About “UnCharitable”

After three incredibly successful U.S. charitable campaigns were attacked by charity watchdogs, destroying lives and cutting off precious resources, many of the top influencers in the field knew something had to be done to overhaul the nonprofit sector.

Led by Dan Pallotta, whose record-breaking TED Talk on the subject has inspired leading philanthropists and changemakers, this feature-length documentary directed by Stephen Gyllenhaal exposes the dark side of philanthropy and introduces a radical new way of giving. In a powerful call to action, Uncharitable demands that charities be freed from the traditional sackcloth-and-ashes constraints, so that they can truly change the world.

Driven by the poignant, personal stories of Dan Pallotta, Steve Nardizzi, Dorri McWhorter, Scott Harrison, Edward Norton, Darren Walker and other prominent figures in philanthropy, Uncharitable delivers an emotional journey that moves, persuades and inspires its audience to change the way we think about giving.

No topic is more crucial and timely as we confront an increasingly unstable world with the growing revelation that we are all interconnected and that our fate lies in how much we are willing to invest in positive change.

In theaters September 22nd.


It’s based on the book, “Uncharitable,” by Dan Pallotta, recently re-issued by Brandeis University Press and the best-selling title in the history of Tufts University Press, its original publisher. The Stanford Social Innovation Review said that the book, “deserves to become the nonprofit sector’s new manifesto.” The book was followed by a talk at TED in 2013 that became, as Chris Anderson, the head of TED has said, “one of the most persuasive talks ever on the TED stage, and the 16th most-commented TED talk of all time“.

"Uncharitable" Book

“UnCharitable,” the movie, is directed by Stephen Gyllenhaal and features, among others:

Chris Anderson, CEO of TED

Rudy Espinoza, Executive Director, Inclusive Action for the City

Scott Harrison, Founder and CEO, Charity:Water

Katie Hood, CEO of One Love Foundation and former CEO of the Michael J. Fox Foundation

Milton Little, CEO, United Way of Greater Atlanta

Dorri McWhorter, CEO, YMCA of Greater Chicago

Steve Nardizzi, Former CEO and Co-Founder of Wounded Warrior Project

Edward Norton, Actor and Founder of Crowdrise

Raj Panjabi, Founder of Last Mile Health and Special Assistant to the President and Senior Director for Global Health Security & Biodefense, The White House

Bill Shore, Founder of No Kid Hungry

Roxanne Spillett, Former CEO of the Boys & Girls Clubs of America

Mark Tercek, Former CEO of The Nature Conservancy

Tom Tierney, Chairman and Founder, Bridgespan Group

Darren Walker, President of the Ford Foundation

“UnCharitable” will change you. It will change everything you’ve ever thought or been taught about charity, giving, solving the great problems of human suffering that have plagued humanity since the beginning of time and building a world that works for everyone, with, as Buckminster Fuller said, “no one and nothing left out.” You will come away with hope you thought was no longer possible.

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Dorri McWhorter
Chicago, Illinois, United States
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