The philanthropic LLC: Business influence over/via EdTech

This paper presents a specific legal vehicle for for-profit philanthropy, the limited liability corporation, and analyzes: to what extent the philanthropic limited liability corporation is blurring the lines between high-net-worth individuals and the corporations they found and lead; how new modes of engagement are shifting dynamics between corporate capitalist business rationales and philanthropic endeavors and, in turn, impact the nature of education technology solutions made available; and how technology and philanthropic sector convergence is affecting power relations, educational inequalities, and global North/South relations. The theoretical framing draws from contemporary comparative education research, where scholars are comprehensively unpacking transnational education transfer processes, and contributes to a growing body of critical EdTech scholarship rethinking the presence of technologies in our lives and schooling. The findings demonstrate how the autonomy of for-profit philanthropy is increasingly linked to the institutional profit rationales of affiliate corporations, with elite philanthropists leveraging philanthropy to advance their own business development and growth impact. • For-profit philanthropists leverage philanthropy to advance their own business development and profit growth. • For-profit philanthropic LLCs escape the transparency requirements imposed by U.S. foundation law on elite philanthropy. • Inherent tensions between profit-seeking and a new social contract for public education merit robust critical theorization. • Risks emerge, for example, when economic incentive intersects with North/South dynamics and technology platforms for personalized learning.