The Involvement of Private Foundations in Entrepreneurial Research
探讨私人基金会在创业研究中的角色，分析其资助的课题和限制，并质疑研究者与资助方兴趣是否一致，对寻求基金支持的学者有参考价值。
THE INVOLVEMENT OF PRIVATE FOUNDATIONS IN ENTREPRENEURIAL RESEARCH The last decade has seen a growing interest in entrepreneurship research. There has been an increasing number of academic and practitioner journals in the areas of entrepreneurship and small business as well as a significant increase in the number of entrepreneurship research centers (Wortman 1987). At the same time, there has been some concern regarding the applicability of the research to entrepreneurs, small business owners, and government policymakers (Brockhaus 1987, Hornaday et al. 1984). This article raises the issue of the applicability of current research activity to foundations that may be sources of support. The study indicates possible sources of funding, specific research topics of interest to funding organizations, and the restrictions, if any, imposed by the various organizations. DEFINING THE RESEARCH AGENDA Who decides what entrepreneurship researchers study? Consider an analogy in the art world. In 1989, legislation was introduced in the U.S. Congress to establish guidelines for grants from the National Endowment for the Arts (NEA) (The Atlanta Journal and Constitution 1989). NEA had been accused of supporting artists who produced obscene work or work contrary to generally accepted standards of public taste. Some members of Congress argued that NEA should hold grant recipients accountable for responsible use of public funds. Nationally renowned artists countered that it is impossible to set standards for art. Only the passing of time reveals whether something qualifies as true art. Academic researchers face a similar, if less extreme, quandary. Most scholars prefer to choose their own research agendas. They may select topics that they believe warrant investigation from literature reviews or from observation. They may be mining veins of research that they expect to make significant contributions to the understanding of small business and entrepreneurship. As Brockhaus (1987) reported, however, the interests of researchers do not necessarily match the interests of the objects of the research. Brockhaus contrasted the published studies of entrepreneurship researchers with the issues voted by business owners at the 1986 White House Conference on Small Business as being the most important to them. The discrepancies caused him to conclude that academicians are not addressing the needs of the primary stakeholders for their research. This finding leads to the question of whether small business owners and entrepreneurs should participate in setting research agendas. Further complicating the selection process is the source of resources that support entrepreneurship research. Major investigations often require resources that are in excess of those available at academic institutions. As a result, third party funding is sought, frequently from corporations, government, or private foundations. These organizations, in turn, have their own objectives in providing resources. This study was designed to look specifically at private foundations as sources of unds for entrepreneurship research. What topics do they fund already and what are they likely to support as accepted topics for entrepreneurship research? To what extent are the interests of the foundations aligned with the preferred topics of researchers? The purpose of this study is to identify a set of funding sources and the entrepreneurship-related research these sources may be willing to support. In revealing this information, the study raises questions about the roles played by different parties in determining the types of research conducted and the allocation of resources. METHODOLOGY Private foundations that support activities related to business and free enterprise were identified from the Taft Foundation Reporter (17th edition), which lists major private foundations in America. …