The Council on Foundations 2007 Annual Conference will take place in a few weeks in Seattle. The theme is a typically bland "Philanthropy and the Challenges of Our Time: Making a Difference at Home and Abroad." The challenges of our time are defined by COF as poverty, public health, the environment and disaster preparedness.

All well and good. But one would think that "making a difference at home and abroad" might involve some discussion about the most pressing issue of our time: the war in Iraq.

Nope. A search of PDFs on COF's site of the various days' agendas turns up just one reference to Iraq. A "meet the filmmaker" event on Sunday, April 29 with documentary filmmaker Laura Poitras. Other than that, nothing. COF President and CEO Steve Gunderson couldn't even be bothered to pull together a one-sided panel discussion involving his fellow Republicans Bill Kristol and Ann Coulter, moderated by Brit Hume.

Today's foundations have been woefully silent on the policies of the Bush Administration. Those that purport to support civil society abroad have stood by and watched the disintegration of civil society at home -- from a botched war to domestic spying to a President who feels no compulsion to adhere to the law.

Foundation leaders have been cowed by a political environment that demonizes dissent; their fortitude [if they had any in the first place] sapped by a need to not be seen as partisan or unpatriotic. They've turned their backs on one of the tenants of private foundations: providing an independent voice unfettered by government or profit-making influences.

That COF can't hold even a single open discussion about the war in Iraq simply confirms how foundations have lost their way entirely when it comes to looking honestly at how government policies impact the lives of those individuals foundations claim to help.

In a word: disgraceful.

UPDATE: I'm not suggesting foundation leaders embark on Bush-bashing speaking tours, and I understand the war is a toxic subject for any public figure to talk about. What I see is a lack of discussion/analysis in foundationland about the ongoing impact of the war on our society. This thing's been going on for more than four years; you'd think by now at least some foundations would've found their voice on the subject.