A landmark three-volume reference work documenting philanthropy and the nonprofit sector throughout American history, edited by the field's most widely recognized authority. * Over 200 A-Z entries on people, events, organizations, and ideas in U.S. philanthropic history * Nearly 200 contributors--distinguished scholars from a variety of disciplines * Over 75 primary source documents from the Poor Laws of 1601 to excerpts from the Filer Commission Report of 1975 * Chronology of important events in philanthropic history