(May 27, 2011) - The staff and leadership at Independent Sector offer their thoughts and condolences to the family, friends, and colleagues of Robert L. Payton, a seminal figure in the nonprofit and philanthropic sector.

As one of the founders and the first full-time director of the Center on Philanthropy at Indiana University, Mr. Payton championed the study and teaching of philanthropy at liberal arts schools in higher education where theory and practice could be bridged. No other academic center was formed around the juncture of nonprofit fundraising practice and liberal arts study of philanthropy and its role in society.

He inspired others to contribute to the scholarship of philanthropy as professor emeritus of Philanthropic Studies and senior research fellow at the Center throughout his life. His leadership was instrumental in building an academic field that now boasts nearly fifty research centers devoted to philanthropy, five hundred colleges offering coursework on some aspect of the nonprofit sector, and some three hundred universities offering degree programs or concentrations in the field.

Payton received the John W. Gardner Leadership Award in 2003 from Independent Sector for his lifelong commitment to the study of philanthropy. He also served as the first chair of Independent Sector’s Research Committee.

Read more about Mr. Payton's life and legacy here.