put some folks in Congress that prioritize children's well being, and I don't care which side of the aisle they're on, that is what our country is responsible for. Learn more about Playworks and how they help kids build belonging, resolve conflict, and experience the power of play every day. Order your copy of Glen’s book, CONTROL: Why Big Giving Falls Short. Learn about the Stupski Foundation. Co-Hosts: Jamie Allison & Glen Galaich Guest: Elizabeth Cushing | Playworks Executive Producer: Claire Callahan Production Team: Podfly Graphic Design: Middle MGMT

    31 min
  5. We Need Plans, Not Pledges feat. Renee Kaplan

    APR 8

    We Need Plans, Not Pledges feat. Renee Kaplan

    What happens when we stop designing philanthropy around preservation, control, and donor comfort, and start asking how to put more capital, trust, and collective action to work? In this episode, Glen Galaich speaks with Renee Kaplan, CEO of Forward Global, in a conversation recorded at the Forward Global Summit in Whistler. They challenge the fake rules that keep philanthropy cautious and exclusive, and explore what opens up when wealth holders, nonprofit leaders, entrepreneurs, and other changemakers come together to solve problems side by side. Renee shares how Forward Global has evolved into a global community and impact platform built to amplify what works, accelerate collective action, and move resources at the pace this moment demands. If you’re ready to replace judgment and rigid boundaries with trust, openness, and a shared belief that no single person can drive lasting change alone, this episode is for you. 💡Renee Kaplan: Are you ready to deploy, or are you only into preservation? Learn more about Forward Global and how you can join their global community. Order your copy of Glen’s book, CONTROL: Why Big Giving Falls Short. Learn about the Stupski Foundation. Guest: Renee Kaplan | Forward Global Executive Producer: Claire Callahan Visual Production Team: SeeBoundless Production Team: Podfly Graphic Design: Middle MGMT

    24 min
  6. How Do We Break the Rules of Individualism to Build Interconnected Freedom? feat. Mia Birdsong

    APR 1

    How Do We Break the Rules of Individualism to Build Interconnected Freedom? feat. Mia Birdsong

    What happens when we stop chasing individual freedom and start asking what it would mean to be free together? In this episode, Stupski Foundation CEO Glen Galaich sits down with Mia Birdsong, founder and executive director of Next River, where she is creating the cultural conditions necessary for a truly free world to emerge. Together, they break the fake rules of individualism, redefine what freedom actually is, and explore how we might pivot from a society organized around separation and scarcity to one rooted in care, connection, and collective well being. 💡Mia Birdsong: I understand the kind of fear and anxiety that has us wanting to grip tightly to what's familiar, because it feels safe, but it's not safe. It's never been safe. 💡Mia Birdsong: If we can find the courage to let go of trying to hold on to this thing, trying to fix this thing, and trust that together, if we are oriented toward our collective care and well being, we can build something better. Learn more about Next River and their work to create the cultural conditions for a truly free world to emerge. Order your copy of Glen’s book, CONTROL: Why Big Giving Falls Short. Learn about the Stupski Foundation. Guest: Mia Birdsong | How We Show Up Executive Producer: Claire Callahan Production Team: Podfly Graphic Design: Middle MGMT

    25 min
  7. Let’s Hear It: Glen Galaich on Why Big Giving Falls Short

    MAR 24

    Let’s Hear It: Glen Galaich on Why Big Giving Falls Short

    We’re excited to share a special feed swap this week from our friends, Eric Brown and Kirk Brown, on the Let’s Hear It podcast! In this episode, you’ll get to hear directly from Glen Galaich and frequent Break Fake Rules co-host and Let’s Hear It host, Eric Brown, as they talk about Glen’s newly released book, CONTROL: Why Big Giving Falls Short. Order your copy of Glen’s book, CONTROL: Why Big Giving Falls Short. Join Glen on the book tour! CONTROL: Why Big Giving Falls Short, out now, makes an argument as simple as it is explosive: when a donor takes a tax deduction to give money away, they've made a deal with the public. That money isn't theirs anymore. But the system we've built lets donors park billions in foundations and donor-advised funds indefinitely — dribbling out 5 cents on the dollar while the rest sits on Wall Street going absolutely nowhere. Glen isn't an outside critic. He's a sitting foundation CEO who spent years reinforcing every rule he's now trying to break. Eric read an early draft, argued with him about it, and told him his central framing was too polite. Glen ignored him. They pick up that conversation here. Follow Let's Hear It and leave a rating so more people can find the show. Learn about the Stupski Foundation and Glen Galaich.

    1h 1m
  8. Co-Host Takeover! CONTROL: Why Big Giving Falls Short with Eric Brown feat. Jamie Allison, Ralph Lewin, and Dr. Carmen Rojas

    MAR 16

    Co-Host Takeover! CONTROL: Why Big Giving Falls Short with Eric Brown feat. Jamie Allison, Ralph Lewin, and Dr. Carmen Rojas

    This week, the co-hosts of Break Fake Rules are taking control of the show to talk behind Glen Galaich’s back about his new book, CONTROL: Why Big Giving Falls Short, out today! Eric Brown, principal of Brown Bridge Strategies and co-host of Let’s Hear It, locks Glen out of the Break Fake Rules studio to bring you a conversation with all of your favorite co-hosts: Jamie Allison, executive director of the Walter and Elise Haas Fund; Ralph Lewin, executive director of the Peter E. Haas Jr. Family Fund; and Dr. Carmen Rojas, president and CEO of the Marguerite Casey Foundation. Together, they dig into the book— what resonated, where they differed, and what it made them reconsider in their own work. What starts as a conversation about CONTROL opens into something larger: a candid conversation about leadership, power, accountability, and what philanthropy owes the communities it claims to serve. They also make a compelling case for why CONTROL is worth reading. Not because it offers easy agreement, but because it forces harder questions to the surface so we can change Big Giving for good. 💡Jamie Allison: I think what's more important is breaking the fake rule that proximity to resource, proximity to wealth, equals wisdom…wealth does not necessarily equal wisdom. 💡Jamie Allison: I think Control is worth reading because it invites philanthropy to look honestly in the mirror and ask whether our systems are truly serving the communities that we say that they're meant to. 💡Carmen Rojas: I think we need a different operating model and control offers us a different pathway to operate as a society in response to these current crises. 💡Ralph Lewin: The fake rule that stuck out to me from this book is that we spend all our time on 5% of our resources, when 95% of our resources is not necessarily mission aligned. Order your copy of Glen’s book, CONTROL: Why Big Giving Falls Short. Join Glen on the book tour! Learn about the Stupski Foundation. Co Hosts: Eric Brown, Jamie Allison, Carmen Rojas & Ralph Lewin Executive Producer: Claire Callahan Production Team: Podfly

    25 min
See All (43)

Trailers

Hosts & Guests

Ratings & Reviews

4.6
out of 5
11 Ratings

About

Some rules are meant to be broken—especially the fake ones! Break Fake Rules is a podcast that brings today’s news and big philanthropic issues into focus, challenging the self-imposed rules that shape the flow of money, power, and resources in America. Join Glen Galaich, CEO of the Stupski Foundation, and a rotating cast of co-hosts as they unpack the news of the day and engage in conversations with principled rulebreakers in philanthropy, nonprofits, government, media, and more. Each episode examines the fake rules holding the systems in place that don’t serve us—and which rules we must break to secure a better future for all. If you have ever questioned why we live by certain rules and wondered what becomes possible when we do things differently, this show is for you.

Information

You Might Also Like