A Failure of Philanthropy?

From the good folks at Idealist.org:

In a provocative piece, Stanford’s Rob Reich asks whether charitable giving—historically rooted in helping the poor and disadvantaged—is now effectively helping the rich get richer. Reich analyzes U.S. laws regulating philanthropic giving and nonprofit tax-exemption, and posits that present charitable tax deductions serve as a subsidy to wealthier donors, who benefit more from giving than the less affluent do. Are current philanthropy policies failing the neediest?