John Tyler, secretary and general counsel of the Kauffman Foundation, and Evelyn Brody of the Chicago-Kent College of Law, have collaborated on a monograph titled "How Public Is Private Philanthropy?" Contrary to the popular assumption that governments should exercise tighter control over philanthropy because philanthropic assets are "public money," the authors argue that legal precedents treat charities as private entities with private assets.
On June 19, 2009, Tyler joined Ralph Smith of the Anne E. Casey Foundation, Ray Madoff of the Boston College School of Law, and Glenn Lammi of the Washington Legal Foundation for a discussion of the paper at the Hudson Institute's Bradley Center for Philanthropy and Civic Renewal. The panel was moderated by Bradley Center director William Schambra.