Brad Fulton
As a social scientist, Fulton integrates organizational theory and network analysis to examine the social, political, and economic impact of private foundations and community-based organizations. Using innovative methods, his research analyzes how structural factors impact philanthropic giving, organizational effectiveness, and community outcomes. It also identifies effective practices for organizational leaders and provides evidence-based insights for grantmakers and policymakers.
Fulton directs the National Study of Community Organizing which examines the causes and consequences of racial, socioeconomic, and religious diversity within grassroots advocacy organizations. He co-leads the Observing Civic Engagement Lab which uses an innovative data collection technique, known as systematic social observation, to analyze the internal dynamics of organizations. Fulton also co-directs the National Study of Congregations’ Economic Practices which analyzes how religious congregations receive, manage, and spend their financial resources.
To identify macro-level trends in the scope and scale of the social sector’s impact, Fulton founded The Philanthropy Lab which is undertaking a multi-level study of the entire U.S. nonprofit sector. His team extracted data on 250,000 foundations, 1 million nonprofits, and 10 million grants to construct the sector’s first longitudinal foundation-grantee network dataset. The subsequent analyses are helping researchers, practitioners, and policy-makers track the sources and distribution of philanthropic funding and assess its impact. This research received funding from the National Science Foundation and earned an Excellence Award from Alteryx.
Among Fulton’s publications is the award-winning book A Shared Future (UChicago Press), the forthcoming book Bridging Social Divides (Oxford Press), and articles in the American Sociological Review, Nonprofit Management & Leadership, and The Foundation Review. His research has received 20 national awards from academic associations spanning six disciplines and is regularly covered by media outlets including the New York Times, Washington Post, NPR, and Chronicle of Philanthropy.
Fulton’s collaborators include the Federal Reserve Bank, U.S. Department of Agriculture, and U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. He has also served as a fellow with the Aspen Institute, an academic research partner for GivingTuesday, and an academic ambassador for Tableau.
Fulton earned degrees from U.C. Berkeley, University of Chicago, and Duke University, and he has served as an editorial board member for the American Journal of Sociology, Sociology of Religion, and Social Service Review. In addition, Fulton has over 10 years of experience working as a professional in the social sector.
