Are we a valley of scrooges, or benefactors?

January 18, 2007 | Matt Marshall

…or somewhere in the middle?

First, two weeks ago, we’re told the wealthy in Silicon Valley are among the stingiest when it comes to charitable giving, based on a study of tax documents.

Now, the SF Chronicle comes to a much different conclusion:

From 1999 to 2004, the number of foundations in California grew from 4,208 to 6,242, an increase of nearly 50 percent, surpassing the national growth of 35 percent, according to a recent study by the Foundation Center in New York, which tracks philanthropic giving. Santa Clara County — high tech’s ground zero — had the largest growth in the state, 148 percent, with 292 foundations formed

How do these two square? Could it be that the wealthy are increasingly setting up philanthropies that are organized as for-profits, and not the usual non-profits? Like the Google Foundation?

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About the Author, Matt Marshall

Matt launched VentureBeat in September of 2006, with the realization that no one else was covering the entrepreneurial and tech innovation scene with the velocity or depth that he was. Prior to founding VentureBeat, he covered venture capital for the San Jose Mercury News from 2001 to 2006. In 2002, Matt was awarded "Journalist of the Year" by the Northern California Society of Professional Journalists. Prior to working at the Merc, he was a correspondent for the Wall Street Journal in Bonn, Germany from 1995 to 1998, and a writer for the Washington Post in 1994. Matt holds a PhD in Government and an MA in German and European Studies from Georgetown University. In addition to VentureBeat, Matt is also the Executive Producer of DEMO, the leading launchpad event for emerging technologies.