Mark Zuckerberg donated 100 million dollars to Newark public schools a few years ago, and they ended up no better for it (and arguably worse off).  Here&#x27;s a great article on the topic -- <a href="http:&#x2F;&#x2F;www.newyorker.com&#x2F;magazine&#x2F;2014&#x2F;05&#x2F;19&#x2F;schooled" rel="nofollow">http:&#x2F;&#x2F;www.newyorker.com&#x2F;magazine&#x2F;2014&#x2F;05&#x2F;19&#x2F;schooled</a> .<p>The main reason for the failure of the donation to create positive change was that the community wasn&#x27;t engaged at all in the reform process.  The first time Newark students and parents heard about the donation and the accompanying &quot;reforms&quot; were when Zuckerberg announced them on Oprah.<p>I completely agree with your sentiment, and wish philanthropy wasn&#x27;t seen as an unmitigated good thing.