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Leslie Chandler

Leslie Chandler

CPNL Associate Director for Programs

Glasscock School of Continuing Studies

CONTACT

lrw5@rice.edu

WEBSITE(S)| Profile

SURF Mentoring

Potential projects/topics: This project invites a novice researcher to go "under the hood" of American philanthropy to explore the ethical tensions between donor intent and public benefit. As we develop a new graduate course on the Ethics of Philanthropic Giving, the student researcher will investigate how private foundations navigate moral dilemmas regarding wealth accumulation, perpetuity, and community accountability. The student will engage in a dual-method approach:

  • Qualitative: Reviewing landmark legal precedents and policy debates that have shaped the "rules" of giving.
  • Quantitative: Analyzing IRS Form 990-PF filings from major foundations to identify trends in payout rates and grantmaking strategies.

By pairing financial data with ethical frameworks, the student will help build case studies that illustrate "ethical friction points"—such as when a donor’s legacy conflicts with modern social needs. This work is foundational; the researcher will see how academic theory meets the practical, multi-billion-dollar reality of the nonprofit sector, providing a look at the intersection of law, finance, and society.

Potential skills gained: The student will gain a diverse toolkit of transferable skills relevant to law, business, and social policy. Specifically, they will develop:

  • Data Literacy & Forensic Research: Learning how to navigate and interpret IRS Form 990-PF tax filings to extract meaningful data on foundation health and spending.
  • Legal & Policy Synthesis: The ability to research legal precedents and distill them into policy briefs into concise summaries.
  • Professional Writing: The student will author a white paper and a research poster, gaining experience in translating research for both academic and practitioner audiences.
  • Strategic Mentorship: The Center for Philanthropy and Nonprofit Leadership will offer insight into the nonprofit sector and its potential career paths within philanthropy and nonprofit leadership. Leslie Chandler, Associate Director, will be the faculty member providing oversight and mentorship, drawing on her extensive experience and connections within Houston’s nonprofit community.

Required qualifications:

  • Required skills: Required Characteristics: Curiosity & Pattern Recognition: The ability to look at disparate pieces of information (a tax filing, a news article, a philosophical text) and identify a connecting thread; Self-Direction: While we will provide structured guidance and weekly check-ins, the student should be comfortable working independently to follow "leads" in the research; Ethical Interest: A baseline interest in how society balances private power with the public good.
  • Preferred majors: This is an ideal project for a student considering a career in law, public policy, social entrepreneurship, or ethics.

Direct mentor: Faculty/P.I.

Research Areas

Leslie Chandler, MBA joined the Center for Philanthropy and Nonprofit Leadership in October 2018 to launch Leadership in Action, a certificate program for first-time executive directors and nonprofit professionals who expect to take on that role as the next step in their careers. Leslie has a Master in Business Administration from the University of Texas at Austin and a Master in Legal Studies from Trinity Law School, focused on the management and governance of nonprofit organizations, respectively. She is a Houston 2000 Teach For America corps member, a Senior Fellow with the American Leadership Forum, and holds a Certificate in Nonprofit Board Education from BoardSource. Previously, Leslie served as a program officer at Houston Endowment, a private philanthropy in the greater Houston area. Leslie is the immediate past president and current secretary of the board of the Texas Partnership for Out of School Time (TXPOST).