Terry McAdam Book Award
The Terry McAdam Book Award recognizes a book and author that meaningfully adds new perspective and knowledge to the charitable sector. Independent Sector is proud to honor literature that uplifts civil society and the changemakers that move our nation forward.
Congratulations to Our 2026 Winner
John Fabian Witt, professor of law and history at Yale University, receives the Terry McAdam Book Award for The Radical Fund: How a Band of Visionaries and a Million Dollars Upended America.
His book tells the remarkable story of the Garland Fund, an early 20th-century philanthropic experiment that helped advance movements for economic equality, free speech, and civil rights. Witt’s historical account offers timely insights into the power of philanthropy to challenge conventional thinking and support lasting social change.
Join us in celebrating these outstanding honorees at Independent Sector’s National Summit 2026, October 13–16, in Phoenix. Learn more about our National Awards
About the Award
The Terry McAdam Book Award was established in 1989 and administered by the Alliance for Nonprofit Management to commemorate the life and work of Terry McAdam, who devoted his life to improving the nonprofit management field and urged the field to write about the sector to share knowledge and build the social change movement.
In 2024, the McAdam Award transitioned to Independent Sector. The award lives alongside the organization’s two other national awards: the John W. Gardner Leadership Award and the Janine Lee Mentorship Award.
